Triple Heritage and Africa's Bright Future

Dr. Kwasi Konadu’s course “Intro to Contemporary Africa” covers a wide range of topics relating to the continent of Africa. Throughout the course, students become aware of how the continent of Africa has arrived at this present time in history. From the beginning chapters about geography and historical context all the way to the final chapter on the trends and prospects for Africa, there are a few conclusions that students can soundly arrive at. As far back as scholars have researched, a range of different cultures have come into contact with Africa including European and Islamic cultures. A lot of the interaction has been forced upon the continent, and has been accompanied by violence, physical and otherwise. However, it is clear that the different cultures of people who have passed through and continue to reside on the continent has had effects, both positive and negative, on various aspects of the continent. Ali Mazrui is a Kenyan academic and political writer whose book The Africans: A Triple Heritage, which is actually a reader supplement to a PBS telecourse, covers this topic. Ali Mazrui’s argument that “modern” African politics, culture, and societies are a product of an Islamic, European, and indigenous African triple heritage is an accurate portrayal of the continent which African people should derive strength from, focusing on the positive aspects of each, in order to reach the transcontinental stability Africa envisions for herself. Chapter four “African Politics” of Understanding Contemporary Africa written by Donald L. Gordon is a valuable source that speaks to the politics of contemporary Africa and how they have been heavily influence by European culture. One of the most basic pieces of evidence of European influence on African politics is the countries contained within the continent which were drawn up by Portugal, Britain, France, Italy, and Germany at the infamous Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 which initiated European scramble