Find out! The original name of Africa

Africa is a continent with a very old history. According to archaeologists Africa is the cradle of all mankind which means it was populated before the other planets. Again, it is believed that the Africans in history had different terms to identify themselves apart from the Greko-Roman term Africa. 

Today, Africa is home to diverse people; with different tribes, cultures and races.  It is the second-largest continent by size and population after Asia. Some tribes are considered the earliest inhabitants of the continent, some immigrating later while others left for other continents.

African Map

Africa's interaction with other continents also goes back in time. It is through these interactions that the continent got some of its names including the term Africa. Most historians agree that the term Africa was first used by the Romans and Greeks. 

However, there are different accounts on the origin of its origins with some accrediting it with the Latin world.

It is widely believed that the conquest of the Carthage (now Tunisia) and other North African states by the Romans was the possible widespread use of the term. The Romas are said to name a Berber tribe 'Afri' 'Ifer' or 'Ifir'. Some thinkers believe that this would later result in the word 'Africa terra' which translates to 'the land of Afris'.

There are also those who believe that Africa was named after the famous medieval traveller and scholar Leo Africanus (1494 – 1554). This thought is disputed by Chancellor Williams in his book 'Destruction of the Black Civilization' Chancellor Williams says that al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Wazzan was baptized and given the name Africanus many years after the name had been used to refer to Africa. 

In an article by South Africa History Online, Leo Africanus himself when writing about Africa is said to have suggested that the name of the continent came as a result of the Greek word 'a-phrike' which means 'without cold' or 'without horror'.

What was the original name of Africa?

Senegalese Dr. Cheikh Anta Diop is one of those historians that have done tremendous work in uncovering the lost history of Africa. He undertook a mission to challenge the Eurocentric view on African history at the UNESCO conference of 1971. 

Although he first faced opposition, his work was later accepted and published under the General History of Africa, publications by the world organization. In his works, Dr. Diop says:

"The ancient name of Africa was Alkebulan. Alkebu-lan “mother of mankind” or “garden of Eden”.” Alkebulan is the oldest and the only word of indigenous origin. It was used by the Moors, Nubians, Numidians, Khart-Haddans (Carthaginians), and Ethiopians. Africa, the current misnomer adopted by almost everyone today, was given to this continent by the ancient Greeks and Romans.”

Dr. Diop further explains that Africa was also called Ortigia, Corphye, Libya, and Ethiopia. Names such as the latter were used to describe black people.  Diop links the people of West Africa and their, ancient ancestors, in the North as one people by race and culture.

Chancellor Williams also adds to this thought by proposing that the ancient name for the blacks was Africans, Ethiopians, Thebans, Libyans, Thinites, Nubians, Cushites, Memphites, Numidians etc.

Africa has been the common name, especially referring to black people since the 17th Century. As opposed to its earlier use in the North, the people of North Africa seem to have abandoned the name for Asian assimilation. 

Does this support the fact that the name may have only been used to refer to a black population like it is used now? This will also further affirms the original ethnicity of the North African tribes before their interactions with people from the Middle East.

Related read >> (The true size of Africa: A continent so big that the US, China, and India perfectly fit in)

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