Africa in World Time: An Exploration of African History
The Senegalese historian Mamadou Diouf, professor at Columbia University in New York, has just published a fascinating essay entitled “Africa in World Time”. In this work, he highlights the importance of the African and Afro-American perspective on the history of the continent.
In this book, Mamadou Diouf invites us to revisit the history of Africa through another perspective, that of black and African authors themselves. It underlines how this African narrative of history still remains largely invisible in our current societies.
According to him, the challenge of reconstructing the African past is not limited to Africa itself, but has much broader implications in the writing of history in general. It highlights the different attempts of Africans to leave their mark in the historical narrative, in order to demonstrate that Africa has a central place in world time.
It also highlights the challenges that African scholars face in producing the continent’s history. Political and economic crises in many countries have hampered the research and teaching of this history. However, he notes that there is an ongoing rediscovery of the Islamic library, which is bringing to light African writing using Arabic, including in African languages via the Adjami script.
Mamadou Diouf is also interested in the connections between the two shores of the Atlantic, between Africans and African-Americans, in the very writing of African history. He emphasizes the importance of intellectual exchanges between these two groups, with African intellectuals reading African-American intellectuals and vice versa. He notably mentions the major role of the African-American writer Du Bois, whose 1915 book “The Negro” was one of the first to place Africa in world time.
Mamadou Diouf’s essay argues in favor of a plural history that integrates other narratives outside the traditional academic paradigm. It calls for a reappropriation of history by those primarily concerned, after centuries of dispossession. It also underlines the importance of poetry and collective memory in the understanding and transmission of history.
In conclusion, Mamadou Diouf’s “Africa in World Time” is an essential work that challenges dominant historical narratives and highlights the richness and diversity of African history. It invites readers to explore new perspectives and recognize the importance of Africa in the global narrative of history.