This is the second installment of the For The People Nile Valley Conference series. Dr.Na’im Akbar continues his passionate speech about the science of the mind in ancient Egypt and its relation to modern psychology. Dr. Akbar speaks on the concept of consciousness and awareness or “man know thy self” while accrediting this to the society of ancient Egypt or Kemet.
While speaking about unification of Egypt Dr. Akbar mentions the Upper and Lower Crown of Egypt in which he explains the significance of the object. He mentions how Upper and Lower Egypt during the time were separate but also unified in their spiritual knowledge, saying that people of Ancient Kemet knew that if a person understood the soul their behavior would follow.
Dr. Akbar discusses the essence of humanity, highlighting humanization, and describing its connection with mental well-being. Furthermore, he suggests a solution for this issue, terming it as "craziness." Dr.Na’im Akbar explains what an “IQ test” was for the people of ancient Egypt describing it as by weather or not if someone's heart is so light that it will not tilt a feather on a scale.
This episode concludes Dr. Na’im Akbar’s portion of The Nile Valley Conference.
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.
After getting his Ph.D., Akbar accepted a position at Morehouse College’s psychology department where he created the school’s first Black psychology course and the first Black psychology program at a Historically Black College or University. In the late 1980’s, he formed his own publishing company called Mind Productions.
Today, Dr. Na’im Akbar is 80 years old.
