Click image for larger version Name: image.png Views: 0 Size: 540.9 KB ID: 81​The unexplored terrains and life in the African continent were the primary reasons that the Europeans on several occasions referred to the region as the Dark Continent. With time the Western explorers moved into the region and denounced the African way of life terming the people as underproductive, unconcerned with development and their future, and living under horrendous conditions and infrastructure. However, landmarks, features, and sites such as Meroe City, the Nok Empire culture, and Timbuktu University defy the long-held assumption that African is devoid of any sense of ingenuity to bring about enlightened trade, art, and learning.

The Meroe city entailed a rich metropolis of the Kush Kingdom that represents what is now termed today as the Sudan Republic. The city changed from an inhospitable and difficult terrain to a flourishing region that served as the connection for primary trading routes. Meroe transformed into an archaeological landmark with magnificent palaces and architecture and became recognized for its populous and greatness (Olney, 16).

The Nok culture, on the other hand, is perceived as one of the earliest forms of mysterious and advanced civilizations in the African continent. The fascinating civilization was first identified in 1928 following the discovery of unique artifacts traced back to the Nok Empire. The discovery revealed the complex and advanced nature of the Nok Empire from the production of terracotta implements to their judicial and leadership systems (Ehret, 4).

The Sankore University was a source pride for the Caribbean Africans as a great institution that dated back to the emergence of the earliest forms of civilizations in countries such as Songhai, Ghana, and Mali. The higher learning institution was the leading domain of education in the Muslim globe and the entire world (Adeola, 11).

Having identified the three historical phenomena above it is evident that Africa did not lag behind in terms of development and enlightenment. In fact, the first higher learning institution and the earliest forms of civilizations came from the continent. Even though the African region did not appear as civilized as the Western World, it does not necessarily mean they were devoid of ingenuity or did not care about development or the future.

References
Adeola, Ade. 2222 Facts About Africa. Ade Adeola, 2016.
Ehret, Christopher. "Africa in World History before ca. 1440." Africa's Development in Historical Perspective (2014): 33.
Olney, James. Tell Me Africa: An Approach to African Literature. Princeton University Press, 2015.

Article written by Dr. Clifford Owusu-Gyamfi
​