African History - Africa Was a Coastal Wasteland

"Africa was a coastal wasteland, until the Europeans sowed the seeds of civilization on their cultural barren shores" Discuss

The topic of discussion has surprised, provoked as well as interested me. It implies that Africa had no culture, going by the topic in discussion and the question, until the Europeans arrival on the continent. To do adequate justice this so much interesting topic that has attracted great attention by the seekers of knowledge, a brief clarification or definition of terms and concept in question remains paramount.

Culture, according to A.B Atabo, is a learned pattern of behavior, ideals beliefs and the artifacts shared by people. S Ademola Ajayi was versatile in defining this concept, culture, culture he said, is the established pattern of behavior among a people. It encompasses every aspect of mans life and experience. It is perceived as a way of life, or the totality of all human efforts and achievements in the struggle for survival in the mist of unfriendly and militant forces of nature. It finds expression in man's religion, language, philosophy, dance, art, drama, music, architecture, political organization, technology and many other things. In a nut shell, everything created by man is culture, where as things created by God remains nature. Collectively, a cultural wasteland refers to a geographical entity or area that nothing culture like can be thought off, let alone found. In the same vain, cultural barren shores implies a place where culture is not there, that culture remains stunted. A scholar must separate himself from all emotional sentiment. He must free himself of all prejudice, racial injustice and deal squarely and be unbiased in dealing with issues such as this.