While asserting that there was an African presence in ancient America, Van Sertima did not believe that the land of the Olmec was an African settler colony. We cannot say with certainty where the Olmec came from or whether they were direct descendants of the indigenous population but that much of their sculpture, especially the colossal heads, reveals an ancient Africoid presence in the Americas seems to me should be beyond clear and sane rebuttal. In this endeavor, the Olmec laid the foundations of classical Mesoamerican civilization. This ancient American culture been labeled the first civilization of the western hemisphere, as they surpassed their neighbors in an attempt to settle certain problems of living together-of government, defense, religion, family, property, science and art. A tribute to a great scholar, Ivan van Sertima, this book discusses the origins, the nature and the historical development of the Nile Valley civilisations. The Olmec were an early people of Mesoamerica who settled the Mexican Gulf Coast. The first civilization of the Americas is called the Olmec. The following is an excerpt from Uncovering the African Past: The Ivan Van Sertima Papers by Runoko Rashidi (London: Books of Africa, 2015).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |