The Study of Africa: A challenge for the African Renaissance

It is said, according to the Afrikan Proverb: “Until the Lions have their own historians tales of hunting will always glorify the hunter.” That is, not until Afrika can have its own scholars to present her case in world forums it will always suffer from mis-interpretations, misrepresentations and mis-presentations of her views and value by other people. The history, ethos and ‘being' of Afrika has always been left to the research, analysis, interpretation and presentations by other people either than Afrikans. It is from this context that the Afrikan Renaissance must be understood as a “Movement” and not as an institution which is an entity within itself. It is a movement whose main objective is the restoration of the creative Afrikan genius that once created world civilizations and cultures; a genius that produced the ancient ‘pagan' manuscripts that gave rise to the ‘European' Renaissance. Its purpose is to motivate, cause and enable the establishment of institutions (or academies) under its aegis. (Indilinga: African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems: 2002 1: 65-67