Azubuike – The Past is Your Strength

BY DAVE RANKIN

Our great historian John Henrik Clarke once said, “History is a clock that people use to tell the political and cultural time of day, it is also a compass people use to find themselves on the map of human geography.”  This historical clock that Dr. Clarke speaks of will assist us – Africans living in the Diaspora – to find our place on the map of human geography. To do this, I will be calling on all ancestors past and present with this tumultuous task.

First, authors will be summoned; these authors will introduce facts that will serve as our compass, a most vital instrument necessary when going on any long, and unknown excursion. Stalwarts such as: Dr. Yosef Ben-Jochannan, Dr. Charles Finch, John G. Jackson, Frances Cress Welsing, Drusilla Dunjee Houston and a host of others will be awakened to do as they have always done, to make sure that we find our place. And when this place has been found, we will not forget.  I am excited to introduce the juggernauts in the field of research, which will provide us with epoch-making information. This will help to refute the Arnold Toynbee’s of the world and the archaic opinions that have survived throughout the ages. There have been ridiculous notions that have told us that; ”The only one of the primary races…which has not made a creative contribution to any of our twenty-one civilizations is the black race.” It was our ancestors who gave their lives to make sure that when we come across those who share Friedrich Hegel’s opinion to, forget Africa and not to mention it again, we can proudly ignore their baseless claims, and stand on the shoulders of our beloved. The Azubuike column will add to what has already been done to document the greatness of our history.

The broad and sturdy shoulders of our ancestors will continue to inform us of the great civilizations of yesteryears. Classical ones such as: Nubia, Ethiopia, the land of Punt, Meroe (Kush), and Axum will be included in our discourse. The great civilizations of West Africa such as: Ghana, Mali, and Songhai cannot be omitted from the upcoming paragraphs of this newly formed series. At some point, we will even visit the Kingdom of Monomotapa, which covered parts of Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Beloved ones who have contributed to Our Story will be resurrected to take their rightful place among our hearts. The names of great leaders like: Sunwosret of the 11^th-12^th Dynasty who founded the city of Athens, and Pharaoh Mer-Neith, who according to historian Robin Walker, was the 1^st female Pharaoh of ancient Kemet (Egypt) during the Old Kingdom. Others such as: Chaka Zulu, Princess Awura Poku, and Warrior Tata Ajache, will rise again and find their way into your bi-weekly reading.

We will explore African Myths, Proverbs, and Fables as the pearls of wisdom they were intended to be. It will allow us to witness the various methods of effective communication utilized to convey an endless reservoir of knowledge. Once sipped, this bountiful reservoir is sure to enable clarity of perception in every aspect of human life. I believe they call this the application of knowledge; where the true power lies.

This is why the Nigerian name Azubuike has been chosen as the title. Pronounced “ah-zoo-bee-kay,” this appellation is translated as, “The Past is Our Strength.” We must use history as our clock to not only tell our political and cultural climate but to locate ourselves on the map of human geography.