The Black Egyptian hypothesis states that Ancient Egypt was a black civilization.

However this hypothesis was met with profound disagreements which cumulated to series of controversies amongst scholars. These disagreements led to the rise of three schools of thought which were;

- The school of western scholars and experts which said that the people who created the Pharaonic civilization were a white people from Europe who had settled in Africa, a people they said were tanned by their mingling with African elements and their interbreeding with Africans. Therefore, they believed that the shades of dark or black skin visible on the Pharaonic paintings and sculpture were only the results of race-mixing.

- The second school of thought was the school of orientalist researchers or specialists of oriental civilizations. This school believed that the Pharaonic people migrated from the East to create a civilization on the African soil.

- While the third school which was the most challenged school of thought believed and claimed that the Pharaonic civilization was a black civilization that was created by blacks and belonged to the African world. Cheikh Anta Diop and Theophile Obenga belonged to this school of thought.

So, it was necessary that all schools of thought meet, their points of view discussed and an opinion agreed by all that would stand the test of time.

This aim led to the significant event of the "symposium on the peopling of Egypt and the deciphering of the Meroitic script" which was held 40 years ago (1974) in Cairo. This symposium was organized by UNESCO in order to give an answer to the ultimate question that plagued the minds of many. A question which said; "can the  Pharaonic civilization be classified as one which has African history? Yes or no?"

A question that also required scientific proof to show that the Pharaonic civilization (by its culture, language, and languages and also by its people) belonged to the African World.

The symposium jury panel was made up of twenty specialists, five observers, and two UNESCO representatives from fourteen different nations spent many hours and several days on the deliberation of this world issue.

The specialists present include;  A.M.ABDALLA (Department of History, University of Khartoum, Sudan), A. Abu BAKR (University of Cairo, Egypt), N. BLANC (École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris), F. DEBONO (UNESCO expert, Centre de documentation sur l’Égypte ancienne, Malta), J. DEVISSE (Université Paris VIII, Paris), CHEIKH ANTA. DIOP ( University of Dakar, Senegal), G. GHALLAB (Institute of African Research and Studies, University of Cairo, Egypt), L. HABACHI (Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, USA) and THEOPHILE OBENGA (Professor at Université Marien N’Gouabi, Brazzaville, Congo) and others.

Observers present were;  V. L. GROTTANELLI (Institute of ethnology, University of Rome, Italy), S. HABLE SELASSIE ( Department of History, Haile Selassie I University, Ethiopia), F. H. HUSSEIN (Department of Physical Anthropology, National Research Center, Cairo, Egypt), P. A.DIOP (journalist for Senegalese daily “Le Soleil”, Dakar, Senegal) and L. KAKOSY (Department of Ancient Oriental History, University of Budapest V, Hungary)

The UNESCO representatives present were; M. GLÉLÉ (cultural studies division) and Mme MELCER (cultural studies division).

Cheikh Anta Diop and Théophile Obenga were the only ones among all participants who asserted that the Pharaonic civilization was a black civilization.

To prove that the Pharaonic civilization by its culture, language, and languages and also by its people belonged to the African world, an intense research was required and a scientific proof was also needed. But, at the end of the symposium, the work of Cheikh Anta Diop(Development of the Melanin Dosage Test) and Theophile Obenga whose work also said that the Pharaonic civilization is an African civilization triumphed against the works of other scholars, whose statements were regarded as unbalanced scientific debates according to the final report of the 1974 Cairo Conference held by the UNESCO (second edition).

 Cheikh Anta Diop in his recommendation statement said;

“With equal knowledge, the truth conquers. Train yourself, arm yourself with science to the teeth and reclaim your cultural heritage."

To read full proofthat ancient Kemet/Egypt was Black, follow the link below and equip yourself with the right knowledge about ancient Kemet/Egypt.

Europeans Lay Claim To Ancient Egypt – But Egypt Is Purely Black-African – Read Full History