Cheikh Anta Diop (In History) - December 29, 1923 - February 7, 1986

One of the great African intellectuals of the 20th century, Cheikh published the influential and controversial book, The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality. His project was to identify the distortions about African history that we have learned and correct them for future generations. While he was studying in France, Cheikh Anta Diop was an avid political activist. From 1950 to 1953 he was the Secretary-General of the Rassemblement Democratique Africain (RDA) and helped establish the first Pan-African Student Congress in Paris in 1951. His first major work, Nations Negres et Culture (1955) shows the interrelationships between African nations, north and south, and proves that ancient Egypt was a distinct African nation and was not historically or culturally a part of Asia or Europe. Diop’s body of work has altered the historiography of Africa.

Sites referencing Cheikh Anta Diop:
http://www.africawithin.com/diop/pharoah_of_knowledge.htm
http://home3.inet.tele.dk/mcamara/antadiop.html
http://www.nbufront.org/html/MastersMuseums/JHClarke/Contemporaries/CheikhAntaDiop.html