Théophile Obenga facts for kids
Théophile Obenga was born in 1936 in the Republic of the Congo. He is a respected professor who taught at the Africana Studies Center at San Francisco State University. He strongly supports Pan-Africanism, which is the idea that all people of African descent should work together for their shared interests. Obenga is an expert in Egyptology (the study of ancient Egypt), Linguistics (the study of language), and history.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Théophile Obenga was born in 1936 in Brazzaville, which is a city in the Republic of the Congo. He studied many different subjects and earned several degrees from universities around the world.
Obenga's Degrees
Obenga's education includes:
- A Master of Arts (M.A.) in Philosophy from the University of Bordeaux in France.
- A Master of Education (M.Ed.) from the University of Pittsburgh in the U.S.A.
- Another M.A. in History from the University of Paris, Sorbonne.
- Advanced studies in History, Linguistics, and Egyptology at the University of Geneva in Switzerland.
- Studies in Prehistory (the time before written history) in Paris.
- More studies in Linguistics, Philology (the study of language in historical texts), and Egyptology in Paris.
He also earned a Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) in Letters, Arts, and Humanities from Montpellier University in France.
Career and Contributions
Théophile Obenga is a member of important groups like the French Association of Egyptologists. He also belongs to the African Society of Culture.
Work with UNESCO
Obenga helped the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). He contributed to their big projects, such as writing the "General History of Africa" and the "Scientific and Cultural History of Humanity." These projects help people learn about the past of different cultures.
Until 1991, he was the Director General of the Centre International des Civilisations Bantu (CICIBA). This center in Libreville, Gabon, focuses on the cultures of Bantu-speaking people. Today, he is the Director and Chief Editor of a journal called Ankh.
Important Symposium
From January 28 to February 3, 1974, Obenga attended a special meeting in Cairo, Egypt. This meeting was organized by UNESCO. He was there with another famous scholar, Cheikh Anta Diop, and many professors from Egypt and Sudan. The meeting was about "The Peopling of Ancient Egypt and the Deciphering of the Meroitic Script." This means they discussed who lived in ancient Egypt and how to understand an old writing system called Meroitic.
See also
In Spanish: Théophile Obenga para niños
