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Science and Technology in Africa: a Historical Perspective

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Science and Technology in Africa: a Historical Perspective International Journal of Innovative Social & Science Education Research 7(1):80-87, Jan.-Mar., 2019 © SEAHI PUBLICATIONS, 2019 www.seahipaj.org ISSN: 2360-8978 Science and Technology in Africa: A Historical Perspective ELUOZO Collins Department of Curriculum and Instructional Technology (Science Education Option) Faculty of Education Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, Nigeria [email protected] [email protected] 08111312517 ABSTRACT The place of Science and Technology in Africa has remained very disheartening since the late 50s. Several factors have been figured out as reasons behind this under-development in Africa. The researcher took a historical perspective in tracing the factors behind this problem. It was discovered that the Ancient Africans were very notable in Science and Technology till the late 40s. It was equally unveiled that most of the modern Western technologies was adopted and learnt from the Ancient African scientists. The paper revealed that Africa hosted the first humans on planet earth and that basic science and technology originated in Africa before the invasion of African nations by the Europeans. The paper equally discovered that the Westerners purposefully brained-drained the Africans with exchange of culture, force and deceit for religion and resource control. The paper concluded with some key points that pervade the Westerners overriding Africans, such as unstable government, poor leadership qualities, lack of respect for African scientists and inferiority complex. Recommendations that can address this menace were highlighted. Keywords: Africa, Continent, Antiquate, Humans, Archaeology, History, Europe, aleontologists, Westerners, Science, Technology, Species, War, Weapons, Genetics. INTRODUCTION Although it is difficult to document Africa's pre-colonial history due to extreme lack of documentation and structural design that the western continents of Europe and Asia are opulently dense in, such as recording of verbal history, language history, archaeology and genetics which are fundamental for cultural transfer. Nevertheless, the history of Africa is tied to the veneer of hominids, antiquate humans about 400,000 years ago. Some of the ancient societies in Africa consists of Ajuran Empire, D'mt, Adal Sultanate, War-sangali Sultanate, Kingdom of Nri, Nok culture, Mali Empire, Songhai Empire, Benin Empire, Oyo Empire, Ashanti Empire, Ghana Empire, Mossi Kingdoms, Mutapa Empire, Kingdom of Mapungubwe, Kingdom of Sine, Kingdom of Sennar, Kingdom of Saloum, Kingdom of Baol, Kingdom of Cayor, Kingdom of Zimbabwe, Kingdom of Kongo, Empire of Kaabu, Kingdom of Ile Ife, Ancient Carthage, Numidia, Mauretania, and the Aksumite Empire etc. Prior to the European religion invasion and colonialism, there were some estimates that Africa had almost 14,000 different states and sovereign groups with distinctive languages and mores. According to paleontologists, the early hominids' cranium anatomy was analogous to that of the gorilla, chimpanzee, and apes which was believed to have firstly originated in Africa. However, it was also believed that the hominids adopted a two ankle movement which untied their legs and hands. The movement enabled them to live in both forest and open savanna areas. This controversial claims is said to have taken place about 6 to 15 million years ago, against the opinion of biologists and hereditists who stated that human appearance could be traced to the last 60,000 to 300,000 years ago. The paleontologists believed that major human body transformation surfaced within the last 4 million years ago, as several australopithecine hominid species had developed all over the Southern, Eastern and Central Africa, and 80 Eluozo.….. Int. J. Innovative Soc. & Sci. Educ. Res. 7(1): 80-87, 2019 by this period the hominids have become tool users, and manufacturer of paraphernalia which enabled them to forage for smaller creatures (animals and plants) that qualified humans as omnivores. Within the last 2 million years ago, some other human species have emanated in the vestige documentation of Africa, such as Homo habilis, Homo ergaster, Homo erectus, Homo floresiensis and Homo georgicus which was believed to be the first human species that lived outside the territory of Africa. This era witnessed rapid growth in science and technology with reference to the primordial pebble apparatus amongst others. If these historical assertions are truth, it therefore means that human existence and technology originated in the African continents and that other continents are biological children of Africans. Africa been the setting for the sunrise of human history, developed an expertise based on sharp tools of flint, otherwise known as stone age. At the later part of the Old Stone Age, humans in Africa produced some of the earliest and most significant prehistory arts in form of stone base arts, astound and crevice as well other artifacts that aided their living. Prior to the invasion of the African territories by the Westerners mainly the European powers that divided almost all the African states in the 1880s except Ethiopia and Liberia that already had independence before the first and second world war, Africans were independent in science and technology that sustained the continent. Religion exchange, slave trade and deceit for resource control by the westerners played an ostentatious role in siphoning the Africans of their science and technological intellects, which have placed the continent as the most underdeveloped continent of the world, at what point did we got it wrong shall be of focal interest in this paper. Early Science and Technology in African Societies Africans made the most primitive and the principal significant scientific inventions till the Middle Ages. Right from the initial production of tools, the first discovery of fire, and the early use of numbers were all initiated in Africa. The Africans discovered the production and use of baskets and string about 600- 800,000 years ago and within the last100, 000 BC, the Africans invented boats for marine transport. Through the use of boats, the great Africans explored through the African seas to India, Australia, West Asia, Central Asia, Europe, China and America. As early as 35,000 BC the Africans invented fish-hooks for fishing and tally sticks to keep track of numbers. At about 25,000 years BC, the Africans invented bows and arrows to hunt animals for food as well defense against external aggressions. Approximately 6000 BC, African Sudanese built circles of standing stones that enabled them to measure astronomical events in terms of seasonal change, while the Egyptians diverse means of brewing beer from grain. The Sudanese tamed donkeys as well discovered the cropping of millet and sorghum at about 3000 BC while the Egyptians invented glass beads and the production of yeast bread within the same period. African Women discovered and initiated terracotta industry and smelt iron about 400 BC. The Carthaginian metal-smiths of North Africa outlined how to blend contemptible tin with copper to coat iron surface to enable it look polished inform of silver and gold. The Africans were the foremost to establish a world renowned institution of higher education, founded by Ptolemies in Alexandria in Egypt about 300 BC where ancient Egyptian medical tradition was practiced by Herophilus and Erasistratos as pioneer doctors, including the teaching of astronomy and mathematics. At about 200 years BC, Aristarchus discovered that earth moves around the sun, while Erastothenes a Libya born gem, calculated the circumference of the earth in Alexandria, and its distance to the moon. Juba II and his wife Cleopatra Selene both from Morocco, developed a psychological science theory of Elephants care behavior, they noted that Elephants were of immense help to an injured colleague, forming defense as well rendering outstanding measures to emendate the endangered colleague. They made very enduring observations of the animal species, as the Elephant applies the fluids of aloe plant on the wounds of injured Elephant and they stood behind the injured Elephant like healthcare officers till the wounds are healed. The duos equally made efforts by sending explorers to the Canary Atoll. During the Roman Empire, the Africans dominated the science community; Ptolemy an Egyptian geographer was the first to 81 Eluozo.….. Int. J. Innovative Soc. & Sci. Educ. Res. 7(1): 80-87, 2019 portray the world atlas and he tried to explain the movement of the planets. Within the same era, Hypatia the great mathematician developed the geometry of cones and the effects of a cone when been traversed by a plane. The Africans developed the three major world accepted types of calendars, in the order of: astral, cosmological, and astrophysical. Although most states of Africa combined the three calendars and other native calendars to form peculiar calendars like: Akan calendar, Egyptian calendar, Berber calendar, Ethiopian calendar, Igbo calendar, Yoruba calendar, Shona calendar, Swahili calendar, Xhosa calendar, Borana calendar, and Luba calendar. In addition, the Egyptians were the first to detect the location of the star, which they later transformed and structured as the 24 hour per day, 7 days per week, 28, 29, 30 and 31 days per month, and 365-days, 12 month, per year calendar. Africans and Early Mathematicians As early as 75,000 BCE, South Africa and other African countries like Congo DR manufactured a mathematical artifact with Lacombe bone, within 18,000 to 20,000 BCE,
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