This is the fourth installment of the For The People Nile Valley Conference series. This episode's topic is Dr. Ivan Van Sertima and his educational and career journey in learning from Africa. During this episode Dr. Van Sertima does an excellent job at keeping the crowd's attention, which is evident in their reactions to his speech.
Dr. Van Sertima speaks about his educational journey, explaining how he became “close” with his professors while explaining his many hardships. He then tells a story of how professors taught him the difference between the studies of anthropology and sociology.
Dr. Ivan Van Sertima also mentions Africans mass producing steel in less stages than, using less fuel and did it before Europeans. He then begins to speak about Egyptian Africans producing the first calendar. He also mentions the speaker before him Dr. Beatrice Lumpkin on adding to the conversation of African contributions to early mathematics and engineering by the Egyptians and other Africans.
Lastly, Dr. Ivan Van Sertima says that the knowledge that he has discovered brings one a feeling of “rebirth.”
This dialogue continues in the next episode of For The People.
Side Notes
Born on January 26, 1935, in Guyana, South America, Ivan Van Sertima was educated at the School of Oriental and African Studies at London University and Rutgers Graduate School. He obtained degrees in African Studies and Anthropology. He became popularly known as a literary critic, linguist, and anthropologist.
In 1981 Dr. Van Sertima was awarded the Clarence L. Holte Prize, a prize that is awarded every two years for his book "They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America." Dr. Van Sertima lectured at universities in Canada, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, and more than 100 universities in the United States. In 1987, he was asked by Congress to appear before a Congressional Committee to challenge the Columbus myth. Dr. Ivan Van Sertima passed away on May 25, 2009.
