Africa

I was born in Africa, Rhodesia, when it was a British colony called Southern Rhodesia. I also lived for a few years in Northern Rhodesia, and went to high school in South Africa. I love Africa, the land, the wild animals, the people, the many cultures, it is a special continent always on the edge of disaster and conflict, but if you love Africa, it stays in your soul.

Before the European settled for the word Africa, the continent was called many other names. They include Corphye, Ortigia,Libya, and Ethiopia, Alkebulan

Other names such as the land of Ham (Ham means dark skins), mother of mankind, the garden of Eden, Kingdoms in the sky, and the land of cush or kesh (referring to the Cushites who were ancient Ethiopian) were used.

No one knows the source of the names for sure. However, the theories below shed some light on how this second largest continent got its new name.

Roman theory

Some scholars believe that the word originated from the Romans. Romans discovered a land opposite the Mediterranean and named it after the Berber tribe residing within the Carnage area, presently referred to as Tunisia. The tribe's name was Afri.

Weather theory

Some believe that the name was coiled from the continent's climate. Deriving from aphrike, a Greek word that means a land free from cold and horror. A variation of the Roman word aprica, which means sunny, or even the Phoenician word afar, which means dust.

Africus Theory

This claims that the continent derived its name from Africus. Africus is a Yemenite chieftain who invaded the northern part in the second millennium BC,It is argued that he settled on his conquered land and named it Afrikyah.

Phoenician Theory

Another school of thought suggests that the name is derived from two Phoenician words friqi and pharika. The words mean corns and fruits when translated. Hypothetically the Phoenician christened the continent as the land of corns and fruits.

Alkebu-lan “mother of mankind” or “garden of Eden”.” Alkebulan is the oldest and the only word of indigenous origin. It was used by the Moors,Nubians, Numidians,Khart-Haddans (Carthagenians) and Ethiopians.

There is little or no certainty on the source or meaning Africa. Several scholars have tried to explain the origin of the word, but none is convincingly correct.

The Africans I have talked to about the origin of the name Africa have all agreed Alkebulan was the original name, but that only encompassed Northern Africa, mainly because they have no recorded ancient history of central and Southern Africa to draw on. only when European sailors, traders and explorers started coming to these regions and documented their travels, and by then the name Africa was being used world wide, documented on maps.

‘But really the name Africa was coined by Europeans from the start, if you accept that Romans discovered the land on the south side of the Mediterranean Sea, when the province of Carthage was settled by them and Phoenicians and Greeks. And really, the Yemenite’s might have named it Afrikayah from their warrior leader, but it wasn’t coined until the Romans wrote it down on documents and maps. So that trumps all claims as to its origin.

First to publish wins.

The Ethiopians probably documented their name for the land early on in recorded history, by writing it in documents incorporated in the Ethiopian Orthodox Bible, but the Romans were exploring and documenting long befor the Christian religion was created, so again the Roman origin of the of Africa wins. At least in my mind. And besides, it’s a beautiful name for a beautiful continent.