On this episode, For The People kickstarts the series of the Nile Valley Conference held at Morehouse College in 1985. This episode features Dr.Na’im Akbar, Ph.D., clinical psychologist, author of “Chains and Images of Psychological Slavery” who speaks on “The Study of the Mind in Egyptian History.” Listervelt Middleton begins the episode explaining a prior interview with Dr. Josef Ben-Jochannan and his statements about Ethiopian Jews.
Dr.Na’im Akbar begins his speech with the notion of setting the record straight about Egyptology. He states that during his research he began to venture into “deep water” when studying the mind and its relation to ancient Kemet. Dr. Akbar dives into the Western ideology of today stating that western development is deficient because of the effect of technology, and how it exceeds human nature.
Dr. Akbar expounds upon the topics of sexism and racism, saying that “there is no place in the mind for soul stuff” and there is a fear of femininity in western society. On the topic of racism, he states that there was a fear of acceptance in the influence of Black people on western culture which led to the denial of any influence.
At the conclusion of the episode, Dr.Na’im states “we have lost the connectedness that belongs to our own science.”
Stay tuned for part two of the Nile Valley Conference event series.
Side Notes
Born on April 26, 1944, in Tallahassee, Florida. Born Luther Benjamin Weems Jr., Akbar changed his name after joining the Nation of Islam in 1971. He was educated at the University of Michigan where he attained his bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees. Dr. Akbar became popularly known because of his Afro-centric approach to modern psychology.
In 2022, Dr.Na’im Akbar was presented with the Presidential Citation award for his major contribution to the profession of Psychology because of his advancement of Health Equity.
