The history of Africa has long been told through the voices of those who colonised it.
A new crop of academics is taking back this narrative history by placing the continent at the centre of human progress.
Thierry Zomahoun argues that Africa is the birthplace of mathematical sciences, and that this is the continent’s single biggest contribution to humanity.
“Looking at conventional history, one is left with the sense that Africa has made no meaningful contributions to science,” he said.
Organizers of the Next Einstein Forum, one of the institute’s initiatives, believe Africa’s contributions to the global scientific community are critical for progress.
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If such programmes succeed, the continent’s contributions will become the world’s achievements toward greater human progress.
The reason we don’t hear more about these projects, said Zomahoun, is a Western bias left by colonialism.
For instance, consider the Lebombo bone, a well known 43,000-year-old tool used in specialised rituals discovered in Swaziland in 1973.
Scientists say that in addition to its religious importance, it is also evidence of the use of complex mathematics in Africa.
Africa is home to two-thirds of the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope, which will trace a new network of smaller radio telescopes across the continent to unravel secrets of the early universe.
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Zomahoun then listed off a few African scientists, many of whom changed their fields and have been lauded in their countries.
Chances are you’ve never heard of these scientists, even though they are among the most famous minds on their continent.
SAN FRANCISCO-Wilfred Ndifon of Cameroon solved a 70-year-old immunology conundrum.
Bernie Fanaroff of South Africa established the Fanaroff-Riley classification of radio galaxies and quasars.
Location of the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope
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Notable African Scientists
Here is a list of some notable African scientists who have made significant contributions to various fields:
Ancient Figures
- Imhotep: Considered the "father of medicine" and the world's first recorded scientist.
- Hassan al-Jabarti: Known for his contributions to history and geography.
- Arius: A theologian and philosopher.
- Al-Suyuti: A prolific writer and scholar.
- Saint Cyprian: An early Christian theologian.
- Nur ad-Din al-Betrugi: An astronomer and judge
- Tertullian: An early Christian author
- Muhammad al-Maghili: A scholar and theologian
Modern Scientists
- Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher (1940-2023): Ethiopian environmental scientist and the General Manager of the Environmental Protection Authority of Ethiopia.
- Abdigani Diriye (born 1986): Somali computer scientist and research scientist at IBM Research - Africa, working in human-computer interaction, data mining, and financial technology.
- Alexander Anim-Mensah: Ghanaian-American chemical engineer, inventor, and author.
- Aaron Klug (1926-2018): Lithuanian-born British chemist and biophysicist, Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry (1982).
Contemporary Scientists
- Catherine Nakalembe: Ugandan NASA scientist using satellites to boost farming.
- Harriet Mayanja: Professor involved in banana industrial projects in Uganda.
These scientists have made significant contributions to various fields, including medicine, engineering, and environmental science.
Map of Nile basin
African American Scientists
For generations African American scientists faced tougher challenges to gain an academic degree in the field of science and received little or no accolades for their accomplishments and breakthroughs.
Yet, they have given America everything from a national blood bank to GPS and even the ice cream scoop.
Due to discrimination in their day, many contributions of these key players were overlooked at the time.
Pioneering Figures
- Benjamin Banneker: One of the first African Americans to become a distinguished scientist, largely self-taught in math and astronomy.
- George Washington Carver: Agricultural scientist and inventor who almost single-handily built the peanut industry in the United States.
- Matthew Henson: Explorer who reached the North Pole and planted the US flag 45 minutes earlier than Peary.
- Katherine Johnson: Calculated trajectory analysis for Alan Shepherd and the launch, landing, and orbital flight of John Glenn and the Friendship 7 mission.
- Gladys West: Best known for his work in developing the electroacoustic transducer.
Modern Contributors
- Mae Jemison: First African American woman in space.
- George Edward Alcorn Jr.: Inventor of an imaging x-ray spectrometer.
- Jane C. Wright: Pioneer in cancer research and chemotherapy.
- Arthur B. C. Walker Jr.: Pioneer in EUV/XUV optics and solar telescopes.
- Neil deGrasse Tyson: Astrophysicist and science communicator.
- Patricia S. Cowings: First American woman to be trained as a scientist-astronaut by NASA.
These African American scientists have made significant contributions to diverse fields such as medicine, space exploration, and environmental science.
Benjamin Banneker
Individual Profiles
Here are some detailed profiles of notable African scientists:
Dr. V. H. Guessoum
Dr. Guessoum studies cosmic gamma radiation, which is “light” (or electromagnetic waves) of the highest energy, the cosmic objects that produce it, and what it tells us about the universe.
He constructs models of how the gamma rays are emitted, absorbed, and detected in space, much of which is related to nuclear forces and energy.
He is also interested in the place of science and astronomy in the Islamic culture.
He is currently researching “gamma-ray bursts”, which are huge explosions in galaxies very far away.
“Throughout my studies, I was interested in philosophy, religion, history, languages, and the humanities, but I found the scientific subjects much easier to master, particularly mathematics and the physical sciences, which seemed more precise and clear-cut.
When I entered college, physics was harder but so much more interesting than mathematics, and I decided to follow what captured my mind’s interest and imagination.
And when I went to graduate school (in the US), astrophysics seemed like an extremely rich and diverse field, and (apparently, or for the public) a more active one (more discoveries were announced on a regular basis, although of course progress is made in all other fields).
Finally, astrophysics, and especially cosmology, tended to connect with my other interests in philosophy and religion, so I again decided to follow what would interest me rather than what I might excel more easily in.
Dr. Fina Opio
Dr. Fina Opio is a Ugandan. She holds a Ph.D. in plant pathology and works on staple crops and gender opportunities.
Dr.
“Poverty, food insecurity, malnutrition are steadily advancing threats.
Dr. Vernon H. Kabambe
Dr. Vernon H. Kabambe is a crop and soil scientist (or agronomist).
In Malawi, maize is a staple food crop and poor soil fertility is one of the main challenges in its production.
Dr. Kabambe tackles the problem of replenishing the soil and ensuring that maize can be produced.
Dr. Adesida
Dr. Adesida has worked in both Nigeria and the United States in the field of electrical engineering in areas such as nanotechnology, photodetectors and photoreceivers.
He also works with semiconductor processing and devices.
Dr Adesida figured out ways to make patterns with electrons.
The technical term for what I do as a scientist is to develop electronic devices at the nanoscale.
What that really means, is that I try to make electronics really, really small.
I work on things that are measured in nanometers - which is one billionth of a meter.
To give you an idea of how small that is - a strand of your hair is about 40,000 nanometers thick.
As a kid, I never expected to be a scientist.
For a while, I did have a teacher who thought I should become a doctor, but I kept telling him that I didn’t like the sight of blood, so that wasn’t going to work out.
I actually went to school to become an electronics technician - kind of a cross between an electrician and an electrical repairman.
to study engineering at the University of California-Berkeley.
Dr. Yaffa
Dr. Yaffa is a research agronomist and professor at the University of The Gambia.
That means he researches crops and soils.
