hi evryone, this is my first post here. i hope it is in the right place.
i have recently discovered the work of an amazing south african, namely credo mutwa.
i have a serious interest in mythology and history, and seeing as i'm south african, i thought i'd focus my attention on my own backyard, so to speak.
i've long felt that africa's place in the 'world history' is orely lacking. africa is the cradle of human life, and yet is hardly ever given credit for the part it has played in the history of the world.
for example, i've been working on a theory that the gold used by ancient egyptians was originally mined in southern africa, namely south africa and zimbabwe. gold has been mined here for centuries, but is hardly very given any credit, gold mining is said to be first started here in white settlers about a hundred or so years ago, nothing could be further from the truth! here is an excerpt from one of ex-pres mandela's speeches at the opening address of the sub-saharan oil and minerals conference in 1993 :
Quote:
Colonial history books have totally ignored the enormous heritage of African mining. Contrary to the assertions of the so-called "discoverers" of Africa, mining has been an important economic activity in Southern Africa for thousands of years. For instance, The Ngwenya Mine in Swaziland is one of the oldest in the region and ochres were mined there over 40,000 years ago.
Apart from iron-ore mining across the subcontinent, there are over four thousand ancient gold mines recorded on the greenstone belts of the Transvaal, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique. The latter formed part of the Empire of Monomotapa which included the northern Transvaal. Base minerals, such as copper workings at Phalaborwa, have been dated as early as the eighth century.
With the advent of European colonialism, mining became the preserve of the settlers and naked exploitation became the order of the day.
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this my friends is only the tip of the iceberg!
similarities between ancient egyptian and khoi/san rituals involving the ritual of burning of diamonds in an animal skin (bull for egyptians, eland for khoi/san) have been recorded by one brenda sullivan, a one time diamond miner, now alternativ historian.
please feel free to view my thread about credo mutwa and ancient african history at the following link
http://www.davidickeforum.com/forum/...24ddaf928c7a59
but be warned, leave your preconieved notion at the door.
i hope this is of some interest and may be the beginning of a new outlook for you about our amazing continenent.