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Black Africa: The Economic and Cultural Basis for a Federated State
This expanded edition continues Diop's campaign for the political and economic unification of the nations of black Africa. It concludes with a lengthy interview with Diop.
146 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
44 people are currently reading
848 people want to read
About the author
Cheikh Anta Diop
27 books369 followersCheikh Anta Diop was an Afrocentric historian, anthropologist, physicist and politician who studied the human race's origins and pre-colonial African culture.
Diop's first work translated into English, The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality, was published in 1974. It gained a much wider audience for his work. He proved that archaeological and anthropological evidence supported his view that Pharaohs were of Negroid origin. Some scholars draw heavily from Diop's groundbreaking work, , while others in the Western academic world do not accept all of Diop's theories. Diop's work has posed important questions about the cultural bias inherent in scientific research.
Diop showed above all that European archaeologists before and after the decolonization had understated and continued to understate the extent and possibility of Black civilizations.
The Swiss archaeologist Charles Bonnet's discoveries at the site of Kerma shed some light on the theories of Diop. They show close cultural links between Nubia and Ancient Egypt, though the relationship had been acknowledged for years. This does not necessarily imply a genetic relationship, however. Mainstream Egyptologists such as F. Yurco note that among peoples outside Egypt, the Nubians were closest ethnically to the Egyptians, shared the same culture in the predynastic period, and used the same pharaonoic political structure. He suggests that the peoples of the Nile Valley were one regionalized population, sharing a number of genetic and cultural traits.
Diop argued that there was a shared cultural continuity across African peoples that was more important than the varied development of different ethnic groups shown by differences among languages and cultures over time.
His books were largely responsible for, at least, the partial re-orientation of attitudes about the place of African people in history, in scholarly circles around the world.
Diop's first work translated into English, The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality, was published in 1974. It gained a much wider audience for his work. He proved that archaeological and anthropological evidence supported his view that Pharaohs were of Negroid origin. Some scholars draw heavily from Diop's groundbreaking work, , while others in the Western academic world do not accept all of Diop's theories. Diop's work has posed important questions about the cultural bias inherent in scientific research.
Diop showed above all that European archaeologists before and after the decolonization had understated and continued to understate the extent and possibility of Black civilizations.
The Swiss archaeologist Charles Bonnet's discoveries at the site of Kerma shed some light on the theories of Diop. They show close cultural links between Nubia and Ancient Egypt, though the relationship had been acknowledged for years. This does not necessarily imply a genetic relationship, however. Mainstream Egyptologists such as F. Yurco note that among peoples outside Egypt, the Nubians were closest ethnically to the Egyptians, shared the same culture in the predynastic period, and used the same pharaonoic political structure. He suggests that the peoples of the Nile Valley were one regionalized population, sharing a number of genetic and cultural traits.
Diop argued that there was a shared cultural continuity across African peoples that was more important than the varied development of different ethnic groups shown by differences among languages and cultures over time.
His books were largely responsible for, at least, the partial re-orientation of attitudes about the place of African people in history, in scholarly circles around the world.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 3, 2021
This is a short, but powerful piece on the paramount necessity of continental African unity. The great Cheikh Anta Diop sets forth a compelling case against any and all efforts to unify Africa on economic lines without first unifying politically. Diop argues that post-colonial Africa has not been able to secure any meaningful independence from its former Western masters because the many African states are disjointed, politically isolated from one another, and susceptible to foreign domination and external influence. He calls this problem "South Americanization" in an allusion to the similar phenomena that plagued Latin American nations once they secured their "independence" from Spain and other European powers. In short, continental African federalism is necessary to stop neo-colonialism and usher in true cultural, economic, and geo-political African independence.
Diop argues that in order to politically unify, vast sections of Africa must first adopt a common language. Second, the individual African states in the continent's various regions must be willing to cede some of their national sovereignty (specifically in the areas of foreign trade, defense, and economics) to a continental / regional political entity that has the authority to bind all the states together under common interests. Only then can unified economic interests be ensured.
Diop spends a significant portion of the book detailing Africa's vast, plentiful, and abundant natural resources. These resources give Africa the ability to industrialize and become clean-energy self-sufficient. However, Africa must first break the chains of indirect foreign rule. This can only be done by political unity among individual African states in the form of a single Federated State (or in the meantime, various regional political entities). Diop includes a 15-step program for continental African unity, and spends much time discussing the necessity of including Arab North Africa in the the program. Diop also makes clear that the unified Federated State would not be exclusionary on the basis of skin color or "race," but that no white state would be allowed to exist in Africa, as it would entail white minority rule over a Black majority, inevitably leading to war and conflict.
This is a great introduction to the historical frame that Pan Africanists such as Diop, Nyerere, and Nkrumah viewed in the post-colonial age. It is also illustrative of what Black / African radicalism should focus on in 2021 and beyond. Pan African unity is as much a necessity today as it was in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Diop's emphasis on African cultural renaissance (through embracing indigenous languages and understanding African civilizational history) informs his belief that culture is central to uniting the continent of Africa, and defeating the forces of Western imperialism once and for all.
Diop argues that in order to politically unify, vast sections of Africa must first adopt a common language. Second, the individual African states in the continent's various regions must be willing to cede some of their national sovereignty (specifically in the areas of foreign trade, defense, and economics) to a continental / regional political entity that has the authority to bind all the states together under common interests. Only then can unified economic interests be ensured.
Diop spends a significant portion of the book detailing Africa's vast, plentiful, and abundant natural resources. These resources give Africa the ability to industrialize and become clean-energy self-sufficient. However, Africa must first break the chains of indirect foreign rule. This can only be done by political unity among individual African states in the form of a single Federated State (or in the meantime, various regional political entities). Diop includes a 15-step program for continental African unity, and spends much time discussing the necessity of including Arab North Africa in the the program. Diop also makes clear that the unified Federated State would not be exclusionary on the basis of skin color or "race," but that no white state would be allowed to exist in Africa, as it would entail white minority rule over a Black majority, inevitably leading to war and conflict.
This is a great introduction to the historical frame that Pan Africanists such as Diop, Nyerere, and Nkrumah viewed in the post-colonial age. It is also illustrative of what Black / African radicalism should focus on in 2021 and beyond. Pan African unity is as much a necessity today as it was in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Diop's emphasis on African cultural renaissance (through embracing indigenous languages and understanding African civilizational history) informs his belief that culture is central to uniting the continent of Africa, and defeating the forces of Western imperialism once and for all.
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February 10, 2019This book is so brilliantly written made me wonder if the countries colonized by France have a better understanding of Africa's plight and the dynamics of the relationship between the colonized (slave) and colonizer (master). Dr. Diop is a breath of fresh air when it's so hard to find scholars, elders, and teachers that will state the hard truth of how Africa can at least start to contemplate our problems from an realistic African paradigm. Asé and Hótep to this wonderful ancestor.
January 23, 2023
I must note that despite my 5 star review, I completely disagree with Diop on the question of Palestinian-israel relations and his assessment of the situation and what would become of it. Diop operates from a view that implies that there is even remotely some legitimacy to israel, which there is not; israel is an illegal, illegitimate apartheid state that should not exist. Diop theorizes that in the coming decades [this was written in 1977], tensions between israel and Palestine would cool and a two-state solution would be peacefully reached. Of course I have to acknowledge that Diop theorized this almost 50 years ago, and then would himself die in 1986. The landscape of the genocide of Palestine and Middle Eastern affairs, has changed drastically since. I am confident that if Diop were presently alive, he would reassess and become an ardent critic of israel. Just needed to say that.
This was my first time reading Cheikh Anta Diop, and I believe I jumped into the perfect text to read. I was astounded at Diop's careful, intricate, almost-overwhelming-at-times, breakdowns of African history, language, and culture -- and even more so in the section where he theorizes plans for clean energy and total self-reliance on a unified Africa. I had never read about thermonuclear energy, or tidal energy, or hydroelectric energy, until here, and Diop lays it out so carefully as to make the reader understand fully what can be achieved under Pan-Africanism. Diop had a crystal clear vision of the total shape of Africa, from Egypt to Eswatini. His scathing takedown of apartheid South Africa is critical reading material for anyone who is curious about learning more about the struggle for liberation in South Africa.
At times, Diop seems to lean in fully to a Marxist-Leninist framework for the future of Africa and a possibly-united Africa, but then goes on to state that the ideology of a unified Africa would be something different. I would be interested in reading more on this; obviously the conditions of a unified Africa [or even all across the continent with each nation sovereign] were vastly different from the USSR, but the formulas are still applicable. I don't know,.I want to read more from Diop on this and I hope he wrote about it.
He writes so plainly [I mean this in the best possible way] about culture, and what culture means and the breakdown of those meanings. I read and reread it and realized it could be applied to practically all oppressed persons. Just an incredible analysis.
Overall, I can't recommend this book enough and I can't wait to dig deeper into Diop.
This was my first time reading Cheikh Anta Diop, and I believe I jumped into the perfect text to read. I was astounded at Diop's careful, intricate, almost-overwhelming-at-times, breakdowns of African history, language, and culture -- and even more so in the section where he theorizes plans for clean energy and total self-reliance on a unified Africa. I had never read about thermonuclear energy, or tidal energy, or hydroelectric energy, until here, and Diop lays it out so carefully as to make the reader understand fully what can be achieved under Pan-Africanism. Diop had a crystal clear vision of the total shape of Africa, from Egypt to Eswatini. His scathing takedown of apartheid South Africa is critical reading material for anyone who is curious about learning more about the struggle for liberation in South Africa.
At times, Diop seems to lean in fully to a Marxist-Leninist framework for the future of Africa and a possibly-united Africa, but then goes on to state that the ideology of a unified Africa would be something different. I would be interested in reading more on this; obviously the conditions of a unified Africa [or even all across the continent with each nation sovereign] were vastly different from the USSR, but the formulas are still applicable. I don't know,.I want to read more from Diop on this and I hope he wrote about it.
He writes so plainly [I mean this in the best possible way] about culture, and what culture means and the breakdown of those meanings. I read and reread it and realized it could be applied to practically all oppressed persons. Just an incredible analysis.
Overall, I can't recommend this book enough and I can't wait to dig deeper into Diop.
February 4, 2023
This actually should be essential reading for Pan-Africanists
It's a short read (105 pages in the french version) that maps out a fairly detailed plan for the industrialization of a federal African continental-wide super state. I really like that this book focuses on the more logistical side of Pan-Africanism. It's more about strategies than ideology. Both are important but, it's interesting to read the more technical stuff like this because it gets talked about less. Diop is no doubt a scientist at heart and by training so there were moments when I got a little lost in the details of how energy is going to be extracted and converted and all that. He also touches on the language question in Africa-- I have thoughts on this and I am glad he brings it up. It needs to be brought up more. He's a little biased towards Senegal and the Sahel-- like he drags on a little bit when he gets to the part where he talks about Senegal's contribution and a little with Mali and Niger too but I do like that all of Africa is included to some extent here. He is a scientific socialist - he doesn't go into it THAT much but he does state outright that our Africa will be a socialist united state and will avoid creating an industrial bourgeoisie and will not go down a capitalist path, he talks about economic planning and references his historical materialist analyses of AFRICAn history in his other works. This is the Diop that is definitely getting erased and replaced with the "Afrocentric" Diop.
Ok on the language question in Africa
Here's where I agree with Diop:
- I believe that Africa does indeed need to have a single federal language that serves as the language of communication between all of the various states and is the official language of the government, most media, literature, the workplace and is a language of instruction from the primary through university level of education. While Diop doesn't mention which language this should be, I agree with the popular Swahili proposal. It makes the most sense and Pan-Africanists who believe we can create a successful continental-wide government without an official shared language are not being realistic or scientific.
Here's where I disagree with Diop:
-Diop proposes that in addition to an official continental-wide language, we should also have official regional languages or official languages for the (sub) states in Africa based on whatever language is the most commonly spoken language in the African states today. This is easy for him to say since he is Wolof and he basically says sorry Serer speakers but in Senegal, we are replacing your language with Wolof. This would cause serious conflict literally everywhere, especially in a place like Nigeria which hardly has a majority language but even in Senegal and Burkina and other states that do have a majority language.
What I propose is that we have one official language for the African federal-state BUT we also continue to guard Africa's position as the most polyglot continent in the world. Every village or group of villages with a shared ethnolinguistic group should have a council of education charges with ensuring that all primary and secondary school students in the villages are receiving a bilingual education with instruction in Swahili and then the local language of that village. It's not perfect but it's light years better than what we currently have. So many people would become literate in their native languages for the first time. So many would become the first person to read and write in their language in their whole bloodline. This seems mostly feasible though we may need special programs for critically endangered languages.
Final thoughts: I honestly wonder what Diop would say if he came back here to learn that he's considered the father of this neo-pharaonic back to Egypt movement. He would have to be so confused...
It's a short read (105 pages in the french version) that maps out a fairly detailed plan for the industrialization of a federal African continental-wide super state. I really like that this book focuses on the more logistical side of Pan-Africanism. It's more about strategies than ideology. Both are important but, it's interesting to read the more technical stuff like this because it gets talked about less. Diop is no doubt a scientist at heart and by training so there were moments when I got a little lost in the details of how energy is going to be extracted and converted and all that. He also touches on the language question in Africa-- I have thoughts on this and I am glad he brings it up. It needs to be brought up more. He's a little biased towards Senegal and the Sahel-- like he drags on a little bit when he gets to the part where he talks about Senegal's contribution and a little with Mali and Niger too but I do like that all of Africa is included to some extent here. He is a scientific socialist - he doesn't go into it THAT much but he does state outright that our Africa will be a socialist united state and will avoid creating an industrial bourgeoisie and will not go down a capitalist path, he talks about economic planning and references his historical materialist analyses of AFRICAn history in his other works. This is the Diop that is definitely getting erased and replaced with the "Afrocentric" Diop.
Ok on the language question in Africa
Here's where I agree with Diop:
- I believe that Africa does indeed need to have a single federal language that serves as the language of communication between all of the various states and is the official language of the government, most media, literature, the workplace and is a language of instruction from the primary through university level of education. While Diop doesn't mention which language this should be, I agree with the popular Swahili proposal. It makes the most sense and Pan-Africanists who believe we can create a successful continental-wide government without an official shared language are not being realistic or scientific.
Here's where I disagree with Diop:
-Diop proposes that in addition to an official continental-wide language, we should also have official regional languages or official languages for the (sub) states in Africa based on whatever language is the most commonly spoken language in the African states today. This is easy for him to say since he is Wolof and he basically says sorry Serer speakers but in Senegal, we are replacing your language with Wolof. This would cause serious conflict literally everywhere, especially in a place like Nigeria which hardly has a majority language but even in Senegal and Burkina and other states that do have a majority language.
What I propose is that we have one official language for the African federal-state BUT we also continue to guard Africa's position as the most polyglot continent in the world. Every village or group of villages with a shared ethnolinguistic group should have a council of education charges with ensuring that all primary and secondary school students in the villages are receiving a bilingual education with instruction in Swahili and then the local language of that village. It's not perfect but it's light years better than what we currently have. So many people would become literate in their native languages for the first time. So many would become the first person to read and write in their language in their whole bloodline. This seems mostly feasible though we may need special programs for critically endangered languages.
Final thoughts: I honestly wonder what Diop would say if he came back here to learn that he's considered the father of this neo-pharaonic back to Egypt movement. He would have to be so confused...
July 19, 2023
Une présentation inédite de l’unité historique, culturelle et linguistique de l’Afrique ainsi qu’un argument irréfutable pour son unification dans un contexte post-coloniale. Diop insiste sur la richesse de l’Afrique en minéraux et en énergies renouvelables et démontre le rôle que ses ressources peuvent jouer dans l’industrialisation du continent. Cela passe notamment par forger les liens étroits de coopération entre tous les pays du continent sinon les intégrer dans une union collective. Ce livre doit être une lecture obligatoire pour tous ceux et celles qui sont concernés par le continent Africain et son avenir.
June 9, 2020
Africa is indeed the jewel of the earth, there is no continent on earth that is blessed with infinite mineral resources and arable agricultural land like Africa. There is a thousand and one way to develop Africa into the black man's Valhalla. With strong and consistent leadership, Africa can be the envy of the world and the pioneers of the world order. Diop has clearly mentioned the potentials of every African region in terms of energy (solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, geothermal) and raw materials (diamonds, gold, silver, precious metals etc). A good venture capitalist, especially in energy, should have this book, but please especially Europe/West should go with the intention to give and take. Not annihilate and take, Africans are good people and humble to earth. The continent had had enough exploitation and bastardisation, any investor going there should avoid politicians and go straight to the markets and consult the motherland laws on energy and mineral resources. Brilliant piece, rest in power Prof. Diop
April 5, 2021
Der aus dem Senegal stammende Autor ist wohl einer der einflussreichsten panafrikanischen Historiker und Politiker der Zeit nach der Dekolonialisierung.
Das 1978 erschienene Buch ist eine Zusammenfassung seiner politischen, kulturellen und wirtschaftlichen Vorstellungen für ein vereintest Afrika. Er untersucht nicht nur Energiebedarf- und förderungsmöglichkeiten des Kontinents sondern schlägt unter anderem ebenso vor eine gemeinsame afrikanische Sprache und lingua franca zu etablieren. Nur so könne Afrika dem nachhaltigen neokolonialistischen Einfluss von ausserhalb standhalten.
Das 1978 erschienene Buch ist eine Zusammenfassung seiner politischen, kulturellen und wirtschaftlichen Vorstellungen für ein vereintest Afrika. Er untersucht nicht nur Energiebedarf- und förderungsmöglichkeiten des Kontinents sondern schlägt unter anderem ebenso vor eine gemeinsame afrikanische Sprache und lingua franca zu etablieren. Nur so könne Afrika dem nachhaltigen neokolonialistischen Einfluss von ausserhalb standhalten.
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January 13, 2025I did not realize how old this book was when I started. However I decided to finish it and see how things have progressed according to the guidelines the author provided. Unfortunately, while some progress has been realized in some countries, some have not progressed and some have disappeared completely. A good book which outlines a path to liberation & success from being dominated by other countries from other continents. One has to wonder if the infighting and corruption can ever be stopped long enough to advance.
August 24, 2024
Required Reading
Presents a strong basis for Black thought, intellectual progression, and unique understanding of what constitutes Black uplift to achieve ‘recaptured imagination’; that being the basis for realizing what constitutes humanity, its struggles, and its oneness, which will emerge in its fullness, along with an abiding appreciation, over extended time-horizons.
Presents a strong basis for Black thought, intellectual progression, and unique understanding of what constitutes Black uplift to achieve ‘recaptured imagination’; that being the basis for realizing what constitutes humanity, its struggles, and its oneness, which will emerge in its fullness, along with an abiding appreciation, over extended time-horizons.
August 29, 2020
A good read
A quick read that illustrates the vast clean energy resources of Africa and how unifications across countries can increase efficiency and local prosperity.
A quick read that illustrates the vast clean energy resources of Africa and how unifications across countries can increase efficiency and local prosperity.
March 22, 2015
I have just finished this outstanding piece of work. His writings are always inspiring in such a way that they remind us that Africa can just be so big. Though, you can move away from the communist view, he definetely has great points on how we could have developed the continent and more importantly, the future has proven him right. A necessary reading for any African descendent.
August 13, 2020
Africa must unite!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews