ON HENRY LOUIS GATES

by: "Runoko Rashidi" runokor

People ask me from time to time what I think of the work of Henry Louis Gates. My response is that he has done some very fine work but is misguided and is in some ways an embarrassment for African people. In some ways he reminds me of the brilliant African-American (perhaps I should say "negro") historian and scholar Frank M. Snowden. On the African presence in ancient Greece and Rome Snowden was brilliant. But when discussing Kmt Snowden, like Gates today, was an embarrassment. For example, when discussing the Nile Valley, Snowden noted "The ancient Egyptians were among the first of several predominately white peoples who had extended contacts with the blacks living in the lands south of Egypt." He calls the Ancient Egyptians "predominately white" peoples. What an insult. This is published in a work called The African Diaspora published in 1976 (not that long ago) by a major publishing house. Snowden was deeply antagonistic to Cheikh Anta Diop and spent many years at Howard University. With what mental gyrations does one transform someone like the powerful Queen Tiye or Khredounkh (the mother of Imhotep) or Akhenaten, pictured here, into someone predominately white? In many ways Skip Gates channels such thinking and is a modern-day Frank Snowden. Why else would he be on mainstream TV?

In love of Africa,

Runoko Rashidi

http://drrunoko.com/

SOURCE:
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/GLOBALAFRICANPRESENCE/conversations/topics/30823;_ylc=X3oDMTJyZjdicmtrBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzI0ODY2NDAEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDA3NzA5BG1zZ0lkAzMwODIzBHNlYwNkbXNnBHNsawN2bXNnBHN0aW1lAzE0ODgzMzcxNDM-