The nature of a continent critique
...one of the most important components in Africa's geography, perhaps it is only natural that after having presented Africa as the birthplace of humankind, he then proceeds to show, not forgetting to quote Herodotus, how the Nile river was an essential element in the birth of the first great civilization. From the history of Egyptian civilization to the place of women in African society, to the slave trade and colonialism, to the contemporary crises of the post-colonial states, Mazrui observes And discoveres the role of water and weather. Ali Mazrui says in the film that “nature in Africa is wedded to culture, and for centuries nature protected Africa from foreign invasions and influence, with the notable exception of Islam“. Mazrui talks a lot about the African environment, and in traditional African culture, the earth was treated as a partner rather than something to be used and abused which is contrary to taday, and that animals had souls and were not placed on the earth merely for someone's profit, and that the forest had a virtually religious function and did not exist merely as a repository for firewood. In the video, Ali Mazrui explores the coexistence and influences of Africa's three great religious traditions which he says are traditional, Christianity and Islam and the means by which Africa's human and natural resources have been exploited. He finishes his look at the African country by stating that "man, the environment and moral values need to be in harmony" if both the earth and the people are to survive. He ends by showing baptisms in the old Coptic Church in Ethiopia where the Nile begins and from where it flows to Egypt, the original cradle of Africa where our story began. This v...