What is the origin of the many Black populations in Asia? What are their links to Africa in prehistoric times? And in recent times? Has history been distorted by other dominant populations?
African Star Over Asia: The Black Presence in the East is the latest scholarly work by author and historian Dr. Runoko Rashidi, which examines these questions. This is an immense subject which Runoko Rashidi investigates diligently. He pays tribute to a number of earlier scholars and includes selected texts from their work. The book is well written and comprehensive with many very interesting illustrations. There are also lengthy contributions to the book by Dr. Wesley Muhammad and Dr. Thabiti Asukile.
The book is in four parts:
• The main section makes reference to the researches of earlier scholars such as Ivan van Sertima and Cheikh Anta Diop. It describes the Black presence in Iraq, Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Japan, China, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines. It also covers the “age of enslavement”.
• The second part is a more personal record of Rashidi’s travels and his encounters with black people in many Asian and Middle Eastern countries.
• There is a short section on museum collections relevant to this study.
• The final section includes articles by other scholars including Cheikh Anta Diop on the Dalits of India, Thabiti Asukile on the work of Joel Augustus Rogers, Wesley Muhammad on the African presence in Arabia.
African Star Over Asia: The Black Presence in the East may be purchased from Books of Africa or by contacting visiting drrunoko.com
One Response
DNA analysis left me with so many questions. How did my people end up in Southeast Asia, Iran, India, Egypt? I assumed we were taken from West Africa as were so many others. I am going to buy “African Star Over Asia. I am so excited to learn more.