AFRICAN & BLACK HISTORY Profile picture
Feb 25 16 tweets 5 min read Read on X
Africa is portrayed as a continent without history before slavery and colonialism. African History isn't known by many people compared to the history of Europe, Americas, and Asia.

Some of the world's great civilisations such as Mali flourished in Africa.

A THREAD! Image
In the early periods(1500s), Africans participated in extensive international trading networks and intrans-oceanic travel.

"Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter"
African Proverb
THE MALI EMPIRE

Founded by King Sundiata Keita, and also known as the richest civilisation in
West Africa. It boasted excellent law & order, agriculture and mining, the largest library in Africa, and the richest man in history: Mansa Musa! Image
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The Mali kingdom at one point accounted for half of the world's gold supply; and housed over a million manuscripts so you could argue academia in the continent really began here.
THE KINGDOM OF KUSH

Kush was a part of Nubia, ancient Nubian cultures were sophisticated and cosmopolitan, as the region served as a major trading center for goods from the African interior, Arabian desert and Mediterranean basin. Image
It corresponds to the region of 'Nubia' - modern day Sudan.

There are different ideas for what 'Nubian' means:

Some say that the term 'Nubian' is derived from the ancient Egyptian word 'nub' meaning 'gold'.
Others have stated that the term comes from the earliest settlers of the region, being a tribe called the 'Nuba' or ' Noba'.
THE KINGDOM OF WAGADU (GHANA)

This kingdom was an important stop along the trans-Saharan trade route which connected African societies in the Sahel to the markets found along the coastlines of the Mediterranean Sea and the trans-Saharan gold trade. Image
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They specialized in the trade of gold and kola nuts (the latter of which became the secret ingredient in Coca-Cola centuries later). The Kingdom of Ghana’s decline was cemented when it became part of the kingdom of Mali around the year 1240 CE.
ALMOHAD EMPIRE

The Almohad empire was a moorish dynasty that controlled most of North Africa and all of southern Spain during their reign. Image
BENIN EMPIRE

It was founded by Edo-speaking people. The name "Benin" (& "Bini") is a Portuguese corrupted word, ultimately from the word "Ubini", which came into use during the reign of Oba Ewuare the Great, 1440. Image
"Ubini", an ancient Edo word meaning beautiful people, was used to describe the royal administrative centre or city or capital proper of the kingdom, Edo.
Benin is said to have begun as family clusters of hunters, gatherers, and agriculturalists who eventually created villages. By 1300, Benin was heavily involved in trade and the arts, using such mediums as copper, bronze, and brass.
The Benin bronzes eventually became some of the most famous art pieces produced in Africa.

Britain stole over 6,000 Benin bronzes, which they display in their museums. 1 of them was sold for $13.5 million in 2015. Image
Their Royal horsemen patrolled the great Benin 1075-1350 CE wall which was the longest man-made structure in the world (about 16,000 km in length). Image
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More from @AfricanArchives

Feb 22
American medicine has been built upon the abuse of black people with no oversight.

I'll revisit a few cases of how Black people were abused in the field of medicine. #BlackHistoryMonth

A THREAD! Image
The Tuskegee syphilis Experiment: It began in 1932. In the syphilis study, doctors were trying to find out more about syphilis test subjects (impoverished African American men), and didn't treat them for syphilis even after they knew penicillin could cure the infection. Image
The infected men involved in the study were never made aware of their condition upon diagnosis and believed they were being treated for "bad blood". Image
Read 22 tweets
Feb 20
Did you know that an entire Manhattan village owned by black people was destroyed to build Central Park.

The community was called Seneca Village. It spanned from 82nd Street to 89th Street.

Successful Black Communities and Towns.

A THREAD! #blackhistorymonth Image
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Blackdom, New Mexico

It was founded by Frank Boyer and Ella Louise McGruder and it was the first black town in New Mexico. It was a safe haven for our people. It had a population of 300 residents by 1908.

In 1919, the town struck oil! Image
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The residents then created the Blackdom Oil Company, and they became set for generations of wealth but tragedy struck too…

The town suffered a drought and became uninhabitable. Families left and by the end of World War I, it was essentially a ghost town.
Read 18 tweets
Feb 18
In 1862, congress allowed the enlistment of African Americans into the U.S. military. Those who served and loved the country that did not love them back.

Military History of African Americans. #BlackHistoryMonth

A THREAD Image
Black Americans participated in every American war from the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the Civil War, the Spanish–American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan, and the Iraq War.
Thousands of black troops, made up of both free men and enslaved, fought in the continental war. They were promised freedom for fighting but those promises were often broken.
Read 20 tweets
Feb 15
Sarah Saartjie Baartman was cruelly exploited in Europe by being exhibited as a freak show attraction because of her protruding butt. After her death, her body was displayed in a Paris museum for over 100yrs.

The exploitation of Sarah Baartman.

A THREAD! Image
SARAH "Saarjte" Baartman of the khoikhoi people of South Africa was born in 1789 and was one of 2 women put on display as a "FREAK SHOW" act in England and then later France. Image
The men who promised her a life of pride in sharing her culture with the World tricked her, and though she was given pay she often was at the expense of verbal, sexual, and physical abuse. Image
Read 10 tweets
Feb 13
Most people have heard or used the term UNCLE TOM when we refer to a sell-out, but did you know that the inference is totally wrong.

The real Uncle Tom was a hero, Josiah Henson, was an abolitionist who helped slaves escape among other great things #BlackHistoryMonth

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Josiah Henson was born into slavery in 1789 in Charles County, Maryland. Growing up he watched his father receive beatings for standing up to his slave owner and also witnessed his father's ear being severed as part of the punishment and also his father being sold off. Image
Upon the death of his owner, Henson was also separated from his family in an estate sale. He remained on his new owner's farm in Montgomery County, Maryland, until he was an adult. As he aged he rose to become a trusted enslaved and supervised other enslaved people on the farm.
Read 8 tweets
Feb 11
George Stinney Jr., was the youngest person executed in the US in the 20th century. He was so small they had to stack books on the electric chair.

Due to no evidence, his conviction was vacated 70 years after his execution! #BlackHistoryMonth  

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George was accused of killing two white missing girls, 11-Year-old Betty and 7-year-old Mary, their bodies were found near the house where he lived with his parents in Alcolu, South Carolina march 1944.
The sheriff arrested George and his brother John (later released), because he claimed that George confessed and led officers to the 'place where he hid the murder weapon'. His father was fired from his job at a local sawmill and ordered to vacate the company house. Image
Read 7 tweets

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