Black people are the progenitors of world civilization and the purveyors of accomplishment in virtually every human endeavor. Evidence of the magnitude of our greatness can be seen in Ancient Egyptian culture. However, not all scholars agree on the racial composition of early Egyptians. According to Cheikh Anta Diop:
The oneness of Egyptian and Black culture could not be stated more clearly. Because of the essential identity of genius, culture, and race, today all Negroes can legitimately trace their culture to ancient Egypt and build a modern culture on that foundation. A dynamic, modern contact with Egyptian Antiquity would enable Blacks to discover increasingly each day the intimate relationship between all Blacks of the continent and the mother Nile Valley. By this dynamic contact, the Negro will be convinced that these temples, these forests of columns, these pyramids, these colossi, these bas-reliefs, mathematics, medicine, and all this science, are indeed the work of his ancestors and that he has a right and duty to claim his heritage.”
One clear and constant theme throughout many “scholarly” writings on ancient Egypt is the overwhelming urge to prove they were not Black. This issue is an important one, for the ethnicity of the Egyptians provides us with greater insight into their culture. If Egyptologists acknowledged the true ethnicity of ancient Egypt, it would destroy the foundation of Western civilization and expose the myth of Greek greatness. This fact would also require a restructuring of Egyptology and advance an even greater role African peoples have played in the development of world history.
The concept of Ancient Egyptians being anything other than Black Africans is certainly not a logical one, since they called themselves “Black.” The term, “Kmt”, means “black” and is the only term they used to designate themselves (see Diop). The “Kamau” also depicted themselves and their major gods with jet-black or reddish-brown hues in their paintings. Additionally, the culture, religion, matriarchal structure, divine kingship, language, and practice of circumcision all reflect an African society.
The Egyptians referred to the southern lands as, “Ta Neter”, or land of God. The Egyptian word for the people of Sudan was “Khentiu” which also meant “first, foremost, beginning and origin”. Some scholars assert that Ethiopia (Kush) was the original home of the Egyptians. In fact, the Ethiopians reported that Egypt was one of their colonies (see Diodorus). Nevertheless, whether the origin of the Egyptians was the Sudan, Uganda, Punt, Kush, or some other location in Africa’s interior, the racial composition of the people who still inhabit these regions is undeniable. Let’s not forget that Egypt is part of the African continent. And, of course, there’s no evidence that non-African people migrated into Egypt, adopted an African culture, and developed the greatest civilization in the history of mankind.
The ethnicity of ancient Egyptians as Black people should be undisputed, but rampant racism and White supremacy often require us to re-state obvious facts and push back on historical inaccuracies, intentional or otherwise. Our goal isn’t to convince European historians to rewrite history but to educate our own people to be cognizant of poor scholarship regarding Africa and its people. We must tell our own story, not for the sake of intellectual gratification or pomposity, but to use this knowledge to re-establish the glory of our past.
A great civilization can only be created by a great people. Whereas Western culture is focused on creating great things (i.e., technology, space exploration, etc.), our ancestors focused on creating great people through a strong culture rooted in establishing man’s divinity. We’ve done it before and since we are our own ancestors, we can do it again. The first step is to eliminate those deeply engrained, Western-influenced thoughts and behaviors that have been passed down to us by society, educational institutions, religious doctrines, etc. Your mind and psyche must be reconditioned which requires participating in a lengthy and expert-run program of spiritual cultivation with other like-minded people.
