Best Sir/Madam,
When white people landed in Africa and other places in the world, they discovered "primitive" (less advanced) cultures. Africa was the starting point and cradle of humans (Homo Sap.) between 400 000 - 250 000yrs ago. We all started from the same place. Well roughly, you know what I mean,
Why did some cultures (like the whites) evolved so fast when it comes to technology ?

Let us just look at the last 500 yrs. We lived in grass huts, when they had huge cities and industries. We had only primitive weapons and a "primitive" economy. Why did (most) of us in Africa and other countries like Australia, stay behind, If it were not for the whites, we would not have had AK47's, or cars, bread toasters, disco music or radios or TV. White people managed to get to the moon, they have developed satellite's drifting around in space.
WHAT have we done ? Please tell me, 

because we were happy and satisfied with what we had so we didnt feel the need to expand jut like the native americans, indians, malay, etc. the europeans on the other hand were plagued with death, disease, frequent wars and bad reigion. they were not satisfied so they expanded rapidly, especially during the Industrial Revolution.

On top of stealing from others, they also had to kill off over a quarter of the entire world's population to achieve what they did.

Poster have you heard of this "Many saw an apple fail but only Newton asked why?".

I think PAGAN 9JA got the answer like. When a man is satisfy with what he has, he stop seeking for more. Another reason is because of religion.

Sometimes curiosity and greedy(in pursuit of wealth) will push a man to discover the next invention.

Ingonyama:

Best Sir/Madam,
When white people landed in Africa and other places in the world, they discovered "primitive" (less advanced) cultures. Africa was the starting point and cradle of humans (Homo Sap.) between 400 000 - 250 000yrs ago. We all started from the same place. Well roughly, you know what I mean,
Why did some cultures (like the whites) evolved so fast when it comes to technology ?

Let us just look at the last 500 yrs. We lived in grass huts, when they had huge cities and industries. We had only primitive weapons and a "primitive" economy. Why did (most) of us in Africa and other countries like Australia, stay behind, If it were not for the whites, we would not have had AK47's, or cars, bread toasters, disco music or radios or TV. White people managed to get to the moon, they have developed satellite's drifting around in space.
WHAT have we done ? Please tell me, 

I always wince when the word “discover” is attached to any group of people or individual that were never the creators nor even the first to encounter such. Reminds me of Mungo Park

Sure, they were confronted with different or if you like "primitive" cultures and even borrowed and shared with some of them.

(But I believe one of the mistakes some people made in the past and perhaps even now is to use European or ”white” culture as the yard stick. Hence those who failed to measure up to the standard or those societies that were far removed from the exemplar were most likely judged unfairly or prematurely.)

Consider the different climates that exist in both the continents of Europe and Africa. Africa is hotter than Europe. Thus will you not consider the purpose behind a “grass hut” instead of implying that such architecture is a product of a less evolved society? By that reasoning shall one conclude that an igloo is “less advanced”? Were “grass huts” the only form of architecture in Africa?

The Mali and Benin Empire (to name a few) had “huge cities and industries” which were even narrated among some European circles so what informed you that Africa had not even such as these?

From your first sentence it appears you have provided a key. So primitive = less advanced? Ok.
Trading with the Chinese, Indians, Europeans, Arabs (and this is before the poignant event of slavery that haunted West and Central Africa and parts of East) and not being dependent on Aids constitutes as a “primitive economy”?

No one’s achievement should be summed up or categorized by their colour especially as no great feat has been achieved independent of assistance.
One of the most efficient forms of technology today – solar energy - was practised in ancient times. Today it’s a mark of an advanced modern society. Like they say there is nothing really new under the sun, many things today are just an adaptation of what were.

Africa has given so much that it would be criminal to even discredit or overlook that.

When you begin to narrate the history of Africa from 500 years ago and only consider that period as Africa’s history in summary you commit a grave error because not only do you buy into the stereotypical role of Africa but one may start to believe and accept that civilization was imported into the continent. If you had gone even further into history you may have studied Africans such as the moors who had ventured into parts of Europe (Spain) and ruled there; bringing technology, literacy, medicine, science etc. The first (if not one of) university in the world is said to be in Timbuktu Mali, West Africa. Know yourself before others start deceiving you.

The main reason for the lack of technological advancement in Africa is geography and location. Sub-Saharan Africa was separated from the rest of the human world by the Sahara desert and the Atlantic and Indian oceans thus it was bound to lagg in the technological leap.

In the middle ages (when Europe was at its worst), Africa was at its best. Kingdoms like Ghana, Songhay, and Mali thrived and boasted cities of populations exceeding a hundred thousand people when Europeans lived in small towns. Universities and educational centers mushroomed in West Africa at a time when the average European couldn't fully recite the Latin alphabet and Africans were clothed in luxurious fabrics and cloths when Europeans could barely clothe themselves.

However, Europe experienced its "awakening" right about when the Muslims had conwuered the Byzantine empire and blocked of European access to the riches of the East. In order to respond to this, Europeans (with the help of gunpowder borrowed from the Ottomans) turned to the seas and studied ship-building techniques and started building ocean-going vessels and modern militaries. In this age, Europe also began looking backward and "rediscovered" the ancient works of the Romans and Greeks in an attempt to revive learning. It was in this age that Europe grew and established itself as a continent to reckon with. Meanwhile, we poor Afrocans were oblivious to the advancements being made across the desert and over the seas. We finally realized all too lately when the Portuguese landed in Africa in the 1460s and by then it was far too late. . .

@emofine, u neva cease to amaze me wit ur intelligent posts, i wonder hw old u are. U took d words rite out of my mouth. @op, u r not askin d rite question, u shd ask "why hv africans been far behind whites for d past 300 years. Africans hv surpassed europeans for more than 5500 years of history. I dont hv d strength to start elaboratin and explainin history 4 u but just know dat we of dis generation were born into a fallen civilisation

PAGAN 9JA:

because we were happy and satisfied with what we had so we didnt feel the need to expand jut like the native americans, indians, malay, etc. the europeans on the other hand were plagued with death, disease, frequent wars and bad reigion. they were not satisfied so they expanded rapidly, especially during the Industrial Revolution.

I agree with you and to add to that our minds have not evolved we're selfish indisciplined corrupt tribalistic hypocritical still believeing in witches and wizards and primitive in our thinking.

Did you hear of Mansa Musa and Timbuktu as a great learing center? How about all the major african empires in history such as the Songhai empire. The Europeans who enslaved our ancestors were savages. Only savages would carry such a brutal atrocity such as slavery. We were not savages, we were treated as savages. If you treat someone like an animal, they will eventually begin to act like one. All of humanity was primitive and over time we all became more civilized. Did you read about how barbaric the Romans and other Europeans were in the Middle Ages?

It is colonialism and slavery that has hurt hus and will take time for us to catch up. Anyway, my post is not an attack against whites, but just to enlighten people about our history with them.

@ odumuchi and emofine, I just realized you echoed my same sentiments. Good job. We always have the negatives of black people thrown at us. Europeans use the excuse that we were savages to justify their atrocities. If Europe is so great, why did they have to steal from Africa. If Africans controlled our resources and stopped fighting each other due to these silly tribal wars, we would be the richest people in the world. The Arabs are smart and control their oil whih is why they are rich. We need to control our own natural resources. Now the Chinese want to take their turn. They would never let Africans go into their countries and get so rich of their resources. I think as blacks our main problem is unity. The divide & conquer method worked with us.

nene1: @ odumuchi and emofine, I just realized you echoed my same sentiments. Good job. We always have the negatives of black people thrown at us. Europeans use the excuse that we were savages to justify their atrocities. If Europe is so great, why did they have to steal from Africa. If Africans controlled our resources and stopped fighting each other due to these silly tribal wars, we would be the richest people in the world. The Arabs are smart and control their oil whih is why they are rich. We need to control our own natural resources. Now the Chinese want to take their turn. They would never let Africans go into their countries and get so rich of their resources. I think as blacks our main problem is unity. The divide & conquer method worked with us.

Couldn't have said it better.

‎"Eurocentric historians argue that Europe gave civilization to Africa, which is a coomplete inversion of the truth. The first civiulized Europeans were the Greeks, who were chiefly civilized by the Africans of the Nile Valley. The Greeks transmitted this culture to the Romans, who finally lost it, bringing on a dark age of five hundred years. Civilization was restored to Europe when another group of Africans, the Moors, brought this dark age to an end, meanwhile recivilizing the Christian barbarians of Europe."-from The Story of the Moors by Stanlet Lane-Poole

Africans have had the greatest civilizations ever, Kemet (Ancient Egypt) Cush, Ethiopia, Axum, Carthage, Phoenicians, Benin, Ile Ife, Nri, Hausa, Kilwa, Luba, Cuba, Nok culture, Dhar tichit, Mali, Songhai, Dogon tribe, Zulu, Monomotopia. YES we have been dominate by the Arabs and Europeans but we are NOT inferior. We should stop trying to be like them and start to be like our self. Most of the stuff the Arabs and Ancient Greeks got were from Africa. We had science, technology, architecture, mathematics, astronomy, philosophy and more. We need to control our OWN history and we should stop letting foreigners tell our history.

Simple...Juju,evil witchcraft, bad belle, tribalism, ethnicity, religious bigotry,
wuruwuru politics,'only-me-must-eat syndrome, e.t.c.

...i beg i dey come o!

emöfine2:

I always wince when the word “discover” is attached to any group of people or individual that were never the creators nor even the first to encounter such. Reminds me of Mungo Park

Sure, they were confronted with different or if you like "primitive" cultures and even borrowed and shared with some of them.

(But I believe one of the mistakes some people made in the past and perhaps even now is to use European or ”white” culture as the yard stick. Hence those who failed to measure up to the standard or those societies that were far removed from the exemplar were most likely judged unfairly or prematurely.)

Consider the different climates that exist in both the continents of Europe and Africa. Africa is hotter than Europe. Thus will you not consider the purpose behind a “grass hut” instead of implying that such architecture is a product of a less evolved society? By that reasoning shall one conclude that an igloo is “less advanced”? Were “grass huts” the only form of architecture in Africa?

The Mali and Benin Empire (to name a few) had “huge cities and industries” which were even narrated among some European circles so what informed you that Africa had not even such as these?

From your first sentence it appears you have provided a key. So primitive = less advanced? Ok.
Trading with the Chinese, Indians, Europeans, Arabs (and this is before the poignant event of slavery that haunted West and Central Africa and parts of East) and not being dependent on Aids constitutes as a “primitive economy”?

No one’s achievement should be summed up or categorized by their colour especially as no great feat has been achieved independent of assistance.
One of the most efficient forms of technology today – solar energy - was practised in ancient times. Today it’s a mark of an advanced modern society. Like they say there is nothing really new under the sun, many things today are just an adaptation of what were.

Africa has given so much that it would be criminal to even discredit or overlook that.

When you begin to narrate the history of Africa from 500 years ago and only consider that period as Africa’s history in summary you commit a grave error because not only do you buy into the stereotypical role of Africa but one may start to believe and accept that civilization was imported into the continent. If you had gone even further into history you may have studied Africans such as the moors who had ventured into parts of Europe (Spain) and ruled there; bringing technology, literacy, medicine, science etc. The first (if not one of) university in the world is said to be in Timbuktu Mali, West Africa. Know yourself before others start deceiving you.

Excellent.
After reading this statement, little can be said ...
In South America it is said that when the Europeans arrived, the Indians gave mirrors for gold. I do not know if that story is real or if it is a symbolism. But I have great concern when associated with a thatched hut with underdevelopment, and not have a capitalist economy (what is happening economically in Europe and USA?) Is associated with impaired ....
What is really worrying is not the straw hut, but the dependent mentality, thinking that the other model is the best when it is not.
Europe and North America are not examples for Africa and South America.
Imitate is not evolve, but others will look like when we have different identities and essences.
Asphalt the jungle is not a way to evolve, however.

Rapmoney: Simple...Juju,evil witchcraft, bad belle, tribalism, ethnicity, religious bigotry,
wuruwuru politics,'only-me-must-eat syndrome, e.t.c.

...i beg i dey come o!

I agree with you on many aspects you mention.
But (very respectfully) do not believe that ethnicity and tribalism have nothing to do with it. All peoples of the world have their traditions, and that does not mean that produce delay. Did I mention that the legacy of acculturation and loss of identity that have left Europe in Africa has caused more damage than that.
But it's just my opinion.

@odumchi,
Your points are well thought-out, but i respectfully beg to disagree. I don't think our geography has anything to do with it; the root of problem lies in our SCHOOLS and EDUCATION SYSTEM.
-
For any culture/community/civilization to progress, it has to PRODUCE or MANUFACTURE something, an END PRODUCT, that others don't have. Or failing that, it has to DUBLICATE the technology/advancements of others. Writing on 'paper' began in Egypt with the papyrus; Europe duplicated it, modernized it, and manufacture the Printing Press. I don't know where the first Wheel was hacked together, but Europe continued to advance it until they got the first automobile. The asians where the first astronomers, but Americans got the moon first. Now, this is Age of Technology, and to get ahead in it, any competing nation has to develop its own technology. Bros, ask yourself, what has Naija developed?
-
Zilch.
-
Question #2: where are the cutting edge progress in various industries being made today? Answer: In universities and research institutes. Oya bros, ask yourself again: what are our universities and institutes doing? That one na Jamb question.
-
Our products in Naija are substandard, that's the simple truth. And you cant force buyers to shun the better-made foreign goods and patronise made-in-Naija stuff. The only way to turn the trend is to produce products that can compete quality-wise; and the best place to do this is in our universities and polytechnics. Thats where the BRAINS and BEST MINDS are, and thats the best place to start the change. Thats how Japan, China, and India did it.
-
Until our lecturers dump their century-old and out-dated notes, and work with the FG and the Education sector to come up with schemes that will produce REAL engineers and technologists - schemes that will make our industries to actually PRODUCE/MANUFACTURE something - only then can we move forward.

@odumchi,
Your points are well thought-out, but i respectfully beg to disagree. I don't think our geography has anything to do with it; the root of problem lies in our SCHOOLS and EDUCATION SYSTEM.
-
For any culture/community/civilization to progress, it has to PRODUCE or MANUFACTURE something, an END PRODUCT, that others don't have. Or failing that, it has to DUBLICATE the technology/advancements of others. Writing on 'paper' began in Egypt with the papyrus; Europe duplicated it, modernized it, and manufactured the Printing Press. I don't know where the first Wheel was hacked together, but Europe continued to advance it until they got the first Automobile. The Asians were the first astronomers, but Americans got to the moon first. Now, this is the Age of Technology, and to get ahead in it, any competing nation has to develop its own technology. Bros, ask yourself, what has Naija developed?
-
Zilch.
-
Question #2: where are the cutting edge progress in various industries being made today? Answer: In universities and research institutes. Oya bros, ask yourself again: what are our universities and institutes doing? That one na Jamb question.
-
Our products in Naija are sub-standard, that's the simple truth. And you cant force buyers to shun the better-made foreign goods and patronise made-in-Naija stuff. The only way to turn the trend is to produce products that can compete quality-wise; and the best place to do this is in our universities and polytechnics. Thats where the BRAINS and BEST MINDS are, and thats the best place to start the change. Thats how Japan, China, and India did it. They got their best minds to duplicate the technology of the West, then their government subsidized it (so the price can compete), and then imposed import duties on the foreign equivalents. Now, they exporting to the West.
-
Until our lecturers dump their century-old and out-dated notes, and work with the FG and the Education sector to come up with schemes that will produce REAL engineers and technologists - schemes that will make our industries to actually PRODUCE/MANUFACTURE something - only then can we move forward.

Why won't you be talking like this when you don't know your history

if you read this you'll be so angry

http://www.siliconafrica.com/terra-nullius/

I see both sides but I think the truth is between both extremes.

emofine2:



Africa has given so much that it would be criminal to even discredit or overlook that .

Kek, the delusion is strong with this one.
Name one first world black controlled country anywhere in the world.

You guys should go through this.
https://www.nairaland.com/3343303/why-britain-must-pay-reparation