“They Came Before Columbus”

Lesser Known Black History Figure

“They Came Before Columbus”

* Guyaneseborn literary critic, linguist, and anthropologist.

* Associate professor of Africana Studies at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

* In 1976, published the book, “They Came Before Columbus”, that features his arguments for an African origin of Mesoamerican culture in the Western Hemisphere.

* Achieved widespread attention within the African-American community for his claims of prehistoric African contact and diffusion of culture in Central and South America.

* In 1983, authored “The Lost Sciences of Africa: An Overview,” that discusses early African advances in metallurgy, astronomy, mathematics, architecture, engineering, agriculture, navigation, medicine, and writing.