The Greatest Claim of Plagiarism of All Times

Though Africa has been misconceived as uncivilized land, the truth based on African scholars remains distinctive that Africa is the source of world civilization. Today the World attaches civilization to Greeks simply because history has never been presented vividly as it is supposed to be by the western scholars of the time. Due to misunderstanding of history, Africa suffers the greatest plagiarism that the world has ever known.[1] The truth of this matter has been discussed and clarified at length by two African scholars; The Great Henry Olela and George James. The purpose of their writings was to restore the stolen legacy; the origin of philosophical thinking, and world civilization. In the findings, they unveil the truth corrupted by the western scholars as far as world civilization is concerned.

Henry Olela is among the first African scholars who has unveiled the stolen legacy to the world about Africa that has suffered the greatest plagiarism ever. From his scholastic writings, he refutes the belief that civilization begun with ancient Greece. It is clear and distinct that before Greek’s education, Egypt had already established her education system that comprised philosophical thoughts. In this sense, Egyptian educational system designed the basis of Greek education. The Egyptian education entailed seven stages whereby at the end of each level, the students would write an exam. The final stage enabled the students to become prophets or priest. Olela elucidates that the education system that Plato propagated has elements that were already existing in the Egyptian’s education system. Through the first three stages of Egyptian’s education system, Plato’s students learned on how to read and to write. In the last stage, students learned dialectics and after fifteen years of practical experience, they would qualify as philosophers. Greek’s philosophers played the same role as Egyptian’s prophets such as becoming the head of states. In Olela’s investigation, he finds out that Plato formed his mind after having visited Egyptian’s Priest for several times of which some of Plato’s scholars do not mention this, yet in his own mouth, Plato puts it precisely[2]. Plato developed his education system after being influenced by the Egyptian’s priests. And for this case, western scholars of the time must be accountable.

 According to Olela’s findings, Thales view on the water as the ultimate cause of reality was under the influence of Africa’s concept which his teacher conceived from African. From this sense, other philosophers who came after Thales, followed the same line in formulating their concepts about the ultimate cause of reality.

 George James in his findings, presents with zeal of clarity that Africa is the root cause of Western’s civilization. The time that western scholars claimed to be the period of Greek philosophy, was an era that was dominated by internal and external war. The immediate question is, if they lived in a period of great tension of internal and external war, when did they get time to study the cause of reality? It sounds a contradiction. They ought to have been more on laying strategies to stop or to win the war rather than studying the universe. Much more, the Greeks persecuted philosophers because philosophy was a foreign discovery and for it contained strange ideas that the land was not acquainted with. The philosophical ideas brought change in the government and therefore, encouraged total rejection from the Greeks. Many philosophers such as Anaxagoras, Plato and Aristotle fled into exile. Socrates had to be arrested and assassinated due to his new understanding of gods, and his way of teaching[3]. In his findings, George James affirms that when Alexander the great conquered Egypt, he availed all Egyptian library to his friends. Aristotle as a close friend of Alexander the Great, he grabbed all the libraries and adopted them as a center for research.

Despite of her stolen legacy, Africa has never remained devoid as afar as philosophical thinking is concerned. She has always channeled and developed her thoughts right from Egyptian way of thinking to Ethno-philosophy, Professional Philosophy and Philosophic Sagacity. These are contemporary schools that have mushroomed from Egyptian philosophy.

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[1] George G M James “Stolen Legacy: The Egyptian Origins of Western Philosophy.” https://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Legacy-Egyptian-Origins-Philosophy/dp/1614278342 29/6/2015

                                                                

[2] Masolo D.A, African Philosophy in Search of Identity; (Indian University Press: Bloomington, 1994) 19-50

[3] George G.M James, Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy is a Stolen Egyptian Philosophy; (Philosophical Libraries: New York, 1954) 60-80