2010-06-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

The TrueAfricanVoice

The True African Voice: The goal of this Blog is to raise awareness and represent Africa without any exaggerations. I just like to share the inside of Africa that has never been represented before from any news organization. With the help of this most powerful tool of our generation, the internet.

With this Blog I invite anybody to share their views, experience, or any insight of this continent. I understand that there are a lot of ignorances and misconceptions about Africa but it is our responsibility to tell the world about the real Africa. Please join me on this journey of re-discovery of our Mama Africa-the Cradle of Humanity.

Introduction: People and History:

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² ( 11.7 million Sq. miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.72% of the world's human population.

Africa straddles the equator and encompasses numerous climate areas; it is the only continent to stretch from the northern temperate to southern temperate zones.

Afri was the name of several peoples who dwelt in North Africa near Carthage. Their name is usually connected with Phoenician afar, "dust", but a 1981 hypothesis has asserted that it stems from a Berber word ifri or Ifran meaning "cave", in reference to cave dwellers. Africa or Ifri or Afer^] is name of Banu Ifran from AlgeriA and Tripolitania.

Other etymological hypotheses that have been postulated for the ancient name "Africa":

the 1st century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus asserted that it was named for Epher, grandson of Abraham according to Gen. 25:4, whose descendants, he claimed, had invaded Libya.
Latin word aprica ("sunny") mentioned by Isidore of Seville XIV.5.2.
the Greek word aphrike (Αφρική), meaning "without cold." This was proposed by historian Leo Africanus (1488–1554), who suggested the Greek word phrike (φρίκη, meaning "cold and horror"), combined with the privative prefix "a", thus indicating a land free of cold and horror.
Massey, in 1881, derived an etymology from the Egyptian af-rui-ka, "to turn toward the opening of the Ka." The Ka is the energetic double of every person and "opening of the Ka" refers to a womb or birthplace. Africa would be, for the Egyptians, "the birthplace."

Brief History:
Africa is considered by most paleoanthropologists to be the oldest inhabited territory on earth, with the human species originating from the continent. During the middle of the twentieth century, anthropologists discovered many fossils and evidence of human occupation perhaps as early as 7 million years ago. Fossil remains of several species of early humans.
Throughout humanity's prehistory, Africa (like all other continents) had no nation states, and was instead inhabited by groups of hunter- gatherers such as the Khoi and San.
The population trekked out of the Sahara region towards the Nile Valley below the Second Cataract where they made permanent or semi-permanent settlements. A major climatic recession occurred, lessening the heavy and persistent rains in Central and Eastern Africa. Since this time dry conditions have prevailed in Eastern Africa, and increasingly during the last 200 years.

The domestication of cattle in Africa preceded agriculture and seems to have existed alongside hunter-gathering cultures. It is speculated that by 6000 BC cattle were already domesticated in North Africa. In the Sahara-Nile complex, people domesticated many animals including the donkey and a small screw-horned goat which was common from Algeria to Nubia. In the year 4000 BC the climate of the Sahara started to become drier at an exceedingly fast pace. This climate change caused lakes and rivers to shrink significantly and caused increasing desertification. This, in turn, decreased the amount of land conducive to settlements and helped to cause migrations of farming communities to the more tropical climate of West Africa.
By the first millennium BC ironworking had been introduced in Northern Africa and quickly spread across the Sahara into the northern parts of sub-Sahara Africa and by 500 BC metalworking began to become commonplace in West Africa. Ironworking was fully established by roughly 500 BC in many areas of East and West Africa, although other regions didn't begin ironworking until the early centuries AD. Copper objects from Egypt, North Africa, Nubia and Ethiopia dating from around 500 BC have been excavated in West Africa, suggesting that trans-saharan trade networks had been established by this date.

Music Corner:

Let's enjoy our unique African sounds.

Cultural Corner:
Cultural events;

Afriload: share your memorable photo and videos of Africa.

Short message corner;

Send a text, audio or video greetings, to your family or friends around the globe.

Recommended shows/links:
"Inside Africa” CNN.com/Insideafrica

“African Voices” http://edition.cnn.com/CNNI/Programs

The Africa Channel; http://www.theafricachannel.org/

Books: recommended books to read;

"Long walk to freedom"

"Shadow of the Sun"

Video:

Recommended airlines:

Emirates Airlines, http:// www.emirates.com

Kenya Airways; http://www.kenya-airways.com/home

South African Airways; http://www.flysaa.com
Ethiopian Airlines; http://www.ethiopianairlines.com/

The True African voice "your voice"