Hidden Gems in Black History: Paper Was Invented In Africa

Many inventions from Africa contributed to the birth of every technology that exists today. Of those many inventions, scholars such as John G. Jackson (1993) believed that the greatest inventions were the paper, alphabet, ink, and pen.   Stones Weren’t Good Enough Paper was produced by the Kemites of northern Africa from strips of papyrus reed when they realized they needed something other than stone to write upon. “Papyrus” originally meant “something which belongs to the home.” It is from this Kemetic root that the English word “paper” is derived. Paper, first created in Africa and then brought to the rest of the globe, completely changed how people kept track of information and shared it with others. Paper development allowed prehistoric African societies to document their past in writing, passing on their knowledge and achievements to subsequent generations. Later civilizations were able to build upon this breakthrough’s intellectual and cultural foundations by collecting and sharing information. And Then Came The Alphabet The alphabet is another incredible invention attributed to Africa. It provided a standardized system for representing spoken language in written form. This vital development enabled the expansion of communication beyond verbal exchanges, facilitating written records, education, and the exchange of...