African Contributions?

Question

What contributions has Africa given to society and the world? Hittites were the first to forge metal, the Greeks and Iroquois to develop a democratic and equal society, the Romans heavily influenced modern law systems with their efficient judicial system,and the Chinese, Japanese, Indians and other Southern Asian peoples made many technological, medical, and architectural advancements. Besides the ancient Egyptians, I've heard of the Islamic Mali kingdom was an important trading civilization, and Carthage pioneered in war tactics (mainly due to Hannibal Barca) and naval research. Are there any other major African kingdoms/empires that heavily contributed to modern civilization?

Whoa, man. Peanut butter? I can not believe the things I'm reading. Surely there's s o m e t h i n g that Africa has done for humanity.

Brandi, I haven't had any contributions to society... apparently that's something your parents and I have in common.

Thanks IoIo for that response. I'd have to agree, people can be very ignorant about foreign affairs and life in other countries.

Answer 1

Wow. It's amazing the kind of ignorant people that are allowed to give their opinions on answers. If you know nothing about Africa, then I propose that you be quiet.

Anyway, one of the first universities in the history of the world, where people from as far as Europe came to learn:

http://www.timbuktufoundation.org/university.html

Africa is the cradle of mankind. You're ALL African, you just had no idea :

http://www.nature.com/nature/ancestor/index.html


Find me a giraffe, a hyrax, a white rhino and a million other beautiful animals outside of Africa.

Just because a few political incidents and corrupt people have made Africa look like a joke doesn't mean it is a worthless continent. It has taken Americans centuries to get to where they are right now. Go back in time and see what was happening 40 years after their independence. Compare that with African countries now, most of which gained independence about 40 years ago.

I have lived in Africa and I have lived in America. Don't believe everything you see in the news. Africa is beautiful. Not everyone is starving or dying of AIDS and while our GDP's are lower, that's ok because everything is cheaper in Africa and most people live comfortably and go to school and work and live fulfilling lives. We are still developing though, so give us time. Don't expect too much from a continent that is only just starting to recover from the looting that colonialists did.

Answer 2

The greatest lesson came from Nelson Mandela. That with forgiveness and reconciliation, a nation can move forward without war. That is the most important step any nation ever made -- an example to the rest of the world..

Answer 3

Nubia - thought of as the progenitor of Egypt. Egypt before the greeks was known has Kemet or Chemet (Land of the Blacks or Black land). They gave the world Chemestry wich literally translates into "Black Magic"

Answer 4

Dung huts....unfortunately, it never really caught on outside of sub-Saharan afreeka.

Answer 5

Peanut butter.... hehehe. Not much hey! Africa isn't called the dark continent for no reason! (Not because the people are dark skinned BTW!)

No, okay let's play fair... they probably invented... hmmmm.... wait, I'm thinking... nah, sorry couldn't think of anything. The spear maybe? Rock paintings? I dunno. It's not like they invented the airplane or jet engine or wireless communication or found penicillin or had great artists or great scientists, you know!

Answer 6

Homosapiens.

Answer 7

without africa we never would have had sanford and son, and what you talking about willis?

Answer 8

Absolutely nothing.

Answer 9

africa has taught us how NOT to live
let the blind lead the blind and what do you have?
a welfare continent