Been sick, still am actually but whatever.
Just found out that Dr Ivan Van Sertima died last week. How'd I miss that? In case you're not aware Van Sertima was a black scholar, college professor and historian of Guyanese descent who wrote a few ground breaking historical books back in the day, the most famous of which is "They came before Columbus" which hypothesised that fleets from the Mali Empire reached the new world way before Columbus ever did.
It wasn't that well received by some scholars. I mean how dare he say others got here before Columbus plus black folks I mean like whoa! But Van Sertima used evidence found in the new world to defend his hypothesis and makes a pretty good case I'd say.
Interesting enough recently Gavin Menzies has made the same claims about Chinese fleets reaching the new world and exploring the whole globe way before Columbus in his book 1421. Pretty cool. Looks like everyone got here before Columbus doesn't it lol.
Still I got to say Van Sertima certainly made his mark on Black historical research even if everything he said wasn't agreed with. In the world of Black historians of recent times he probably up there with Cheikh Anta Diop.
I think I bought my copy of They Came before Columbus when I was in college back at the now defunct Third World Bookstore. Memories and Good times.
OK that's all for now, back to being sick again.
1 comment:
Get better Jdid. I am sorry to hear about Van Sertima. Even though his theory was disputed he provided people with an alternative perspective to western scholarship and for that he will forever be remembered. May he rest in peace.
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