Our Story
“Education
intensifies natural gifts and ability, but mere education unless founded on a
historical and cultural framework, will bear no fruits. This is why you should
at all times reinforce your learning with the cultural heritage of your
forefathers – a cultural heritage you should REVIVE.
Above
all Ethiopia is dedicated to the principle of the equality of all men,
irrespective of differences of race, colour or creed.” – The Teachings of HIM Hayle Selasse I
In dealing with the history and the eternal
influence of Kush, it is apt that we should begin with a brief review of what,
who and where this Kush really is.
The truth of the matter is in this day
and age, anyone interested can simply Google the word and a lot of information
is offered there. But the African reality is that not everyone has the ability,
opportunity or chance to go online and search.
So for the purpose of promoting interest
and knowledge of an excellent; eventful and great African past, let us focus on
searching out and developing our present according to Our own narrative and not
from a history told to us by oppressors.
As they say, “A people without knowledge
of their history are like a tree without roots, they cannot bear the proper
fruit.” So as much as we have a large number of various nations in Africa,
we start with Kush and the reasons for this will still be self evident. So here
we go:
The Kingdom of Kush was an ancient
Nubian state centred on the confluences of the Blue and White Nile (North
Africa) and the Atbara Rivers in what is now called the Republic of Sudan.
Kush was established after the collapse
of the Bronze Age and the disintegration of the New Kingdom of Egypt, it was
centred at Napata in its early phase.
After King Kashta (‘TheKashite/Kushite’)
invaded Egypt in the 8th Century BC, the Kushite kings ruled as
Pharaohs of the 25th dynasty of Egypt/Kemet. For 100 years until
they were expelled by Psamtial in 656 BC. During Classical Antiquity he Nubian
capital was at Meroe.
In Early Greek Geography; the Meroitic
kingdom was known as Ethiopia, the Nubian kingdom at Meroe persisted until the
4th century AD, when it was defeated in a war by the Ethiopian
kingdom of Axum (situated at the border between Eritrea and present day
Ethiopia).
The Kingdom of Kush was established
around 1070 BC.
The Capital moved to Napata in 780 BC
The Capital Moved to Meroe in 591 AD
And it was broken up by Assyrian and
other forces around 350 AD.
Kushites spoke Meroitic and Nubian
languages. Their religion was a mixture of indigenous knowledge systems and
Ancient Egyptian Religions.
Among the present day Kushites (the Oromo
of Southern Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea and some parts of Northern Kenya and
Sudan) there is still a large number of them who worship God as Waaqefaana an
Ancient form of God which means The One.
Waaq as It is known is said to be the
Creator of all living things but IT is a Black God whose visible form is the
symbolised by the Sun.
Although a lot of Kushites in the Oromia
region are Muslims, Christians and Animists, there has been a huge revival of
the acknowledgment of Waaq or Waaqa as the Original God.
The Kushites also built burial mounds
and pyramids and shared some of the same gods (Neteru) worshipped in
Egypt/Kemet, especially Ammon/Amun/Amen, Osiris/Asar/Ausar and Isis/Ast/Auset.
This is why in ancient times the Kushite
rulers were regarded as the guardians of the State religion and were
responsible for maintaining the Houses of the Gods/Temples.
It should be noted that the Temples in
ancient African countries were also used as centres of education and
initiation.
Note that the concept of Initiation and other
rituals which regulate the coming of age of young people is what All African
nations have in common. But this knowledge is getting lost through the ravages
of Globalisation and unchecked Eurocentricism. Afrikan/Kushite people have suffered what
could be called a holocaust. Most of our parents take for-granted the knowledge
of Afrikan customs and history, thus every generation loses itself through the
corrosive impact of urbanisation driven by white-supremacist capitalism.
They now must realise that what we
require today is not more knowledge about Israel and its well known gods ( El,
Elohim, Al Shaddai and Jehovah ), neither do we require the blood of Jesus to
save us from the abyss of neo-colonialism and other forms of mental and spiritual
slavery, what we need is a holistic knowledge of Who We Are and Where we are
from and What is Our Destiny. There is no doubt that the Ancient Egyptian forms
of initiation have all the paths we require to achieve this knowledge that has
the power to resurrect us.
In Ancient Egypt, Libyan princes had
taken control of the delta under Sheshonq I in 945 BCE, founding the so called
Libyan or Bubastite dysnasty that ruled for more than 200 years.
Sheshonq also ruled Southern Egypt by
placing his family members in important priestly positions.
Thus the family of King Sheshonq served
not only as knowledge keepers, but as teachers and initiators of generations of
an otherwise gradually defeated people.
The 25thKushite Dynasty was
based at Napata, in Nubia, what is now The Sudan.
Alara is universally regarded as the
founder of the 25thKushite dynasty by his successors. It reached a
climax under King Piye and Emperor Taharqa.
Taharqa was the son of Piye and the
first 17 years of his reign were very prosperous for Kush. During this period,
Writing and advanced mathematics was introduced to Kush in the form of the
Kemetic( Ancient Egyptian MdwNtr ), the Meroitic script was also used
especially at the Royal Court and in the Major Temples.
This is just a brief I-story of where we
come from and when and how did we lose sight of who and what we are. I am grateful for the many people who have collected all
this data and some of whom are putting this knowledge into proper use.
Today we are faced with many challenges
all over the world, especially in Afrika which has become the most pitiable
place to exist. Countless churches and sacred groves, witch-doctors and mosques
have not been able to raise us up from our wretched state.
But the answers to all our questions and
all our socio-economic dilemma’s have always been Within and among us, but we
have spent all our time distracted by everything from the media to the
incorrect spiritual practices.
TBC
Menzi Maseko (c)
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