Resolution submitted by the sub-committee of History

RESOLUTIONS SUBMITTED BY THE SUB-COMMITTEE OF HISTORY - OF THE COMMISSION ON HUMAN SCIENCE Whereas, the historians of the East and West have written the history of the World from the point of view of their areas’ value systems, and Whereas, these non-African historians for the coast part ignored or deprecated the history and contributions of Africans and persons of Africa Descent, BE IT RESOLVED That this Congress condemns with every emphasis at its command such a misleading conception of the African in history as being inimical to knowledge and the general development of human society ; and that this Congress recommends to all institutions of learning in Africa, the west Indies and the Americans, that intensive research be carried out on the past history of Africa based on documentary and other sources, with a view to educating our people in their equality with all other human beings, and that this Congress suggest to the Governments of the independent African states, and no other African governmental agencies, that a through scrutiny of the history books in use in their respective countries, particularly in the elementary schools, be carried out and that such books which tend to alienate the young generation to be withdrawn from the schools, while at the same time giving african historians and teachers full encouragement in writing books on African history; and that historians of African and other descent be urged to devote themselves to a scientific study of history to reveal the truth of their people’s contribution, and the contribution of African history. II Whereas, the sub-committee on History having noted with deep satisfaction the establishment by the Federation of Nigeria of a Bureau of National Archives; with the construction of a building to house the Archives, and the appropriation of substantial funds where with national historical treasures may be collected and preserved; BE IT RESOLVED That we recommend to all other agencies of African governments the example set by Nigeria as highly deserving our further admiration and emulation. III Whereas, In Europe, in the Americas (North, South and Central) and even in Africa itself, pejorative terms are used to describe persons of Negro descent in order to assign them lower status (i.e. colored, non-white, non European, mulatto, octoroon, moreno, cardo, etc.), and, Whereas, such terms are used to assign differential status to persons of African descent in order to divide the group, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Congress deplores the use of such designations and recommends that the Society of African Culture study the question in order to suggest the use of a term which will identify in dignity all such persons with their origins and which may be used as a part of the term designating their nationality (i.e. American Negro or Afro-Americans). IV Whereas, the historic role of persons of African descent in the modern world is to asset and finally achieve absolute human equality without regard to race, creed or colour; and Whereas, the provision of free and universal education, compulsory on the earliest level, is an indispensable condition of such equality, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED, that we must work vigorously towards the creation everywhere of systems of free and universal educations, from primary to University levels. V Whereas, the manifold contribution of the high culture of ancient Egypt to the world’s civilization is generally treated without consideration of the positive role played by the Negro culture towards the development of the former, the most recent research work of one of our own members, the distinguished scholar Cheikh Anta Diop, shown in his work, “Nations Nègres et Culture” (Paris 1953) has proved that the ancient Egyptian culture has a Negro origin, and, Whereas, other great scholars including the University Professor in the Sorbonne M. George Gurvitch, and Dr. W.E.E Duhois and Dr. Carter G. Wooden, have expressed the conviction that the ancient Egyptian Culture would not have been possible without the example of the Negro AFRICAN culture; and that conceptions of the former emanate from the Negro-African Culture, and the civilization of Ancient Egypt was probably a sublimation of the Negro Culture; BE IT RESOLVED, that the civilization of Ancient Egypt, being undoubtedly of negro African origin, this first period of our history must be the object of future and systematic studies by our scholars VI BE IT RESOLVED, In the perspective of human history, that we deplore the continuation of atomic experiments anywhere and everywhere in the world.