The Dark Continent Africa
The most common answer to the question, "Why was Africa called the Black Continent ?" that Europe did not know much about Africa until the 19th century. But that answer is misleading and deceptive. Europeans knew a lot about Africa for at least 2,000 years, but European leaders deliberately turned to previous sources of information to justify colonialism and fight Blackness. At the same time, the anti-slavery campaign and the missionary work of the fathers in Africa strengthened Europe's racist views against Africans in the 1800's. Whites called Africa a black continent because they wanted to legitimize black slavery and the exploitation of African resources. It is true that by the 19th century, Europeans had little knowledge of Africa beyond the coast, but their maps were already full of continental details. African power has been trading in the Middle East and Asia for more than two thousand years. Initially, Europeans drew maps and reports created by ancient m