Science and Technology in Africa

Science is a systematic approach to the study of forms, structures, and behavior of the physical and the natural world. Technology, on the other hand, is the application of scientific knowledge in developing tools to aid human evolution and advancement.

Of all continents, Africa seemed to lag behind and almost not recognized in this sphere of science and technology. Africa looks to other continent for scientific knowledge and tools of technology to make progress. Has this always being so? Or it started happening to be so at a particular point in time?

Every society tends to always evolve through knowledge unless a factor tends to Impede this progress. It was never so, that Africa was always lag in scientific progress and technology too, until the coming of the Colonialists. See more discussions in Walter Rodney's book ‘How Europe Underdeveloped Africa’.

Before the Colonialists, Africa had Philosophers who were referred to as wise men. They have Meteorologists who predict the weather situations to give Africans an idea of the varying planting seasons and what to expect. They have Astrologers who use astrological bodies to tell time and knowing how to guide their herds, this body guides Africans to the best of lands to forage the herds. Africa had medicine men whose specialty was to gather medical herbs, prepare them to cure many diseases prevalent at that time. Through herbs, antidotes were prepared to neutralize venom from poisonous snake bites, Scorpions, and other deadly venoms from several other animals.

On the side of technology, African developed many advanced agricultural tools and techniques to produce foods on the fields. Tools of varying in qualities, from different refined material and tools, include hoe, riggers made of wood and attached to the beast of burden to quicken the process of cultivation. They produce different tools of different qualities for harvesting crops, and they invented different storage techniques to prolong harvested foods until the next planting season.

Military inventions and advancements were not left behind. They crafted different tools and techniques for defense, and all these were possible through the engineers of that time (blacksmiths and craftsmen, and women).

All these fits are a byproduct of scientific knowledge of the old African societies. What happened? Why was there no advancement of these tools and knowledge from here?

Well, what happened simply was, there was a cut in the process of knowledge by the invasion of Europeans. The cut was devastating that many of the African records which are often passed from the elders of society, not through writing but storytelling by these elders. Storytelling was beyond midnight tales and entertainments, they were a school for Africans. The era of the slave trade by the Europeans took the youthful Africans who were the cornerstone of the progress of every society, leaving behind aged Africans. By doing this, the Europeans broke the chain of progress in the science and technology of Africa.

Culture

Culture as we know it is the way of life of people. Different people have different cultures. 

The uniqueness of individuals, their ways, and how they approach activities of the day is partly or completely influenced by their respective cultures. Culture other than being a representation of a people's uniqueness is political, it finds its influence in people's fashion and foods. Culture also defines the roles of individuals in a society, through culture we can identify the status of individuals in their various societies.

Culture is as old as civilization, and it happens that, during the early days of man, through advancement from the wild living of hunting and gathering to domestication, man has through observation, developed ideologies and tools to make his domestic living worthwhile. These ideologies form a crux of the views and ideas that have come to Crystalize as a culture.

From the dedication of a child born to the people, to the burial ceremony of the dead. From the merry of a given moment and work ethics, the celebration of the female circumcision to the marriage of the virgin maiden. The celebration of manhood and people of the same age prepare the society for leadership. And the various skills set required by the genders of the society, spark the colors of culture.

The easiest way to know about a people is knowing about their culture