The Herald (Harare)
Professor Francis Gudyanga
22 October 2009
opinion
Harare — Europeans, over many years, have deemed Africa a dark continent -- of savages and warring tribes.
For a long time they have perceived the black person as one who never possessed the capacity and appreciation for scientific and technological development. Yet archaeology has proved that Africa is "the cradle of mankind" and a primary source of scientific and technological development. PROFESSOR FRANCIS GUDYANGA, the Secretary for Science and Technology Develop-ment, examines this gloomy assertion about Africans to determine whether it holds water or not.
Before delving deeper into the subject matter, it might be necessary to define the meaning of the words science, technology and innovation.
Science, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is the observation, identification, description, explanation, invention and theoretical explanation of phenomenon.
Technology refers to the application of science in any activity and innovation is the act of introducing something new.
Do the above definitions not make the African a scientist?
The Africans of early times were innovative as they introduced technology which to date has just been upgraded to suit the current needs of growing populations on the planet.
History has it that civilisation started in Egypt a long time ago.
Ancient communities realised that agriculture was the mainstay of their livelihoods.
However, harsh climatic conditions prompted these early farmers to come up with solutions to sustain their agricultural activities.
The black Egyptians, through their ingenuity, invented the Shaduf to fetch water from the River Nile to irrigate their crops marking the beginning of modern-day irrigation technology.
So, were these tribes just warring savages, killing one another without employing scientific principles in their daily lives?
The early Africans soon realised the need to invent the pestle and mortar to pound grain in order to produce a more palatable meal.
This was a great African invention, the predecessor of the modern day's hammer mill.
Today's developed regions are famous for copying and modifying great African inventions that have enriched their economies.
The origins of ancient architectural stone monuments dotted around the African continent remain a mystery to those who doubt the technological capabilities of the African.
A typical example is Great Zimbabwe, the largest ancient stone structure in Africa covering almost 1 800 acres.
To date, some sceptics believe Portuguese traders and hunters constructed them but archaeological findings have proved that the monuments were a centre of trade and commerce as well as a defensive fort for the Shona people.
The dry-stone structures have stood for more than seven centuries giving impeccable evidence that the builders employed great architectural skills.
If Africa had not been affected by slavery and colonialism, imagine where it will be technologically today. Great minds were shipped across the seas and an oceans to Western countries leaving a vacuum which to date has not been filled.
Thomas Fuller, a mathematician popularly known as the Virginia calculator, was transported from Africa as a slave at the age of 14. (www.math.buffalo)
Through his mathematical prowess, two white men discovered his extraordinary powers and tested him at the age of 70.
For example, the genius managed to calculate mentally the number of seconds in a year in just two minutes.
Fuller died at the age of 80, having never learnt to read and write in spite of his extraordinary powers of calculation.
Great men like Alexander Graham Bell who invented the telephone had some African roots as well. Imagine if he was in Africa when he made his invention, the great strides the continent could have made in the world of information communication technology.
Paulus Gerdes in the book Geometry from Africa gave examples of geometrical ideas in African cultures, as manifested in the work of wood and ivory carvers , potters, painters, weavers, mat and basket makers.
He discovered that African ornaments and artifacts may be used as a starting point to create an attractive educational context in which students can explore the Pythagorean Theorem and prove it.
Africans developed their own ways of writing systems inscribed on materials such as parchments, papyrus, leather, skins, fabrics, sand, clay, and metals many centuries ago.
The writings revealed the complex history of Africa.
In central East Africa they developed a calendar called the Ishango mathematical calendar dated about 25 000 years ago which is at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. (www.naturalscience.be/expo/ishango)
The continent had its own calendar, which is a reflection of the inhabitants' creativity and the need to plan their daily activities.
The advent of the universal calendar distorted the African calendar system subsequently distorting the African culture and development path.
Africans have been blamed for not being resourceful and creative while Westerners have been dubbed masters of inventions.
With all this wealth of stolen innovations, what is the solution for Zimbabwe and Africa inasfar as coping with current technological developments is concerned?
The verdict is now yours to tell if contributions of Africans towards global development in science and technology cannot be of paramount importance to humanity today as they were in the past.
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