The Truth In Historical Fiction Wows Readers

[Stafford Battle]

Mark Twain, famous American author and humorist, coined the phrase "Truth is stranger than Fiction". He was considered by luminaries such as William Faulkner to be the "Father of American Literature”. Twain’s musings can be interpreted to mean that true renditions of real people and real events are far more exciting, inspirational and mind-boggling than warmed over fables of great battles, discoveries, or accomplishments in recorded antiquity.

Roots: The Saga of an American Family (a novel written by Alex Haley and first published in 1976, adapted into a hugely popular, 12-hour television miniseries, Roots, in 1977, and a 14-hour sequel, Roots: The Next Generations, in 1979) was a spectacular success that won a Pulitzer Prize, nine Emmys and a Peabody. The reason Alex Halley’s Roots was so powerful was because of his careful attention to the details of his family’s history with an occasional node to the muses. He infused his fiction with generous quantities of fact.

Writers of Afrocentric historical fiction have a great opportunity to create astounding stories based on the "truths" of the African influence on world history; as well as help correct the lies and half-truths conventionally conveyed to readers and movie-goers. One of those half-truths is the European colonization of Africa. The truth is: Africa first invaded and colonized Europe, several times. Don't get confused by revisionists who argue that Moors and Africans are separate peoples or that Egypt and the lands of the Bible are not a part of Africa or that there are two Africas: a southern black Africa and northern brown Africa. Africa is Africa; the launching pad of civilization.

In a perfect world, there would be hundreds of novels, movies, and stage plays about audacious imperial conquests led by Africans of all colors and creeds. Instead, today we get swamped with clichéd Roman gladiators, evil Nazi storm troopers, or faceless Arab terrorists.

It is no great surprise that self-serving individuals, governments or religious sects rewrite history to justify doctrine or further the manipulation of people and social institutions. For instance, most Americans don’t really know the truth about Abraham Lincoln; alas, there are many, many examples of the remolding of history but for the sake of brevity and focus, let us examine the pervasive myth that "Europeans Discovered Africa" and how the truth is much more exciting than poorly fabricated fantasies of King Arthur or Robin Hood.

In thousands of history classes throughout America, students are taught that Greece was the start of modern Western civilization, followed by Rome and eventually leading to "Britannia! rule the waves" until the Americans took over. The entertainment industry has produced shamelessly biased cinematography from novels that ignore the Black contribution and participation in world events past or future (again, another long diversion we will avoid at this junction).

But when you study highly reputable historians such as Dr. Ivan Van Sertina or Dr. Asa G. Hilliard, you will discover that the true roots of world civilization started with the Nubians and other great, early African empires that practiced writing, astronomy, medicine, and government long before the Europeans. Likewise, there are recorded accounts of African heroes, scholars, bad boys, scheming ex-wives, desperate criminals and hopeless romantics; all of whom are waiting for their stories to be told. Novels based on the facts of African involvement in world history can wow our audiences just like Roots enlightened and thrilled millions of people of all races. As writers in the Afrocentric genre, we don’t have fantasize or make-up anything for our literary plots; all we need to do is study history and based our characters on real people who existed before us.


Note: The following historians are good place to start your research:
Ivan Van Sertima
Cheikh Anta Diop
Asa G. Hilliard
Stanley-Lane Poole
Yosef ben Jochannan
Runoko Rashidi
Joel A. Rogers


A short reading list:

African Presence in Early Europe (Journal of African Civilizations) by Ivan Van Sertima
They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America by Ivan Van Sertima
Civilization or Barbarism: An Authentic Anthropology by Cheikh Anta Diop
Destruction of Black Civilization : Great Issues of a Race from 4500 B.C to 2000 A.D. by Chancellor Williams
Great Negroes: Past and Present by Russell L. Adams
Islamic Spain, 1250 to 1500 by L. P. Harvey
Muslim Spain and Portugal: A Political History of al-Andalus by Hugh Kennedy
The Muslim conquest and settlement of North Africa and Spain by Abd al-Wāhid Dhannūn Ṭāhā
One Hundred Amazing Facts about the Negro: with complete shortcut to the world history of the Negro by Joel A. Rogers

About the Image: Mansa Kankou Musa was the tenth mansa or emperor of the Mali Empire during its height in the 14th century. He ruled as mansa from 1312 to 1337. Musa is most noted for his 1324 hajj to Mecca and his role as a benefactor of Islamic scholarship.