Network Africa - Sweden (NAS) The Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations Atlanta Declaration We, African intellectuals and research scholars, men and women coming from Africa, Europe, the Caribbean region and North, Central and South America, have assembled in Atlanta, Georgia at the dawn of the third millennium and the twenty-first century, discussing and deciding the following: Considering that no world people, from antiquity to the present, have lived or can live by the memory and the consciousness of another people; Considering that, in the history of humanity, each people has had its own history and points of cultural reference; Considering that ancient Nile Valley Civilization has been the quest of historians, anthropologists and thinkers of African origin, particularly in the United States of America, since the eighteenth century, beginning with figures such as Richard Allen, Prince Hall and Absalom Jones; Considering that the works of Cheikh Anta Diop have provided necessary scientific strategies for the reconstruction of the long chain of history of African people from antiquity to the present and for the rehabilitation and restoration of African historical consciousness by adopting Kemet (Egypt) as the foundation of modern African humanity; Considering that the international colloquium held in Cairo, Egypt in January, 1974, under UNESCO sponsorship, unanimously confirmed the fact that Pharaonic Kemet (Egypt) was African, on the basis of ethnic composition, its culture, its language, its written script, and its ways of thinking; Considering that Maat remains the key to the social, cultural, political, scientific, philosophical and spiritual development of Ancient Kemet (Egypt), and that Maat is a transcendent principle which advocates justice, equality, and truth among men and women in society; Considering that contemporary Western civilization perpetuates itself through the destruction of nature and the ecology, and that it does not uphold fundamental ethics or moral values; Considering that the African Renaissance, linked to Pan-Africanism, must be based on the complete historical and cultural past of African people, including ancient Kemet (Egypt), and that it must lead to the unity and solidarity of all African peoples in the world as a condition of building their common future; Considering that the challenges of the contemporary world must not perpetuate global European hegemony, racism, white supremacy, injustice and inequality, and that peace in the world is the work of all people; Be It Resolved 1.That ancient Kemet (Egypt) belongs to the cultural and historical heritage of all African people in the world. 2.That ancient Kemet (Egypt) is the historical foundation of African humanity and the cultural base of the African Renaissance. 3.That all African people in the world must claim and own ancient Kemet (Egypt) without desiring, requesting or expecting prior authorization from others, whoever they might be. 4.That teaching African Studies everywhere in the world must necessarily include Egypto-Nubian-Ethiopian civilizations as its foundation. 5.That new methodologies and new paradigms must be created to discover and understand African civilization in an African framework of reflection and comprehension. 6.That many institutes, centers and academies must be created with the material, financial, human and intellectual contributions of Africans in order to help promote African independence. Adopted and accepted by the delegation at the African World History Project Symposium Atlanta, Georgia March 25, 2000 About ASCAC | Conferences & Events | African World View | African Market Place | Links ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [log in to unmask] Start ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------