The powerful stories that shaped Africa | Gus Casely-Hayford

Translator: Nelson Simfukwe Reviewer: Leah Ligate

Now, Hegel -- he very famously said

Sasa, Hegel -- alikuwa na usemi maarufu

that Africa was a place without history,

kuwa Afrika ilikuwa ni sehemu bila historia,

without past, without narrative.

bila nyakati za kale, bila hadithi.

Yet, I'd argue that no other continent has nurtured, has fought for,

Bado, nitasema kwamba hakuna bara ambalo limekuza, limepigania,

has celebrated its history more concertedly.

limesherehekea historia yake kwa vifijo.

The struggle to keep African narrative alive

Harakati za kuhakikisha simulizi za Afrika zinabaki hai

has been one of the most consistent

zimekuwa ni mojawapo ya harakati endelevu

and hard-fought endeavors of African peoples,

na zilizopiganiwa kwa juhudi za watu wa Afrika,

and it continues to be so.

na inaendelea kuwa hivyo.

The struggles endured and the sacrifices made to hold onto narrative

Harakati zilizofanyika na kujitoa mhanga kutunza hadithi hizi

in the face of enslavement, colonialism, racism, wars and so much else

kwa mtazamo wa ukoloni wa kitumwa , ubaguzi wa rangi, vita na vingine vingi

has been the underpinning narrative

vimekuwa uthibitisho wa hadithi hizi

of our history.

katika historia yetu.

And our narrative has not just survived the assaults

Na simulizi zetu bado hazijaweza kushinda mateso

that history has thrown at it.

ambayo historia imesababisha.

We've left a body of material culture,

Tumeacha mwili wa nyenzo ya utamaduni,

artistic magistery and intellectual output.

mamlaka ya sanaa, na matokeo ya weledi.

We've mapped and we've charted and we've captured our histories

Tumeweka ramani na chati na tumeweza kuinasa historia yetu

in ways that are the measure of anywhere else on earth.

katika namna ambazo ni kipimo cha popote pengine duniani.

Long before the meaningful arrival of Europeans --

Zamani sana kabla ya kuwasili kwa watu wa Ulaya --

indeed, whilst Europe was still mired in its Dark Age --

hakika, wakati Ulaya ilikuwa bado katika dimbwi wakati wa Zama za Giza --

Africans were pioneering techniques in recording, in nurturing history,

Waafrika walikuwa wakivumbua njia za kurekodi, na kukuza historia,

forging revolutionary methods for keeping their story alive.

kuunda njia za mapinduzi kwa ajili ya kutunza hidithi zao iendelee kuwa hai.

And living history, dynamic heritage --

Na historia inayoishi, urithi unaokua --

it remains important to us.

inabaki kuwa muhimu kwetu.

We see that manifest in so many ways.

Tunaona hili likijidhihirisha katika njia nyingi.

I'm reminded of how, just last year -- you might remember it --

Inanikumbusha jinsi, mwaka jana tu -- mnaweza kukumbuka --

the first members

wanachama wa kwanza

of the al Qaeda-affiliated Ansar Dine

wa kundi linalohusiana na al Qaeda l a Ansar Dine

were indicted for war crimes and sent to the Hague.

walishtakiwa kwa makosa ya kivita na kupelekwa the Hague

And one of the most notorious was Ahmad al-Faqi,

Na mmojwapo mwenye sifa mbaya alikuwa Ahmad al-Faqi,

who was a young Malian,

aliyekuwa ni kijana raia wa Mali

and he was charged, not with genocide,

na alishtakiwa kwa mauaji ya kimbari

not with ethnic cleansing,

na sio utakaso wa kikabila,

but with being one of the instigators of a campaign

lakini pamoja na kuwa mchochezi wa kampeni

to destroy some of Mali's most important cultural heritage.

ya kuharibu moja ya urithi muhimu wa utamaduni nchini Mali.

This wasn't vandalism;

Huu haukuwa uharibifu;

these weren't thoughtless acts.

hayakuwa matendo yasiyo ya kufikiri.

One of the things that al-Faqi said

Moja ya vitu ambavyo al-Faqi alisema

when he was asked to identify himself in court

alipoulizwa kujitambulisha mahakamani

was that he was a graduate, that he was a teacher.

alisema kwamba yeye ni mhitimu wa chuo, alikuwa ni mwalimu.

Over the course of 2012, they engaged in a systematic campaign

Katika kipindi cha mwaka 2012, walishiriki katika kampeni ya

to destroy Mali's cultural heritage.

kuharibu urithi wa utamaduni wa Mali.

This was a deeply considered waging of war

Hii ilichukuliwa kama kuanzisha vita

in the most powerful way that could be envisaged:

katika njia yenye nguvu sana ingeweza kutanabahika:

in destroying narrative, in destroying stories.

katika kuharibu simulizi, katika kuharibu hadithi.

The attempted destruction of nine shrines,

Walijaribu kuharibu hekalu tisa,

the central mosque

za msikiti wa kati

and perhaps as many as 4,000 manuscripts

na labda maandiko mengi zaidi ya 4000

was a considered act.

ilipangwa kufanyika hivyo.

They understood the power of narrative to hold communities together,

Walielewa nguvu ya simulizi katika kufanya jamii kuishi pamoja,

and they conversely understood that in destroying stories,

na walielewa fika kwamba kwa kuharibu hadithi,

they hoped they would destroy a people.

walikuwa na matumaini wataharibu na watu.

But just as Ansar Dine and their insurgency

Lakini kama ilivyo kwa Ansar Dine na uasi wao

were driven by powerful narratives,

waliendeshwa na simulizi zenye nguvu,

so was the local population's defense of Timbuktu and its libraries.

kama ilivyo kwa wakazi wa Timbuktu walivyolinda maktaba zao.

These were communities who've grown up with stories of the Mali Empire;

Hizi ni jamii ambazo zimekulia katika hadithi za dola ya Mali;

lived in the shadow of Timbuktu's great libraries.

waliishi katika kivuli cha maktaba kuu za Timbuktu.

They'd listened to songs of its origin from their childhood,

Wamesikiliza nyimbo asilia kuanzia utotoni,

and they weren't about to give up on that

na hawakuwa tayari kukata tamaa katika hilo

without a fight.

bila kupambana.

Over difficult months of 2012,

Katika miezi migumu ya 2012,

during the Ansar Dine invasion,

wakati wa uvamizi wa Ansar Dine,

Malians, ordinary people, risked their lives

Watu wa Mali, wakazi wa kawaida, walihatarisha maisha yao

to secrete and smuggle documents to safety,

kwa kuficha nyaraka katika sehemu iliyo salama,

doing what they could to protect historic buildings

kufanya lile linalowezekana kulinda majengo ya kihistoria

and defend their ancient libraries.

na kulinda maktaba zao za kale.

And although they weren't always successful,

Na ingawa si muda wote walifanikiwa,

many of the most important manuscripts were thankfully saved,

maandiko mengi muhimu yaliwezwa kutunzwa salama,

and today each one of the shrines that was damaged during that uprising

na leo kila moja ya hekalu ambalo liliharibiwa nyakati za machafuko

have been rebuilt,

limekarabatiwa tena,

including the 14th-century mosque that is the symbolic heart of the city.

ukijumuisha na msikiti wa karne ya 14 ambao ndiyo alama ya kitovu cha jiji.

It's been fully restored.

Umekarabatiwa kikamilifu.

But even in the bleakest periods of the occupation,

Lakini hata katika nyakati za machafuko ya utekaji,

enough of the population of Timbuktu simply would not bow

idadi kubwa ya watu wa Timbuktu hawakusalimu amri

to men like al-Faqi.

kwa watu kama al-Faqi.

They wouldn't allow their history to be wiped away,

Hawakuweza kuruhusu historia yao ifutike,

and anyone who has visited that part of the world,

na yoyote ambaye amewahi kuzuru sehemu hiyo ya dunia,

they will understand why,

ataweza kuelewa ni kwanini,

why stories, why narrative, why histories are of such importance.

kwanini hadithi, kwanini simulizi zina umuhimu huo mkubwa.

History matters.

Historia ina umuhimu.

History really matters.

Historia ina muhimu sana.

And for peoples of African descent,

Na kwa walio na nasaba ya Afrika,

who have seen their narrative systematically assaulted over centuries,

ambao wameshuhudia simulizi zao zikinyanyaswa katika karne,

this is critically important.

Hii ni muhimu sana.

This is part of a recurrent echo across our history

Hii ni sehemu inayojirudia katika katika historia yetu

of ordinary people making a stand for their story, for their history.

ya watu wa kawaida kusimama kwa ajili ya hadithi zao, historia yao.

Just as in the 19th century,

Ilipofika karne ya 19,

enslaved peoples of African descent in the Caribbean

Waafrika waliofanywa watumwa katika visiwa vya Caribbean

fought under threat of punishment,

walipambana chini ya tishio la adhabu,

fought to practice their religions, to celebrate Carnival,

walipambana kuamini katika dini zao, kusherehekea,

to keep their history alive.

kuweka historia yao hai.

Ordinary people were prepared to make great sacrifices,

Watu wa kawaida walijiandaa kujitoa mhanga kwa kiasi kikubwa,

some even the ultimate sacrifice,

wengine hata kufanya sadaka za juu kabisa,

for their history.

kwa ajili ya historia yao.

And it was through control of narrative

Na ilikuwa kupitia udhibiti wa simulizi

that some of the most devastating colonial campaigns were crystallized.

ambapo baadhi ya kampeni za kutisha za ukoloni zilitatuliwa.

It was through the dominance of one narrative over another

Ilikuwa kupitia utawala wa simulizi moja dhidi ya nyingine

that the worst manifestations of colonialism became palpable.

kwamba uovu uliotokana na ukoloni ukawa dhahiri.

When, in 1874, the British attacked the Ashanti,

Ambapo, mwaka 1874, Waingereza waliwashambulia watu wa dola ya Ashanti,

they overran Kumasi and captured the Asantehene.

Walitawala Kumasi na kukamata watu wa Asantehene.

They knew that controlling territory and subjugating the head of state --

Walijua kwamba kudhibiti mipaka na kumsumbua kiongozi wao --

it wasn't enough.

haikuwa inatosha.

They recognized that the emotional authority of state

Walitambua kwamba hisia za mamlaka ya taifa

lay in its narrative

zipo katika simulizi zake

and the symbols that represented it,

na alama ambazo inawakilisha,

like the Golden Stool.

kama Kigoda cha Dhahabu.

They understood that control of story was absolutely critical

Walielewa kwamba udhibiti wa hadithi ulikuwa muhimu sana

to truly controlling a people.

katika kuwadhibiti watu.

And the Ashanti understood, too,

Na watu wa Ashanti walielewa, pia,

and they never were to relinquish the precious Golden Stool,

na hawakuwa tayari hata kidogo kuachia Kigoda cha Dhahabu cha thamani,

never to completely capitulate to the British.

kusalimu amri kwa Waingereza.

Narrative matters.

Hadithi ni muhimu.

In 1871, Karl Mauch, a German geologist working in Southern Africa,

Mwaka 1871, Karl Mauch, mwanajeolojia aliyefanya kazi zake Afrika Kusini,

he stumbled across an extraordinary complex,

alikutana na jengo lisilo la kawaida

a complex of abandoned stone buildings.

jengo la mawe lililokuwa limetelekezwa.

And he never quite recovered from what he saw:

Na hakuweza kuunda upya ambacho aliona:

a granite, drystone city,

mwamba, jiji la jiwekavu,

stranded on an outcrop above an empty savannah:

likiwa limekwama na kuchomoza juu ya uwanda usio na kitu:

Great Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe Kuu.

And Mauch had no idea who was responsible

Na Mauch hakutambua nani aliyehusika

for what was obviously an astonishing feat of architecture,

na usanifu wa jengo ulio dhahiri kuwa maridadi,

but he felt sure of one single thing:

lakini alikuwa na uhakika wa jambo moja:

this narrative needed to be claimed.

hizi hadithi zilitakiwa kuelezwa.

He later wrote that the wrought architecture of Great Zimbabwe

Baadaye aliandika kuhusu usanifu wa mabaki ya Zimbabwe Kuu

was simply too sophisticated,

liliokuwa na ustadi wa hali ya juu,

too special to have been built by Africans.

mahususi mno kuweza kujengwa na Waafrika.

Mauch, like dozens of Europeans that followed in his footsteps,

Mauch, kama ilivyo kwa Wazungu wengi ambao walifata nyayo zake,

speculated on who might have built the city.

walikisia ni nani ambaye alikuwa amejenga jiji lile.

And one went as far as to posit,

Na mmoja alienda mbali hadi kufikia kudai,

"I do not think that I am far wrong if I suppose that that ruin on the hill

"Sidhani kama nitakuwa nakosea sana kama nikiwaza kwamba mabaki ya kilima kile

is a copy of King Solomon's Temple."

yameiga hekalu ya Mfalme Suleimani."

And as I'm sure you know, Mauch,

Na nina uhakika mnafahamu, Mauch,

he hadn't stumbled upon King Solomon's Temple,

hajawahi kwea hekalu ya Mfalme Suleimani,

but upon a purely African complex of buildings

lakini ameona jengo mahususi na maridadi la Kiafrika

constructed by a purely African civilization

liliojengwa na uungwana wa Kiafrika

from the 11th century onward.

kuanzia karne ya 11 na kuendelea.

But like Leo Frobenius, a fellow German anthropologist

Lakini kama ilivyo kwa Leo Frobenius, mwanaanthrolojia kutoka Ujerumani

who speculated some years later,

ambaye aliyekisia miaka kadhaa baadaye,

upon seeing the Nigerian Ife Heads for the very first time,

baada ya kuona Vichwa vya kabila la Ife Nigeria kwa mara ya kwanza,

that they must have been artifacts from the long-lost kingdom of Atlantis.

alisema vinyago hivi lazima vitakuwa vya falme za kale za Atlantis.

He felt, just like Hegel,

Alihisi, kama vile ilivyokuwa kwa Hegel,

an almost instinctive need to rob Africa of its history.

mazoea ya kuhitaji wa kupotosha historia ya Afrika.

These ideas are so irrational,

Haya mawazo ni ya upuuzi,

so deeply held,

yaliyoshikiliwa,

that even when faced with the physical archaeology,

kana kwamba yanapokutana na akiolojia,

they couldn't think rationally.

hayawezi kuwa na maana.

They could no longer see.

Hawakuweza kuona.

And like so much of Africa's relationship with Enlightenment Europe,

Na kama ilivyo kwa mahusiano ya Kiafrika katika Ulaya iliyopevuka,

it involved appropriation, denigration and control of the continent.

ilijumuisha ugawaji, bughudha na udhibitu wa bara.

It involved an attempt to bend narrative to Europe's ends.

Ilijumuisha jaribio la kupindisha simulizi kukidhi makusudi ya Ulaya.

And if Mauch had really wanted to find an answer to his question,

Na kama Mauch alivyotaka kutafuta jibu la swali lake,

"Where did Great Zimbabwe or that great stone building come from?"

"Wapi ambapo Zimbabwe Kuu au lile jengo kubwa la jiwe lilitokea?"

he would have needed to begin his quest

hakuwa na budi kuanza kutafuta jibu lake

a thousand miles away from Great Zimbabwe,

maili elfu moja kutokea Zimbabwe Kuu,

at the eastern edge of the continent, where Africa meets the Indian Ocean.

mwishoni mashariki ya bara, ambapo Afrika inakutana na Bahari ya Hindi.

He would have needed to trace the gold and the goods

Alitakiwa kufatilia dhahabu na bidhaa

from some of the great trading emporia of the Swahili coast to Great Zimbabwe,

kutoka baadhi ya dola maarufu za biashara za pwani ya Waswahili hadi Zimbabwe kuu,

to gain a sense of the scale and influence

kupata uhalisia wa kiwango na ushawishi

of that mysterious culture,

wa huo utamaduni wa kistaajabisha,

to get a picture of Great Zimbabwe as a political, cultural entity

kupata picha ya Zimbwabwe Kuu kama utambulisho wa kisiasa na kitamaduni

through the kingdoms and the civilizations

kupitia falme na ustaarabu

that were drawn under its control.

ambao ulitokana na mamlaka yake.

For centuries, traders have been drawn to that bit of the coast

Kwa karne, wafanyabiashara wamekuwa wakivutiwa kuja pwani

from as far away as India and China and the Middle East.

kutokea mbali sehemu kama India na China na Mashariki ya Kati.

And it might be tempting to interpret,

Na inatamanisha kutafsiri ya kwamba,

because it's exquisitely beautiful, that building,

kwa sababu ya umaridadi wake, lile jengo,

it might be tempting to interpret it

inatamanisha kulitafsiri

as just an exquisite, symbolic jewel,

kama kito maridadi, kinachoashiri,

a vast ceremonial sculpture in stone.

kinyago kikubwa cha sherehe katika jiwe.

But the site must have been a complex

Lakini eneo hilo lilikuwa tata

at the center of a significant nexus of economies

katikati ya kiungo muhimu cha uchumi

that defined this region for a millennium.

ambapo imeelezea eneo hili kwa milenia

This matters.

Hii inajalisha.

These narratives matter.

Hizi simulizi ni muhimu.

Even today, the fight to tell our story is not just against time.

Hata leo, mapigano ya kueleza hadithi zetu hayapingani na muda.

It's not just against organizations like Ansar Dine.

Hayapingani na taasisi kama Ansar Dine.

It's also in establishing a truly African voice

Ni katika kuanzisha sauti ya kweli ya Waafrika

after centuries of imposed histories.

baada ya karne ya historia za kuwekwa.

We don't just have to recolonize our history,

Hatuna haja ya kuitawala kikoloni historia yetu,

but we have to find ways to build back the intellectual underpinning

bali kutafuta njia za kujenga upya ugunduzi wa utaalamu

that Hegel denied was there at all.

ambao Hegel alikataa uwepo wake.

We have to rediscover African philosophy,

Tunatakiwa kuitambua upya filosophia ya Kiafrika,

African perspectives, African history.

Mtazamo wa Kiafrika, historia ya Kiafrika.

The flowering of Great Zimbabwe -- it wasn't a freak moment.

Kuchanua kwa Zimbabwe Kuu -- haukuwa muujiza.

It was part of a burgeoning change across the whole of the continent.

Ilikuwa ni ya sehemu ya mabadiliko yanayokua barani kote.

Perhaps the great exemplification of that was Sundiata Keita,

Pengine kielelezo kikubwa cha hili ilikwa ni Sundiata Keita,

the founder of the Mali Empire,

muanzilishi wa dola ya Mali,

probably the greatest empire that West Africa has ever seen.

pengine ni dola yenye nguvu kuliko zote ambayo Afrika Magharibi imeshuhudia.

Sundiata Keita was born about 1235,

Sundiata Keita alizaliwa mwaka 1235 ,

growing up in a time of profound flux.

alikulia katika nyakati kuu.

He was seeing the transition between the Berber dynasties to the north,

Alishuhudia mpito kati ya utawala wa kiukoo wa Berber hadi kaskazini,

he may have heard about the rise of the Ife to the south

atakuwa aliwahi sikia kuhusu kukua kwa dola ya Ife upande wa kusini

and perhaps even the dominance of the Solomaic Dynasty

na pengine hata utawala wa dola ya kikukoo ya Solomaic

in Ethiopia to the east.

huko Ethiopia upande wa mashariki.

And he must have been aware that he was living through a moment

Na lazima alikuwa akitambua kwamba alikuwa akiishi katika nyakati

of quickening change,

za mabadiliko yanayokwenda haraka,

of growing confidence in our continent.

za kukua kwa ujasiri katika bara letu.

He must have been aware of new states

Lazima alitambua kuhusu mataifa mapya

that were building their influence

ambao walikuwa wakijenga ushawishi wao

from as far afield as Great Zimbabwe and the Swahili sultanates,

kutokea mbali kama Zimbabwe Kuu na Masultani wa Kiswahili,

each engaged directly or indirectly beyond the continent itself,

kila mmoja alichangia barani moja kwa moja au pasipo moja kwa moja,

each driven also to invest in securing their intellectual and cultural legacy.

kila mmoja aliwekeza katika kulinda maarifa yao na urithi wa utamaduni.

He probably would have engaged in trade with these peer nations

Pengine alikuwa akifanya biashara na haya mataifa ya wenzake

as part of a massive continental nexus

katika muda wa muunganiko wa bara

of great medieval African economies.

nyakati za uchumi mkubwa wa Afrika.

And like all of those great empires,

Na kama ilivyo kwa hizi dola zote kubwa,

Sundiata Keita invested in securing his legacy through history

Sundiata Keita aliwekeza katika kulinda urithi wake kupitia historia

by using story --

katika kutumia hadithi --

not just formalizing the idea of storytelling,

si katika kuweka rasmi wazo ya kuhadithia,

but in building a whole convention

lakini katika kujenga kanuni nzima

of telling and retelling his story

kuhadithia na kuhadithia tena hadithi zake

as a key to founding a narrative

kama ufunguo wa kutambua hadithi

for his empire.

za dola yake.

And these stories, in musical form,

Na hizi hadithi, katika mfumo wa muziki,

are still sung today.

mpaka leo zinaimbwa.

Now, several decades after the death of Sundiata,

Sasa, miongo kadhaa baada ya kifo cha Sundiata,

a new king ascended the throne,

mfalme mpya alichukua dola,

Mansa Musa, its most famous emperor.

Mansa Musa, mfalme maarufu wa dola hiyo.

Now, Mansa Musa is famed for his vast gold reserves

Sasa, Mansa Musa ni maarufu kwa dhahabu nyingi aliyojilimbikizia

and for sending envoys to the courts of Europe and the Middle East.

na kwa kutuma wajumbe kwenye mahakama za Ulaya na Mashariki ya Kati.

He was every bit as ambitious as his predecessors,

Alikuwa ni mtu mwenye malengo na imara kama waliomtangulia,

but saw a different kind of route of securing his place in history.

lakini aliona njia tofauti ya kulinda nafasi yake katika historia.

In 1324, Mansa Musa went on pilgrimage to Mecca,

Mwaka 1324, Mansa Musa alikwenda kwenye hija mjini Mecca,

and he traveled with a retinue of thousands.

na alisafiri na maelfu ya wafuasi.

It's been said that 100 camels each carried 100 pounds of gold.

Inasemekana kwamba ngamia 100 kila mmoja alibeba ratili 100 za dhababu.

It's been recorded that he built a fully functioning mosque

Imeandikwa kwamba alijenga msikiti ulio kamili

every Friday of his trip,

kila ijumaa katika safari yake,

and performed so many acts of kindness,

na kufanya matendo mengi ya kikarimu,

that the great Berber chronicler, Ibn Battuta, wrote,

kwamba bohari mkuu wa dola ya Berber, Ibn Battuta, aliandika,

"He flooded Cairo with kindness,

"Aliifurika Cairo kwa ukarimu,

spending so much in the markets of North Africa and the Middle East

alitumia sana katika masoko ya Afrika ya Kaskazini na Mashariki ya Kati

that it affected the price of gold into the next decade."

kiasi kwamba iliathiri bei ya dhahabu katika muongo uliofatia."

And on his return,

Na wakati anarudi,

Mansa Musa memorialized his journey

Mansa Musa aliacha historia ya safari yake

by building a mosque at the heart of his empire.

kwa kujenga msikiti kwenye kitivo cha dola yake.

And the legacy of what he left behind,

Na urithi wa alioacha nyuma,

Timbuktu,

Timbuktu,

it represents one of the great bodies of written historical material

inawakilisha moja ya mihimili muhimu ya historia iliyoandikwa

produced by African scholars:

iliyoandaliwa na wanazuoni wa Kiafrika:

about 700,000 medieval documents,

zapata nyaraka 700,000 za kale,

ranging from scholarly works to letters,

kuanzia kazi za wanazuoni hadi barua,

which have been preserved often by private households.

ambazo zimetunzwa mara nyingi na nyumba za watu binafsi.

And at its peak, in the 15th and 16th centuries,

Na katika kilele chake, mnamo karne ya 15 na ya 16,

the university there was as influential

chuo kule kilikuwa na ushawishi

as any educational establishment in Europe,

kama taasisi nyingine yoyote barani Ulaya,

attracting about 25,000 students.

kuvutia yapata wanafunzi 25,000.

This was in a city of around 100,000 people.

Hii ilitokea katika jiji la watu wapatao 100,000.

It cemented Timbuktu as a world center of learning.

Iliweka msingi wa kuifanya Timbuktu kuwa kituo cha dunia cha mafunzo.

But this was a very particular kind of learning

Lakini huu ulikuwa mfumo mahususi wa kujifunza

that was focused and driven by Islam.

ambao ulilenga na kuendeshwa kwa Kiislam.

And since I first visited Timbuktu,

Na tangu mara ya kwanza nitembelee Timbuktu,

I've visited many other libraries across Africa,

Nimetembelea maktaba nyingi barani Afrika,

and despite Hegel's view that Africa has no history,

na licha ya mtazamo wa Hegel kusema Afrika haina historia,

not only is it a continent with an embarrassment of history,

sio tu kwamba ni bara lenye historia ya kuaibisha,

it has developed unrivaled systems for collecting and promoting it.

limeweza kutengeneza mifumo ya kipekee ya kukusanya na kuistawisha.

There are thousands of small archives,

Kuna maelfu ya hifadhi ndogo za nyaraka,

textile drum stores,

ghala za malighafi za vitambaa,

that have become more than repositories of manuscripts and material culture.

ambazo zimekuwa zikitunza nyaraka na malighafi za utamaduni.

They have become fonts of communal narrative,

Zimekuwa herufi za simulizi za jamii,

symbols of continuity,

alama ya muendelezo,

and I'm pretty sure that many of those European philosophers

na nina uhakika kwamba wengi wa wanafilosofia wa Ulaya

who questioned an African intellectual tradition

ambao walihoji utamaduni wa Kiafrika

must have, beneath their prejudices,

lazima, chini ya ubaguzi wao,

been aware of the contribution of Africa's intellectuals

watakuwa wanatambua mchango wa maarifa ya Kiafrika

to Western learning.

kwa kujifunza Kimagharibi.

They must have known

Lazima walitambua

of the great North African medieval philosophers

kuhusu wanafilosophia wa kale wa Afrika ya Kaskazini

who had driven the Mediterranean.

ambao waliongoza Mediterranian.

They must have known about and been aware of

Watakuwa wanatambua na kujua kuhusu

that tradition that is part of Christianity, of the three wise men.

utamaduni ambao ni sehemu ya Ukristo, kuhusu mabwana watatu wenye hekima.

And in the medieval period, Balthazar, that third wise man,

na katika zama za kati, Balthazar, bwana wa tatu,

was represented as an African king.

aliwakilishwa kama mfalme wa Kiafrika.

And he became hugely popular

Na alikuja kuwa maarufu sana

as the third intellectual leg of Old World learning,

kama mguu wa tatu wa kisomi wa mafunzo ya Dunia ya Zamani,

alongside Europe and Asia, as a peer.

pamoja na Ulaya na Asia, kama wenzake.

These things were well-known.

Haya yalikuwa yakifahamika fika.

These communities did not grow up in isolation.

Hizi jamii hazikukulia katika kutengwa.

Timbuktu's wealth and power developed because the city became

Utajiri na nguvu ya Timbuktu ulikua kwa sababu jiji lilikuja kuwa

a hub of lucrative intercontinental trade routes.

kitovu cha misafara ya biashara iliyo na faida kati ya mabara.

This was one center

Hiki kilikuwa kituo kimoja

in a borderless, transcontinental,

katika bara lisilo na mipaka, kwa safari za mabara,

ambitious, outwardly focused, confident continent.

lililo na malengo, lenye mtazamo dhahiri na kujiamini.

Berber merchants, they carried salt and textiles

Wafanyabiashara wa dola ya Berber , walibeba chumvi na vitambaa

and new precious goods and learning down into West Africa

na bidhaa mpya zenye thamani na kuelekea Afrika ya Magharibi

from across the desert.

kupitia katika jangwa.

But as you can see from this map

Lakini kama unavyoona katika ramani hii

that was produced a little time after the life of Mansa Musa,

ambayo ilitengenezwa muda mfupi baada ya maisha ya Mansa Musa,

there was also a nexus of sub-Saharan trade routes,

kulikuwa pia na muunganiko wa njia za biashara kusini mwa jangwa la Sahara,

along which African ideas and traditions

ambapo mawazo ya Waafrika na tamaduni

added to the intellectual worth of Timbuktu

ziliongezea katika maarifa ya thamani ya Timbuktu

and indeed across the desert to Europe.

na hakika katika jangwa kuelekea Ulaya.

Manuscripts and material culture,

Nyaraka na malighafi za utamaduni,

they have become fonts of communal narrative,

zimekuja kuwa maandishi ya simulizi za jamii,

symbols of continuity.

alama ya muendelezo.

And I'm pretty sure that those European intellectuals

Na nina uhakika kuwa wale wasomi wa Ulaya

who cast aspersions on our history,

ambao wanasengenya historia yetu,

they knew fundamentally about our traditions.

walijua kiundani kuhusu utamaduni wetu.

And today, as strident forces like Ansar Dine and Boko Haram

Na leo, majeshi kama Ansar Dine na Boko Haram

grow popular in West Africa,

yanapata nguvu Afrika ya Magharibi,

it's that spirit of truly indigenous, dynamic, intellectual defiance

ni uzalendo wa kutoka moyoni, ulio na msukumo, upinzani wa kisomi

that holds ancient traditions in good stead.

ambao unashikilia utamaduni wa kale katika hali njema.

When Mansa Musa made Timbuktu his capital,

Wakati Mansa Musa alipoifanya Timbuktu kuwa mji wake mkuu,

he looked upon the city as a Medici looked upon Florence:

aliangalia jiji hili kama familia ya Medici ilivyo kwa jiji la Florence:

as the center of an open, intellectual, entrepreneurial empire

kama kitovu kilicho wazi, cha kisomi, kwa dola ya kijasiriamali

that thrived on great ideas wherever they came from.

ambayo ilifanikiwa kwa mawazo makuu popote pale yalipotokea.

The city, the culture,

Jiji,utamaduni,

the very intellectual DNA of this region

vinasaba vya maarifa ya eneo hili

remains so beautifully complex and diverse,

vinabaki kuwa maridadi mno na vilivyo vya kila aina,

that it will always remain, in part,

kwamba siku zote itabaki, katika nafasi,

located in storytelling traditions that derive from indigenous,

iliyopo katika utamaduni wa kusimulia hadithi uliotoka kwa wenyeji,

pre-Islamic traditions.

tamaduni za kabla ya Uislamu.

The highly successful form of Islam that developed in Mali became popular

Mfumo wa Uislamu uliopata mafanikio sana uliochipuka Mali ulipata maarufu

because it accepted those freedoms

kwa sababu ulikubali uhuru

and that inherent cultural diversity.

na unadhifu wa mchanganyiko wa tamaduni.

And the celebration of that complexity,

Na seherehe za aina ya mfumo huo,

that love of rigorously contested discourse,

ule upendo halisi wa maongezi ya ushidani,

that appreciation of narrative,

heshima ya simulizi,

was and remains, in spite of everything,

ulikuwa na unabaki kuwa, japokuwa na yote,

the very heart of West Africa.

kuwa ndiyo moyo wa Afrika Magharibi.

And today, as the shrines and the mosque vandalized by Ansar Dine

Na leo, mahekalu na misikiti iliyohujumiwa na Ansar Dine

have been rebuilt,

imejengwa upya,

many of the instigators of their destruction have been jailed.

wengi walioshiriki katika uharibifu huu wamefungwa gerezani.

And we are left with powerful lessons,

Na tumebaki na somo kubwa la kujifunza,

reminded once again of how our history and narrative

linalokumbusha tena jinsi gani historia yetu na simulizi

have held communities together for millennia,

imeunganisha jamii pamoja kwa milenia,

how they remain vital in making sense of modern Africa.

jinsi gani inabaki kuwa muhimu katika kuleta maana ya Afrika ya kisasa.

And we're also reminded

Na tunakumbushwa

of how the roots of this confident, intellectual, entrepreneurial,

ni jinsi gani mizizi ya ujasiri huu, wa kisomi, wa kijasiriamali

outward-facing, culturally porous, tariff-free Africa

inayotazama nje, iliyo na tamaduni pole, Afrika isiyotoza chochote

was once the envy of the world.

hapo zamani ilionewa wivu na dunia.

But those roots, they remain.

Lakini mizizi hiyo, bado ipo.

Thank you very much.

Asante sana.

(Applause)

(Makofi)