• About
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Support The African Dream
The African Dream
No Result
View All Result
Thursday, September 28, 2023
  • News
    Uganda

    For Failing To Accept LGBTQ+, World Bank Stops Lending Money To Uganda

    Mali and Burkina Faso

    Mali, Burkina Faso, sends delegation to Niger in solidarity

    Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine

    Niger junta appoints new prime minister

    Breaking: Boeing Is Said Close To Issuing 737 Max Warning After Crash

    BREAKING: 189 people on downed Lion Air flight, ministry says

    Crashed Lion Air Jet Had Faulty Speed Readings on Last 4 Flights

    Trending Tags

    • Commentary
    • Featured
    • Event
    • Editorial
  • Politics
  • World
  • Opinion
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Change Makers
The African Dream
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Politics
  • World
  • Opinion
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Change Makers
Home African Stories

Africanus Horton – The Sierra Leonean who has a crater on Mercury named after him, and the “Father of modern African political thought”

by Delvid Stanley-Coker
February 6, 2022
in African Stories, Black History Month, Inspiring African Stories
0
Africanus Horton – The Sierra Leonean who has a crater on Mercury named after him, and the “Father of modern African political thought”
79
SHARES
1.3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Whatsapp

Many Sierra Leoneans and black people are unaware of the massive exploits of Africanus Horton. Therefore, in an observatory position of Black History Month, the African Dream is unearthing the valiant and applaudable accounts of our heroes and heroines across the globe.

James Beale Horton was a Krio African nationalist writer, a highly revered medical surgeon, scientist, soldier, and perceived by many to be the “father of modern African political thought”. He is the first black man to study in a Scottish university.

READ ALSO

From not having enough money for food to being the first Kenyan to go to space

From surviving a horrific plane crash to an MBA graduate with distinction

Horton grew up in the quiet village of Gloucester, situated outside Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital. Born in 1835, his father James Horton Sr was of Igbo ancestry and had located in Gloucester as a liberated slave. Horton began his studies at a local school in Gloucester. In 1845, Horton was recruited by Reverend James Beale to attend the CMS Grammar School. Dipped in admiration of the work of the clergy, he enrolled at Fourah Bay College to study divinity in a bid to become a clergyman.

However, in 1855, Horton received a British war office scholarship to study medicine in Great Britain. Thereafter, he became a student at King’s College London and Edinburgh University, gaining merited qualifications to become a certified medical doctor in 1859. By 1858, he was an associate of King’s College. The name “Africanus” was acquired by Horton to rubberstamp his African heritage and representation.

Following his studies, Africanus Horton was commissioned as an officer in the British Army, eventually assigned as a staff assistant surgeon. This appointment made him one of the earliest Africans who were notable in the rank and file of the British Army. He returned to Sierra Leone and was immediately posted to serve in Ghana at the West India Regiment. Africanus Horton, during his service to the army, was posted to different locations within the British colony.

Africanus Horton made significant research on medicine and botany which he publicized. But, he is best known for his political writings and literary arguments against the racial Eurocentric perspective during his time. His books The Political Economy Of British West Africa: With the Requirements of  Several Colonies and Settlements (1865) and West African Countries and Peoples (1868), were a bold response to the misleading claims of some European Anthropologists that Africans were inferior in thoughts and physical stature, and that there are no possibilities for their development. In contrast, Horton argued that all races have the capacity to acquire knowledge about anything, including complex civilizations. Record has it that Horton was the first modern African political thinker to publicly anticipate self-government for West African colonies. He also supported the ideology of “African Nationalism”.

As a medical professional, Horton was one of the earliest West Africans to demand the construction of a medical school within the region. Around 1861, he sent a letter to the War Office in London, stressing the need to have a tropical medical school in the region.

Having to retire from the military at the age of 40, Africanus Horton finally settled in Freetown, staying critical of national and political issues. He also focused his attention on commerce, setting up the Commercial Bank of West Africa. Furthermore, he became involved in business activities and investments in gold mining. Consequently, this was enough to make him one of the wealthiest people in Africa. He died in 1883.

In 1976, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) named a crater on Mercury in honour of Africanus Horton.

Tags: #africa #blackhistorymonth #africanushorton

Related Posts

Wanjiku Chebet Kanjumba
Inspiring African Stories

From not having enough money for food to being the first Kenyan to go to space

September 25, 2023
Kechi Okwuchi
Inspiring African Stories

From surviving a horrific plane crash to an MBA graduate with distinction

September 26, 2023
Nigerian Teenager Honored with British Council Outstanding Cambridge Learner’s Award
Inspiring African Stories

Nigerian Teenager Honored with British Council Outstanding Cambridge Learner’s Award

September 13, 2023
South African man who worked as a gateman to pay his tuition fees, bags degree in Education with 17 distinctions
Inspiring African Stories

South African man who worked as a gateman to pay his tuition fees, bags degree in Education with 17 distinctions

September 12, 2023
Meet Ifeoma Bibiana Okoli: The first-ever blind person to bag PhD at University of Ibadan
Inspiring African Stories

Meet Ifeoma Bibiana Okoli: The first-ever blind person to bag PhD at University of Ibadan

September 12, 2023
Meet The Family Of Five Nigerian Sisters Who All Became Medical Doctors
Inspiring African Stories

Meet The Family Of Five Nigerian Sisters Who All Became Medical Doctors

September 12, 2023
Next Post
Senegal beat Egypt on penalties to win first AFCON title as Sadio Mane scores winning penalty

Senegal beat Egypt on penalties to win first AFCON title as Sadio Mane scores winning penalty

POPULAR NEWS

University of Sierra Leone

University of Sierra Leone Ranked Among Top Universities In Sub-Saharan Africa 2023

July 21, 2023
The Ugly and Frustrating Side Of Being A COMAHS Student – Anonymous Student

The Ugly and Frustrating Side Of Being A COMAHS Student – Anonymous Student

August 21, 2023
Albert D. Bangura

Brilliant Sierra Leonean Bags Overall Best Graduating Student In Cyprus University

July 15, 2023
Sam Bangura

Sam Bangura: The Bank Governor Who Died For Defying Orders From The President

July 17, 2023
Sierra Leone Police arrest senior military officers over plot to undermine democracy

Sierra Leone Police arrest senior military officers over plot to undermine democracy

August 2, 2023

EDITOR'S PICK

As its first teaser video drops at 8pm, the CEO of Salone Glad Rags lists five expectations

February 5, 2022
‘THE QUEEN OF GREEN’

‘THE QUEEN OF GREEN’

July 18, 2022
Patrice Motsepe

11 things you need to know about Patrice Motsepe, Africa’s first Black billionaire

January 8, 2023
Ousman Sonko

Popular Senegalese Politician And Mayor Renamed Streets Named After French Colonial Officers

February 19, 2022

Read More

About – The African Dream

The African Dream is a groundbreaking digital media platform that has emerged as a powerful catalyst for change, showcasing inspiring, positive, and compelling stories from across the African continent.

Follow us

Categories

Recent Posts

  • World’s Oldest Living Woman Celebrates Her 117th Birthday
  • Belford Vance Lawson Jr: The First African American To Win A Supreme Court Case
  • Ralph Metcalfe: The Black Sprinter Who Was The Fastest Human In The World In 1934
  • From not having enough money for food to being the first Kenyan to go to space
  • About Us
  • Meet The Team
  • Support The African Dream
  • Contact Us

© 2023 The African Dream Sl.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Meet The Team
  • News
    • Recent News
  • Support The African Dream
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us

© 2023 The African Dream Sl.

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?

STAY CONNECTED BY SUBSCRIBING TO OUR FREE EMAIL NEWSLETTER

You have successfully subscribed to the newsletter

There was an error while trying to send your request. Please try again.

The African Dream will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing.