Golden Nuggets from Ancient Ruins
[It is the grandchild that suffers the grandparent’s amnesia]
Africa, mother of the world, how wonderful yet battered art thou? The world’s wretched bread basket – the one everyone loves to clandestinely steal from and publicly admit their adoration for. This week’s post of “The Other Side with Sihle Sibeko” we shall investigate economic systems of Africa’s past and what lessons we can apply from them in our modern times.
Economics is really the mathematical study of relationships and how value “moves” through these relationships. My friend and I (relationship) swapped collectible cards with each other (“movement” of value in a relationship). Economies have existed since the dawn of man. African economies then mirror modern economies. The difference? Consciousness and customs. Both ancient and pre-colonial African economies displayed an understanding of collective benefit in its truest sense.
1. West African Trade Blocs
Even though West Africa, through its affinity with Phoenicia & Catharge, thrived in local and international trade, to understand African Spiritual Sciences ("AS") trade principles, we’ll study local trade relations of the early West African monarchy: Mali. The Kingdom of Mali was a resource heavy empire that gave rise to Mansa Musa, its ninth emperor, who best embodied the spiritual principles of African trade systems. Although by the time of his reign, many of the AS principles were diluted with Islamic principles, Mansa Musa, as a king (or Mansa), was responsible for ensuring that collectivism was the cornerstone of Mali's economic affairs and more enterprisingly, Sir Musa was a custodian of the trade protocols the Mali Kingdom had with the Bonoman, Sosso and Wagadu. This dilution led to trade affairs that were on one side, capitalistic in nature, and on another hand, laden with the AS principles of "gifting". Ancient African / AS trade principles were a process of Gifting. Neighbouring communities would take the excess of their commodities and “gift” it to the neighbouring community, who would in exchange “gift” their excess to the neighbour. No value was placed on the commodities exchanged – the value lay in the sentiment shared, knowing the community had a brother in arms should anything that afflicts them arise.
This “gifting” is best exhibited in Southern African cultures of “umphako” – distribution of excess at events; or the Tswana custom of “Dineo”. In fact, an “updated” version of gifting still exists today in West Africa where inter-linked communities have rotational “market days” in each other’s community to gift the excess from their respective communities, although the value exchange has necessitated itself to modern times (https://theconversation.com/what-connects-shaka-zulu-decolonisation-and-mathematical-models-131246). Now, hopefully history will understand the consciousness & customs which orientated Mansa Musa to gift Gold coins to the people on his pilgrimage to Mecca.
2. Kemetic Taxation
Just like Mansa Musa above, African Kings have the sole custody of redistribution and recirculation of wealth. Whereas western history view this supplication by the public as a form of taxation by the royal house, African view this as a pledge to the immortal evolution of their society, in which the King / Royalty is entrusted preservation that immortal evolution. This “immortal evolution”, in relation to commerce, included maintaining of the abundant lifestyles ancient African societies flourished under. Whereas some misconstrue this as tax, in AS, this is understood as “Pledging”. In Kemet (Ancient Egypt), the best example is Shemsu Hor, or what modern Egyptologists consider “Pharaoh’s Tax” (https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1012/ancient-egyptian-taxes--the-cattle-count/). Shemsu Hor is translated to “Followers/ Apostles of Horus”, and every year the Pharaoh would collect Shemsu Hor bounty provided for by the Kemetyu (Kemetic people).
Whereas this is viewed as tax, in AS, the spiritual pledge to the Pharaoh (Apostle of Horus) is a form of abeyance, in hopes that the Pharaoh would divine with the Kemetic Gods to provide for and watch over Kemet. It is no coincidence that Shemsu Hor collections took place at times close the Solstices and Equinoxes – times ripe for divination practices and the appearance of the Gods. Furthermore, any commodities collected by the Pharaoh would be redistributed back into society (again, https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1012/ancient-egyptian-taxes--the-cattle-count/) AFTER the divination rites have been performed by the Pharaoh. A similar example is a custom in the Zulu Kingdom, where every leopard that dies in Kwa-Zulu must first be placed before the King for his blessing and acknowledgment before the individual who found/slayed the leopard can use its remains for personal use.
3. Southern African Voluntarism
In Southern Africa, the ancient BaSotho clan used an economic system called “Letsema”, loosely translated voluntarism. Letsema is applied when a community collectively harvests the commodities in unison, centralizes it under the custody of the King (or authority figure) who then redistributes approximately 80% of it back to the community members involved in the harvesting whilst the remain 10%-20% is used within the royal / authority houses. This is keeping in track with other ancient Afrikan economic customs like the Kingdom of Mali and Kemet, where in both instance the King/ Royalty was entrusted with maintaining the immortal evolution of the tribe, redistributing commodities + land and not interfering with local or personal affairs. The extended part of “Letsema” is the spiritual aspects that guided how an individual may “volunteer”.
In AS terms, every child is born with a divine purpose, and grows through life seeking to attain and fulfil themselves in that purpose. Everything works in a divine order and symbiosis – nothing exists without utility or meaning. When a child is born, in accordance to principles in AS, elders of the tribe will conduct a study of the child’s name, surname, astronomy at the time of birth, ancestry and more to ascertain who the child is and their purpose is for being on Earth and being born to that tribe or family (this can also sometimes be done through a séance). Once the elders of the tribe and family know who the child is and what's their purpose, the child will be trained through ritual and immersive learning to hone their gifts until puberty. The final rituals take place in puberty and are designed to guide the child into adulthood with a mastery over their gift so they may ably perform their duties and contribute to society in total alignment with their purpose. “Initiation mergers the self with gifts and purpose” –Malidome Some. What is misinterpreted as “Voluntarism” is really “Fulfilment of Purpose”. Below, a ceremony celebrating the graduation into adulthood from Pokot tribe of East Africa.
West African and Kemetic Spiritual disciplines also lend themselves to the purposeful embodiment of an individual. African cultures appreciated that a child is born to fulfil a purpose of extreme significance, and that purpose can be economically defined as contributing to their community and maintaining harmony/balance with themselves, their countrymen and their environment. Without the child fulfilling their purpose, a community’s harmony (consciousness) would be thrown into imbalance.
Were African economies perfect? By no means. Wherever you find a regressive African economy, you'll find an imbalanced collective consciousness suffering from its own demons. Shemsu Hor paved the way for exploitative tax laws & societal discord after King Narmer's death, West African dynastic conquests became EXTREMELY frequent and Southern African migrations encouraged tribal pirating & pillaging. However, we still have the template; and deep within beyond our individual traumas, we still have the collective love to turn things around
We’ve showcased the extrinsic relationships communities had with each other (Trade), the intrinsic relationships communities had within themselves (Microeconomics and Macroeconomics), and the collections by a central authority (Tax) – all with a consciousness of collective benefit. Hopefully we are generation of grandparents that leave our grandchildren with greater customs and consciousness!
Siyabonga!
This week's affirmation: I enjoy and participate in mutually fruitful economic relationships!
This week's vibe: https://soundcloud.com/moovmnt-alt/robert-glasper-experiment-fever-ft-hindi-zahra | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwkvUyhM6fY - Fever by Robert Glasper Experiment feat Hindi Zahra
Follow my Social Media:
Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/TheSihleSibeko
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sihle-sibeko-095a0488/?originalSubdomain=za
