Honourable Felix Chami an African Archaeologist, Author and Publisher from Tanzania.
Monday, October 4, 2021
Hon. Felix Chami is an Archaeologist from Tanzania and he is also a professor at Dar es Salam University in Present day Tanzania.
He was born in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania in 1958, he was the first to discover on Island of Mafia and Juani, artefacts that revealed East Africa as being Integral to the Indian Ocean trade.
He is also Explorer and wrote books such as the Unity of African Ancient History 3000 BC- 500 AD, Historical Archaeology of Bagamoyo excavations at the caravan- serai and many more.
Hon. Chami is very knowledgeable about the Unearthing the origins of East Africa's lost civilization he quoted, " I feel that these architectural remains are from the greatest of the African Civilizations, " When you cross the beaches and the channel to the Kilwa Kisiwani you see millions of pieces of pottery. Then you get to the Island Itself, you actually see the wonders of Civilization.
According to Hon. Felix Chami the Civilization of Ancient East Africa trading society tucked the Tanzanian coastline known to the Arab Sailors up till the 10th Century as Azania, meaning" the land of the Blacks".
The power and wealth of Azania was based at Rhapta an Undiscovered trading city that amassed great wealth exporting tortoise shells and coconut oil and importing metal weapons and Iron tools. Hon. Chami is on a mission to find the mystical city known as Rhapta one of the Ancient wealthiest cities in the history of Sub- Saharan Africa, It is said the Rhapta's mysteries remains hidden under the Tanzanian soil, Kilwa gives an Idea about this lost Civilization.
The Portuguese first arrived it is believed the development of here was equal to that found in the mediterranean but the Africanness of the mosque and the buildings located at Kilwa Kiliwani can be Indetified by the materials and the local technologies used and he also explained the Ancient African coins that could Influence and Change the history of Australia, Europe through his researching and discovery he published alot of stuffs such as Rewriting the history of Swahili Culture, Sub- Saharan first metropolis, a gift for the future generations and architecture.
He also focused on other topics such as the Coasts, Distributive trade, African Culture, Pottery, Trade, Trade routes, African history, Human geography, Archaeological sites and History of Technology then Southern Africa and the Swahili word.
Hon. Chami worked once with a Nigerian lady called Dr. Chioma Ngondi and researched on the past and future of farming in Africa a project team work together, throughout the journey of discovery Hon. Chami discovered 16 archaeological sites along a prosposed power line running from Susuwa in Narok county in the South through counties of Kaijiado, Navivasha, Nygandura, Laikipia and Marsabit to the Kenya Ethiopia border to the north.
In 2012 he presented a report on Archaeological survey to the Ethiopia- Kenya powers system Inter- connection project and In 2010 he published about the Lost Kingdoms of Africa the book was about a paculty of written records meaning we know less about Africa's Ancinet Kingdom history then almost anywhere else he and Dr. August Casley- Hayford uses culture, artifacts and traditions to explore history and published another book which is the evidence of the Ancient
African Beliefs in celestial bodies.
Hon. Felix Chami also revealed the Zanzibar cave historical trade secrets , he revealed that after the excavating an extensive cave on the Island of Zanzibar later he discovered the evidence of settlements, animal domesticationm and trade dating back to more than 3, 000 BC.
In 1999 he explained the Grae Co Roman trade links and the Bantu migrations theory this paper of his synthesises two aspects of the eastern, he presented one also on the China's long history in Africa continent by exploring China's link to Africa he gathered and examined the recent archaeological and historical evidence of Ancient China's cultural and economic relationship with Africa.
According to Hon. Felix Chami there was a Portuguese explorer by the name Vasco da Gama who explored between the 15th and 16th Century being the first trader to open up East Africa he arrived in 1498 on an expedition to find the sea route to Asia and later opened up their so called more than 450 years of Colonial domination by European maritime powers, Zheng the administrator and diplomat during the Ming Dynasty from 1368-1644 In the Imperial China, arrived on the African coasts decades earlier than Explorer Vasco da Gama.
Source: Selikem Okatakyie