BOOK REVIEW History

End of February marks the end of black history month. What started as Negro Week 95 years ago, and now a yearly event with a footprint almost all over the world. It was in 1915 half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States when Carter Godwin Woodson (Author and Historian) known as the “Father of Black History”, and minister Jesse Edward Moorland founded the association for the study of African American Life and History.

This group focused on researching and promoting the advancements made by the people of African descent. This year’s national theme, “Black Resistance”, explores how African Americans have addressed historic and ongoing disadvantage and oppression, as evidenced in recent overt instances of violence. To date this legacy of racial terror remains evident in modern day policing in the United States. A continued engagement with history becomes a necessity as it helps in contextualising the present. Black History Month is an op - portunity to appreciate black histories, going beyond stories of racism and slavery to elucidate black achievements. Several factors make Black History

Month attractive in Africa. It allows us an opportunity to reflect on how black history was presented. It is common knowledge that colonialism had very negative effects on every conceivable aspect of Africa’s history.

European attitude toward African history was shaped by exploitation and domination; to legitimize European despoliation of the continent, everything primitive was associated with the continent; even slavery and colonization were justified as a means of “civilizing” the “primitive people”.

Hence, it is no wonder African nationalists and the Pan-Africanist movement worked toward the reconstitution of Africa’s heritage through the study and writing of African history by Africans. It is during this month we look back at the milestones we have made in interrogating and redressing the African historiography.

In South Africa – the idea (black history month) had been embraced though not at a bigger scale. A handful of South Africans embraced the idea as shown by the likes of Dr. John Kani, by bringing to life the classic play, “Fences”, at the Joburg Theatre stage in celebration of Black History Month. Also, the elevation of the work and contribution in the literary realm of Dr. KPD Maphalla born in Bohlokong, Bethlehem in the Free State.

Maphalla is a renowned novelist who published 40 books in Sesotho. The Public Broadcaster brought it by launching ‘S3 its new programming centred around Black History Month of which is important platform considering its reach to South Africans.

The continent (Africa) events are held in commemoration of Black History Month, mainly at U.S. Embassies or study centers at higher learning institutions in countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya, all of which are predominantly English-speaking, a view accentuated by Zimbabwe based jour -