The Evolution of herbalists and Traditional medicine Men

A herbalist is a person who heals using plants. Although some practitioners are also referred to as medical herbalists, these practitioners are not medical professionals. While traditional medicine men are similar to herbalists, they are members of an indigenous community that are well-versed in the magical and chemical properties of various substances (medicines) as well as the rituals used to give them.

Long before modern medicine was established, herbalists and traditional medicine men were the doctors that we had in Africa. These men who know the different types of plants, how they worked, what they were used for, their side effects and even their compositions were revered.  Many of them were seen as Gods. Because of their vast knowledge of healing and their claimed( for some) connection to the Gods, most of them were not questioned on their actions. There were others who performed healing rituals claiming that their patients needed spiritual cleansing and if their lives were lost, they would simply say " it is the will of the Gods" when in reality the nature of the illness was not understood by the medicine man.

It was easier for our people to trust these herbalists and medicine men because they didn't understand how these plants work, the famous saying: knowledge is power, and indeed power was given to them. They were as important as kings.

The practise of traditional medicine dates back to 60,000 years ago and it was most popular in Africa and Asia.  It was also very effective but considered unsanitary and unsafe in some communities. The under civilised regions of Africa made use of herbalists and medicine men more so than the others and it wasn't until colonisation before herbalists and medicine men were frowned upon

By the time most African countries gained their independence the white men had opened their eyes to modern medicine but some communities remained faithful to traditional medicines and their herbalists. The acceptance of modern medicine was slow as many Africans stayed faithful to their traditions but with the help of education and knowledge many began to understand and accept modern medicine. The numbers of herbalists and traditional medicine men began to drop and the few that remained went into hiding as their practices were now frowned upon.

Many herbalists and traditional medicine men have now evolved into farmers or pharmacists. It is believed that pharmacy is a much more refined way of using nature to heal people all the while earning a lot of money from it, compared to how traditional men and herbalists practised it.

 
The early man believed that whatever illness that assailed him is due to violation of rules and taboos of his society. These beliefs are deeply rooted and contribute to his daily life , lack of rain , bad harvest , ailments , diseases and other life  grievances are attributed to the god(s) wrath and anger . All these are believed to be reversible when sacrifices are made for atonement,  consequent changes are noted which further ingrained these beliefs , whether these events are coincidences or the god(s) truly came to the rescue cannot be outrightly disputed .

      According to Webster dictionary, an herbalist is a person who practices healing by the use of herbs. A significant percentage of the world's population rely on the ability and services rendered by traditional healers .

    Shamans are some of the earliest herbalists , they are the indigenous doctors or as the case may be ,the medicine keepers of the tribe . They are known for their trances and ability to see beyond the earthly realm to the spirit world . Shamans communicate with deities of the tribe in order to heal their people and their land.                 Also , they are perceived as the messenger of god(s) through which the gods show vision and reveal insights on the world around them .

      These patterns persist in many cultures of the world and the customs are passed down orally from one generation to another to be taken up by a progeny , relative or anyone with the gifts to do these things . Until man began to study and observe that sicknesses and diseases that affect man are not as a result of the gods being angry but merely an imbalance in the internal body system . A German physicist put forward that the human body is a whole system with ability to maintain homeostasis and  a breach in the immune system brings about sickness with signs and symptoms . Before man realized the medicinal use of herbs , it was mostly for food (spice) and since the few ones known were not recorded but were passed down verbally , it was quite a hurdle to collate information or achieve much as there was secrecy and little to no information had on the existing ones .

    Following the development of writing system , there was a noticeable improvement in the field as texts could be written and exchanged to further research.   As herbs were not planted but rather grow wildly to be discovered by trial and error method , popular herbs and their uses were known to the public but then there were  wise men and women with extensive knowledge of herbs that rendered services to the community they reside . These individuals for their vast knowledge to identify  medicinal plants and their uses become the community healer . They are another set of herbalists without the supernatural fanfare ,but are rather skilled in  implementing herbal  plants to heal and cure diseases .

     Herbalists have a way of blending cultural traditions and botanical plants for wellness of everyone and the name "herbalist" does not connote evil or dark powers as portrayed in movies . As it is in many cultures of the world , the independence on traditional healers is profound and absolute simply because they are seen as a sage , an empath , a healer , a skilled , versatile and vast source of insights rendering solutions to health care problems.

     Nowadays , there are ethno medical practitioners who combine their knowledge of herbal and traditional medicine with the western medicine to deal with the healthcare system of their community . Herbalists were the first doctors , they were able to cure many diseases even before synthetic chemistry came to be and make personalized prescription to patients .

   Moreover , the Yorubas say " ogberi  o gbodo mawo " which simply means that the business of being in this field is established on secrecy and should not be let known to the non– initiates as it is the oldest profession of man .  In Nigeria , herbalists are addressed by different name according to varying tribes , "babalawo" is what the Yoruba tribe know them as , Igbos call them "dibia" and  they are addressed as  "boka" in  Hausa.

        Herbalism is deeply rooted and it is a pioneer of every medicine known to man now . Despite many attempts to put an end to its use , it is still widely used and in high demand due to its accessible and affordable health resources . The gradual changes and improvement over the centuries has been all worth it , from carved drawings to few hundreds recorded texts but now there are academies and school of thoughts dedicated to studying and discovering new plants for Man's use.

Sights and Sounds - A Historical Review of Nasarawa, Nigeria

 Before the early 1800s that the Fulani Jihad united the region and placed the area under the Sokoto Caliphate as the large states of Keffi, Lafia and Nasarawa; the area that is the present Nasarawa state was divided between different states with some states being minute and village based as others were part of layer empires.

Like every other African countries, in the 1890s and 1900s, British imperialism happened in the area and blended it into the Northern Nigeria Protectorate. The Protectorate later on joined into the British Nigeria in 1914 before becoming independent as Nigeria in 1960. Inherently, modern-day Nasarawa state was a part of the post independence Northern Region until 1967 when the religion was divided and the area became part of the Benue-Plateau state. Later on, Nasarawa now became a part of the new Plateau State until 1996 when Western Plateau was cut off to form the new Nasarawa State.

Nasarawa state is the one in the North central region of Nigeria, surrounded to the four cardinal points by different states; to the east by the states of Taraba and Plateau, to the North by Kaduna state, to the South by the states of KOGI and Benue, and to the West by the Federal Capital of Abuja. Nasarawa state is being named for the past Nasarawa Emirate, the state was created from the West of Plateau State on October 1st, in the East of the state, while an important commercial centre of the state is the Karu-Urban Area- suburbs of Abuja along the west surroundings with the Federal Capital of Abuja.

Commercially, Nasarawa state is widely know for its agricultural involvement largely on yams, groundnuts, soybeans, maizes, millets, and sesame. Other prominent industries are ranching of livestock, which include: cattle, goats and sheep, etc. Following history, at different points in time, conflicts and acts of violence is not a new thing in Nasarawa state. The state is know for armed fights especially amongst famers and herders mainly on land rots. Although a land with so much recorded conflicts and bloodshed, it still remains the 19th largest Human Development Index in Nigeria and many institutions of tertiary education.

 The state was created on October 1st 1996 by the Abacha government dividing it from the present surrounding Plateau State which before has their territories. Nasarawa state has three National Senatorial Districts, which are: Nasarawa itself, Toto, Kokona, Keffi, and Kari; and the rest which is North and West under the districts are: Doma, Awe, Keana, Lafia, Obi, Eggon, Wamba, and Akwanga.

Tourist worthy seeings are: "The Salt Village in the Keana Local Government Area of the state which manufactures original iodized salt from the lake situated closely. The town is one of the region of the beginnings of Alago civilisation, which include the major ethnic groups in the state. Also, is "The Farin Ruwa Hills" in Wamba Local Government Area of the state. It is one of the tallest falls in Africa. In addition to the tourist worthy sightings is the Eggon Hills of the Eggon inhabitants who had resided and started as an ancestral heritage also. Another is the Maloney Hill.

Whenever you go there, be careful. Conflicts are still happening there.😕

How Barack Obama Brought Africa to the Light as the US First Black President

 The year 2008 was one for the history books, the most incredible event happened, An African American went up against a white man in an attempt to win a presidential election. In January of 2009, the first African American president in America was inaugurated after beating his opponent John McCain. It was quite an unbelievable year given the history of African Americans and that win set the leaping stones for many African Americans and Africans around the world. Barack Obama had done the impossible, he competed against a white man and won.

It's no secret that African Americans originated from Africa. The slave trade and its history is one that still haunts the minds of Africans. Families and friends separated and sailed across the ocean to be used brutally and treated inhumanely. African Americans were born out of the slaves who had gained their freedom and retained their stay in America, even with so said freedom, the African Americans were treated less than the average white man, deprived of several rights until they fought back. So with years of oppression and inferiority watching a black man with African origins win the presidential election was an accomplishment for all Africans and black Americans. Barack Obama showed us that we can be more in a country where we have had to fight to be heard. 

With a president who understood the history and struggles of the African Americans in his country, change was envisioned. A president who would fight for the minority, a president who understood the struggles of how the colour of one's skin could be seen as a weapon, he had given hope to his people.  Before he became president, Barack had been doing works to help several people in America. He held positions in different political congregate enough to make changes and help people. With a lineage from Kenya, Barack reached out to his father's people in Kenya. He visited in the year 2006 which helped put light to his heritage and also made him infamous.  

Barack Obama rose up to his former position as the president of America through hard work and a heart to do good, let's not forget the charisma too but most importantly he stayed true to his ancestry and made efforts to understand his origins even though it might have been frowned upon.  Barack is a man who figured out that your origins help build your identity and in understanding his origins not only did he discover his identity, he also brought light to Africa in general.

The Origin of Local African Health, Herbs and Medicines

 

     According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

      According to South African Health Concepts, health is achieved by maintaining harmony of body, mind and spirit and harmony with nature. It goes further to state that illnesses can be prevented by diets, rest and cleanliness.
      For a traditional African, the state of health is beyond the proper functioning of the bodily organs. Rather, based on the African unitary view of reality, it encompasses the mental, physical, spiritual and emotional stability of an individual, his family members and the society at large. Hence, the state of complete well-being is a very important aspect of the life of a traditional African. This my be considered as a controversial statement because majority of the Africans, particularly the poor and those of the middle-income bracket rely on under-funded public health facilities while a small minority have access to well-funded, quality private healthcare.
     Nevertheless, African countries agreed to allocate about 15% of their budgets to the health care.
CONCEPT: The concept of local African health explains that traditional African medicine consists of a range of traditional medicine disciplines which are;
* Indigenous herbalism
* African spirituality which includes diviners, midwives, and herbalists (practitioners of African medicine)
          The practitioners of traditional African medicine claim that they can cure a variety of disease conditions ranging from the acute to the chronic ones such as headaches, eczema, fever, anxiety, depression, healing of wounds and burn, stomach pain, cholera, asthma, cancer, psychiatric disorders, high blood pressure, benign prostatic hyperplasia, urinary tract infections, gouts, Ebola. Many of the African traditional medicinal practitioners are sets of people without formal education. Most of the things they know about medicinal plants and their effects on the human body were passed down to them or learnt by their personal observations. Although their practises vary but a common feature among them is a personal involvement in the healing process i.e the protection of their therapeutic knowledge by keeping it a secret and being rewarded for their services. Hence, the knowledge of traditional African medicine is restricted to an individual or his immediate family members.
       The traditional African medicine has its belief rooted in a system that illnesses are not derived from chance occurrences but through spiritual or social imbalance. Hence, diagnosis is often made through spiritual means and a treatment, usually consisting of a herbal remedy that is considered to have both healing abilities and symbolic and spiritual significances is prescribed.
     Before the arrival of modern medicine introduced by the Europeans, African traditional medicine was the dominant medical system for millions of people in Africa. Herbal medicine in Africa are generally not adequately researched and weakly regulated. In addition, there is a lack of detailed documentation of the traditional knowledge hence, serious adverse effects can result from mis-identification or misuse of healing plants.
HISTORY: The practise of African traditional medicine is as old as man; being passed on from generation to generation. During the precolonial era, the traditional healers played obvious roles in providing basic health needs of their communities; making themselves available as the answers to the community problems in times of need. During times of conflicts and uproar in terms of health, people naturally resorted to supernatural explanations and would tend to seek treatment involving the supernatural.
      During the colonial era, some traditional medical practices were outlawed. So, as colonialism and christianity spread through Africa, colonialists built general hospitals and christian missionaries built private ones, with the hopes of making headway against widespread diseases and to provide a quality healthcare to the people. However, the colonial authorities along with doctors and health care practitioners continued to shun the contributions of traditional medical practitioners and the role they played. Infact, little was done to investigate the legitimacy of the traditional medical practices.
      The arrival of modern medicine brought a revival to the African traditional medicine, particularly in developed countries. Hence, the interest in integrating traditional African medicine into the continent's modern health care systems increased. Therefore, the use of traditional medicinal plants is being encouraged in some countries. In Kwa-Mhlanga, South Africa, an African healer embraced this concept by starting a 48-bed hospital, the first of its kind. This system combines the traditional African methods with other alternative medical practices such as homeopathy, iridology, and traditional Asian medicine.
       So, an African man has always been interested in his health, either adopting the ancient traditional methods or making use of the traditional African medicine integrated into modern health care.

    This leads me into asking you this question; Is your health important to you? If it does, how well do you treasure it?

The Black Panther Movie and Africa's Beautiful Story of Traditions

 

The year 2018 was marvellous. Not only was it booming for the black American and the African American actors and actresses, but it was also the year that Marvel Studios released the black panther, a movie revealing the traditions of the Wakanda community and also highlighting the rise of an African superhero, "the black panther".

I must say, the year 2018 put Africans in a new light. The movie portrayed a different glint of how Africans are seen. The Wakandans were visualised as advanced technology people with their African traditions still in their hearts.  The movie not only destroyed the premise that Africans were uncivilised and primitive but also brought to light how beautiful African traditions can be and tho Wakanda is a fictional place, there are some truths in fiction. 

The black panther movie paved way for change in some ways. Tho a movie that had not originally been made till 2018, Wakanda existed in the fictional worlds of marvel studios in 1966, its first appearance in the fantastic four movies. 

The traditions of the Wakandans were borrowed from different African nations and had been treaded down to fit the Wakanda community. African traditions are common and can be often the same in several places with slight differences. In the Wakanda kingdom, some of the Gods include Bast the Panther Goddess, Thoth, god of the moon and wisdom, and Ptah, the Shaper are Heliopolitan deities who fled ancient Egypt at the time of the pharaohs, Kokou is a warrior orisha from Benin, and Mujaji is a rain goddess of the Lobedu people of South Africa. All of them originate from religions and traditions around Africa.

In Africa, traditions are like unspoken laws done in the name of the Gods the community serve. Traditions are treated with respect and pass on from generation to generation. If you noticed the traditions were passed down from father to son when T'challa became king.  It is believed that when traditions are honoured, so are the gods of the land that they govern but not all traditions are from gods, most of them were made my men to keep the peace. 

In all honesty, African traditions, tho beautiful can leave long-lasting trauma and damage, because traditions are easily respected some leaders abuse power and inflict new traditions on their people, hiding in the name of their Gods. With direct access to the gods of a community comes power given by the people and no one dares question the will of the gods even when given by a power-hungry man.

If you ask me, I believe most traditions we practise today as Africans are a bit healthy while some are detrimental to our health. In the new day and age, some traditions have been neglected and shunned because of how evolved we have become, while others bid their time, quiet but still being practised. Truly,  I also believe that there are some truths to out traditions, there is no new thing done under the sun and tradition has a beauty to the way it chides us. 

10 Funny Acts Peculiar to African Mothers

 Be it from the North, West, South, or Eastern states; African mothers have some funny acts peculiar to them. African mothers are almost the same when it comes to the way they relate to their children. Let's reminisce over some of their funny acts.

1. They complain when you don't eat and when you eat too much.

African mothers be like why can't you finish that food? What's in that food that you can't finish? That small portion of food, ehn? What have you eaten that you cannot finish it. Especially when they are the one that cooked it, you'd hear statements like, 'what happened?' You can't finish it? The soup I labored over, you can't finish it? You've eaten junks abi? My soup now taste bitter in your mouth? My soup is not sweet abi? The soup that made your father married me, you cannot finish it. You don't like it. 'Mum na food I no fit finish, I no kill person😒.' when you eat too much, they'd be like, what work have you done in this house that you're eating like this? Am I feeding you to sell you? Remove your hand! You cannot turn my house into a fattening one. Glutton! 'African Mothers, which way na'👀?

2. They hardly apologize when they wrong you.

'Oh. I didn't know. Seriously, my son. I did not know. Hun? Biko, no vex. Hun? No vex. What? You're still angry? I said I did not know. I should kneel down for you. Ah! If you want me to kneel down, I will. I, your mother will kneel for you. Ah, I will kneel. Sheybi you want me to kneel down. No problem.' 'When you're still angry nkor? I said I didn't know. I don't know what else do you want me to do.' 'If you decide to stay angry, no problem. I have already told you that I did not know.' When you're done being angry, you will talk to me.' Not even I'm sorry👺

3. They make mistakes you should never do

'Mistakenly oversalts food' African Mothers: Ah, this unrefined salt too dey oversalt food. Just small oooo, just a pinch, everywhere salt. Ah. Come. Come and taste this food for me. Take. What? Why did you spoil your mouth like that? What happened to it? Is it salty? So my food is salty? You mean the food that me your mother cooked is salty. I have never said that to my mother before. You will have to eat it like that. Mistakes do happen, and this is part of it. Hun? Oya bring plates, let me serve it. When it is your turn. African Mothers: 'Yeeee! My tounge. Did you fetch water from the ocean to cook this food? If you're a female, you'd hear, is this how you'll be cooking it in your husband's house? Your mother-in-law will be eating salty food like this. Ah. All your husband's kinsmen, all of them. Na oversalted food you go dey serve them. No problem. When you will be pressing phone. See your life, and you're a female child. I have never oversalted food in my life. This is the first time I will taste such. What if I gave you the refined salt. The unrefined one are even better, still, you can't make good use of it. Shior! E dey your body. 'Spare me, Mama😌.'

4. They ask how do I look? If you tell them the truth, you're in trouble.

I'm going to visit my Mummy Kwame. She returned from Ghana yesterday. How do I look? 'Mum the wrapper is quite faded. You may change it.''What? What happened to my wrapper? This wrapper is not good? Okay I have heard you. What else? My footwear nko? 'Yes, that's true. It doesn't match with the attire.' Abeg, abeg. 'This one doesn't match with my clothes? Leave it. Na you ladies dey do match to match. We are old schools. We don't need such fashion. I'm not going to stay long. It is just to greet her and come back. I haven't seen her in three years now. What else apart from those two? Tell me, but I can't change the ones you talked about. Anything else? Abeg, I don commot. 'Sighs.'😒

5. When they see their old time friend, just get a bed and sleep on that spot.

The time African mothers use to chat with each other or one another is enough to soft a stone, in the boiling process. When they see their old time friend, they'd chatter, talk, laugh, scream, practice some funny gestures that only them understand, gossip, and do some traditional dancing moves, not concerned about you waiting for them, or the time you've spent doing so.

6. They try to imitate the modern lifestyle that they have insulted.

Mum, I thought you said it is ladies that like men too much that wears wig.' 'Ehen, ehen? Doesn't it fit me? Look at me now. Look at a sweet girl. Instead of you to compliment me, you're telling me shit. It fits me na, or doesn't it? You can't answer abi. Or you don't want me to wear it, because it is yours. I will wear it sha. It makes me remember when I was a young lady. I used to be very very beautiful. You got your beauty from me. I'm still beautiful sef. Omalicha nwa. Please, close the door. I will see you when I come back.

7. They give almost all the food to the visitor, at your own peril.

'Mama Boluuuuuu! Welcome. Sit. Your legs are good. I have just finished preparing Amala and efo riro. What? You are not eating? Abeg. Abeg. I will get angry if you don't. You have to. Let me quickly serve you. What's too much? We have more. Please, eat. It was as if I knew I was going to have a visitor. Please, eat to your fill. 'Bola, prepare small eba for yourself, and take the smallest meat. The smallest meat, please. Things are now really expensive.' 'Really?💀'

8. They lament when you don't pay attention to their rants.

I heard the price of fuel has been inflated. Only God know where we are going in this country. Ehn? They even said there's going to be a war, that we should be indoors before 7.  Ehen, that we should be indoors before 7. Shade, can you hear that? You that will be coming home around 9. Let your head be correct, don't implicate me. Shade are you listening? See the person I'm talking to. Do you want to make me worried? Where will I find you if something bad should happen to you? It is not good the way you're treating me. I did not treat my mother like that. I said they said the security outside is too loose, that we should be indoors before 7. Ehen, ehen, better. God bless you. Sleep well.

9. They care for and insult you at the same time when you are sick.

Sorry. Oya, take more. Take more pap. Take more, so that you can use your medicine. Sorry. How are you feeling now? When you will be pressing phone, ehen. Everytime phone, why won't you fall sick. It is not possible for someone to press phone at the rate which you do, and not fall sick. Ehen? With that your big headset. You actually deserve this headache. Bring your mouth here. Stubborn boy!

10. They put so much energy to want to watch news, and doze off 5 minutes later when watching it, only to wake up as you grab the remote.

Where's the lie?💀

10 Interesting Facts about the African Movie Industry

"Show me a soul who doesn't love any form of the media and I will tell you that person is insane"

The African movie industry has been a loyal and steadily progressing form of entertainment. Gone are the days when we sat together as a family and watched movies about evil forests and spirits, newer battles in the movie industry are being fought, such as rape, corruption, bitterness, love and so on. With progress comes change, either negative or positive but I must say that the progress of the African movie industry is causing a positive change. Our directors have peaked and are making mind-blowing movies not just purely for entertainment but also to pass messages across. There is so much history associated with the movie industry, Africa being part of the history, here are a few facts about the African movie industry 

1. Tunisia's cinema and Egypt's cinema are both among the world's oldest. In 1896, Auguste and Louis Lumière, pioneers in the film industry, presented their films in Alexandria, Cairo, Tunis, Soussa, and Hammam-Lif.

2. In terms of volume, number of annual films, revenue, and popularity, the Nigerian film industry is the largest in Africa. It is also the world's second-largest film producer. 

3. A New York Times piece gave birth to the term "Nollywood."  In 2002,  A New York Times piece described movies made or produced for the Nigerian audience or any movie relating to the Nigerian industry as Nollywood.

4. Sembène Ousmane's La Noire de..., popularly known as Black Girl, was the first African film to receive international prominence. It depicted the anguish of an African lady forced to work in France as a maid. In 1966, it was awarded the Prix Jean Vigo. Sembène, originally a writer, had switched to film to gain a bigger audience. He is still known as "African cinema's patriarch."

5. NTA produced the first wave of Nollywood stars.

The bulk of performers, writers, directors, and producers in the early years of the Nigerian film industry were former Nigerian Television Authority employees (NTA). After the media house stopped producing content, the majority of its staff moved to the movie industry.

6. Kenneth Nnebue's film, 'Living in Bondage,' was released in 1992, around 30 years ago, and it essentially established Nollywood. Although it was not the first film made in Nigeria, 'Living in Bondage' is largely regarded as the film that propelled Nollywood forward.

7. Ghana was one of the first African countries to gain independence, as well as one of the first in the post-colonial era to build its own film industry.

8. In the 1960s, Nollywood was established. It was then that historical filmmakers like Ola Balogun, Hubert Ogunde, Jab Adu, Moses Olayia, and Eddie Ugboma developed the first Nollywood films. They are the first generation of Nigerian filmmakers, according to "History."

9. Palaver, directed by Geoffrey Barkas in 1926, was the first feature film made in Nigeria and featured Nigerian performers in significant parts.

10. Nollywood, Nigeria's movie industry has been estimated to generate between $500 million and $1 billion on a yearly basis in revenue. That's a lot of money! 

This was a lot of fun, I have been educated and refreshed by the facts. Please feel free to comment what other fact you know about the Nigerian movie industry in the comment section.

How Black Americans Originated from Africa

       To what depths and extent was history of Africa    taught in  your school ?  Rumour has it that individuals with African's descent can be found in almost if not all places of the mother earth . Simply put , we are an ubiquitous race who survived multiple told and untold experiences ranging from brutality , hostile treatment , defamation, to racism and prejudices , never to be silenced or overlooked , we survived with a burning quest to be heard and identified , now we set records and break boundaries with no limitations just to be a free man and to die as one .

               Africa is one , if not the most blessed continent in terms of mineral , human resources , arable soils , extensive plateaus , hills and mountains , rich cultural heritage, beliefs and custom in addition to a swelling sense of adventure and quests for the unknown as narrated in the night tales and folklores . 

    Science states that three percent of the human brain is made use of , which is capable of assimilation , filtering through the known to understand the unknown , make observations and theories and retain this information spanning a long period of time possibly through a man's lifetime , curiosity , a driving force for a clear , complete and accurate understanding of his ecosystems and other abstract systems. With curiosity came the need to improve and increase his state of living , which led to a search for greener pastures .  Venturing out into new lands arose competition for space , territory, resources , labour and other needs . It is a result of this that survival of the fittest came to be even in the most basic biological sense and also economically , socially and in an all round developmental sense . 

       Even though in the ancient times , among local tribes, extended internal wars came to be , which were avenues to raid , conquer , merge and amass wealth in terms of goods , livestocks and human ( labour force ) . It was a constant gun –slave cycle with violence during wars with little or no individual's debasement and inhumane acts . 

       Following the verdict of the Church enforcing slavery , and the manifested destiny that explorations to Africa and its nation –states is a preordained events by God , the white man in his search for gold and silver came across plentiful bounties and with crude resistance from the natives defeated the indigenous people with their military weapons . The existence of Africans on the white man soil is of no adventurous sense of Africans but rather , as a result of slavery . Increased demand for sugar , cotton , rice , tobacco and other high demand goods with shortage of labour and failure to find other low cost and efficient sources of labour increased the rate of slave importations from Africa's countries through the trans –Atlantic and Mediterranean seas . 

      Consequently, as a result of these in– demands goods , plantation model developed as they enable large scale cultivation and harvest of these goods , with British waged labour  cost incurring and less efficient with no alternative sources of labour , slave trades became the order of the day as the enslaved Africans were cheap and plentiful even with high mortality rate , there was sufficient avenues to meet the supply of slaves . Fearing revolt against plantation owners , slaves were tasked to work with little or no rest and punishments were in order to keep them in line . 

          The influx of slaves  to the now recognize American soils accounted for their population , as there was a high fertility rate when the female slaves  conceive and thus the progeny automatically become a slave , this was a never ending vicious cycle as sexual interactions could only be disturbed not stopped which ensure continuous availability of slaves to be worked , the female slaves were in high demand because of their natural ability to multiply which they were unable to help as they had no choice over their sexual partners . 

       Therefore , African Americans were largely descendants of enslaved Africans during the most significant forced migration experiences in history of man and procreation continues leading to a relative and noticeable population of black Americans until slave trade was abolished after 246 years of slavery in the United States in December of 1865.