ABSTRACT
Africa is an ancient continent: one that is rich in resources and unique in its great diversity of plant and animal life, geology and geography. It goes without saying that Africa has a long and rich history. Like any other continent, the history of Africa is that of achievements as well as losses, of great civilisations and their decline, of good and bad times; it is indeed a history of mixed fortunes. It is a continent that has attracted various unflattering descriptions such as ‘Darkest Africa’ and ‘The Dark Continent’; there are repeated references to the continent as mysterious or unknown. No other continent has had so many other mysteries created around it. Yet it is Africa that saw the beginnings of humanity with abundant associated evidence. It is also the same continent that has contributed in many areas to the domestication of various plants. These more positive roles have often been down-played and even at times taken away from it.
