I am often reminded by something I heard the late great historian and Pan Africanist John Henrik Clarke say that informs allot of my independent research to this day. He was speaking about how he as a young man who was in search of his history and the history of African Peoples went to the New York Public Library to speak with the great historian and bibliophile Arturo Shomburg.

When he was finally invited into the office he sat down and told Mr. Shomburg that he wanted him to teach him everything about black history that afternoon. He remarked at how Mr. Shomburg seemed amused and patiently began to explain to him that it would certainly take more than one afternoon. However it was the instruction that Arturo Shomburg would give to a young and eager John Henrik Clarke that would guide his studies for the next several decades.

He told John Henrik Clarke to go first and “study the history of your master, once you do that you will understand why your history had to be the way it is.” John Henrik Clarke would later remark on numerous occasions that it was this guidance that sharpened his historical analysis so that he did not make mistakes. In a word, he knew the enemy and the enemies’ motives and methods of distorting the truth when it came to exploiting African peoples.

Dr. Clarke’s approach to history informed by the guidance in methodology given him by Mr. Shomburg early in his journey, would lead him to conclude through his interpretation of the historical record; that for 5000 years Africa has possessed what the whole world wanted, thought they couldn’t live without and didn’t want to pay for. Dr. Clarke would go on to state that the Africans would make political alliances that ultimately would end up in betrayal going back to ancient times.

He would remind us of the history of the great Pharaohs of the Old and New Kingdoms of Ancient Egypt such as: Mentuhotep; Tutmose III and Piankhi all of whom would wage wars to protect Africa from invaders and barbarians coming from Asia Minor spanning a 5000 year period. He would not let us forget how Tarharka would carry the battle to the enemy and cross over to what is today part of Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is named after this great African Tarharka. Even the most racist European scholars of yesteryear begrudgingly had to admit that Tarharka’s reign over Africa and parts of Asia and Southern Europe was in fact the era of “Nigger Domination.”

Dr. Clarke would not let us forget Hannibal Barca the great General of the African Nation of Kart-Haddas (Carthage) who fully understood the Roman play for world domination by their quest to take control of the water ways and trade routes in the Mediterranean and what impact that would have on Africans.

He reminded us that Hannibal suited up in battle gear and took 100,000 African Soldiers along with a fleet of battle trained elephants across the Alps conquering Spain and Southern Italy all the way to the gates of Rome. He reminded us that the only thing that stopped Hannibal from bringing the Roman Empire to its knees was the cut off of Hannibal’s’ supply lines by Carthages’ neighboring African Nation ‘Numidia.’ Numida cut off Hannibal’s’ supplies because they had entered into an alliance with the Roman Empire on the basis of them both being Christian nations.

One African nation made an alliance with the Roman Empire against another African Nation that was taking the fight to the enemy of all of Africa. Sound familiar? Hannibal’s defeat closed the book on Africans being major players on the world stage of history.

Again understanding the history of Europeans and the Arabs in their relationship to Africa and African peoples over the last 1000 years; you get the clear picture of those who turned to Africa for protection and salvation, would later repay the Africans by attacking their kingdoms and enslaving their people which continues up until the present day.
This product (because of its high electronegative nature) will also reduce the effects of excessive buildup of harmful minerals free cheap viagra in your blood stream (like aluminum). Agents that aid brain function related to excitement signals increase, and the smooth tissues and muscles get taut to bring hard on. cheap viagra tablet When ED takes place, continue reading for more generic viagra in stores a man must not use it. Humidity and water may collect within the case; it may also online cialis http://deeprootsmag.org/2014/03/06/dame-kiri-turns-70-bids-farewell-opera-thats-folks/ render your phone be all problematic.
When ancient Jerusalem was threatened, it was the Africans from the ancient Kingdom of Cush that came to her rescue. When the word had went out in Palestine to kill all of the boy babies during the time of Jesus birth, it was Africa that provided refuge for Joseph, Mary and a baby Jesus. When the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had to flee Arabia for his life he did not go to England or France but to Abyssinia.

However after providing refuge for what would become some of the world’s major religious traditions, all of these would eventually turn on Africa and Africans with a vengeance. Dr. Clarke reminds us that there would have never been a transatlantic slave trade in Africans had there first not been the Arab slave trade in Africans that went on for centuries before the Europeans entered the market. Dr. Clarke reminds us that it was the Arab slave trade that had sufficiently weekend the great African States of Songhai and Ghana that made all of Africa vulnerable to the eventual European incursions.

In Dr. Clarke’s classic concise work “Christopher Columbus and the African Holocaust” he reminds us of the mistakes that were made by African Kings when first dealing with the Europeans who came as traders. In his analysis he points out how Europe could have done even better financially through honorable trade with the African Kingdoms and that slavery as such was not even necessary.

Dr. Clarke never let us forget the Berlin Conference wherein the European powers sat down and carved Africa up for colonial exploitation. He would lament the fact that after the wars to end European Colonialism in Africa, that Africans had to learn from history and adopt a Pan Africanist Philosophy if they were to develop continent wide.

Dr. Clarke would become disappointed by what has taken place in Africa post colonialism and would remind us that there are over 1 billion African People in the world, and if we just decided to take the position that we won’t buy a pair of shoes unless they are made by an African; it would spur the creation of a whole new international industry.

Dr. Clarke would look at the exploitive neocolonial relationships with the West and remind African people that charity begins at home. He would remind African people that what they needed most was alliance with each other. Dr. Clarke would make us remember that Africa is still the richest piece of real estate on the planet Earth and that it has everything that African people need to survive and thrive.

Dr. Clarke’s last council to African Peoples was that we don’t have to hate anyone, be against anyone, but we must at this time turn to ourselves and practice “the essential selfishness of survival.”

Submitted by Christopher A. Clarke on 11/3/14. 

Christopher A. Clarke is managing editor of Black2020.Com and can be reached through the sites contact page.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvrzoId6n0E