Hi, I was just wondering if you were familiar with the work of Cheikh Anta Diop and if so, what is your opinion on his work?

Yes I am.

Diop blows me a way, he was truly a polymath.  He was a scientist, historian, statesman, administrator, professor, anthropologist, and liberationist.

I regret I can’t read his works in Wolof and French, because I’ve read that there something loss in the English translations of his works, which is all that I’m familiar with.

    His works, and tapes of his lectures were really popular in the 1990s, there were study groups committed to his works all over the places.  I’m not fully sure why he’s not as prominent now as he was; but I think scholars and their works ebb and flow, because right now Dr. Amos Wilson is really popular.

It think it’s unfortunate that many who study his works get caught up in what Wilson called “Historical Contributionism,” meaning that they use his works to inflate their cultural egos, and do demonstrate our worthiness to our enemies and oppressors; but little else.  His research in the origins and nature of African Civilization, and his confirmation of the Racial and phenotypical identity of the Kemites aka Egyptians are foundation for so much Black Pride, and Cultural Awareness in the African Diaspora.  But too many tend to rest on past greatness.

Diop did not do his research to inflate the egos of Afrocentrics, the revelations of our great history was to be a guide and inspiration for us to build into the future,  Diop said as much; so those who get caught up in dressing like ancient Egyptians and buy scale model pyramids miss the point of his research and others.

I can’t really get into the specifies of his works, I’d be taking up way too much of your time, so I’ll just share my favorite text by Diop.  Well it’s a tie really, so my two favs by Diop:

Oh, and one more thing, some people try to sully Diop’s works and contributions because his Wife was a White woman, and because his sons were such sellout Uncle Toms; but pay that shit no never mind.  His works and contributions stand on their own, and people who say we should discard them because he didn’t have the ideological purity that they thought he should have had are full of shit.  

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