I began spelling Africa with a 'k' many years ago. After years of explaining why to my students, I reduced it to it was a code for Afrikan centered persons. Haki Madhubuti addressed this when he wrote: "We are not certain of the origin of the name Afrika, but we are sure the name spelled with 'C' came into use when Afrikans were dispersed over the world. There the 'K' symbolizes our coming back together again."
Then there is the yet substantiate claim that Afrika with the 'k' is based on the name of a ruler of the ancient Zingh Empire, some 15,000 years ago, Tirus Afrik. The same empire is said to have established the Red, Black, and Green flag for the empire. The Roman general Scipio Africanus who conquered north Afrika many centuries later, supposedly replaced the hard 'k' with letter 'c'. There are also claims that spelling Africa with a 'k' was a German spelling, akin to Afrikaaners. Although I knew better than this, I eventually stopped using the 'k'. That is until I wrote Distorted Truths. The publishing house Afrikan Worlds Info System only knows one way to spell Afrika, and that's with a k.
Following is an analysis by Dr. Kwame Nantambu based on the Afrikan-American poet and writer Haki Madhubuti, who in his From Plan to Planet (1973), provides basically four reasons to spell Afrika with a K.
They are:
1. Most vernacular or traditional languages on the Continent spell Afrika with a K. K is germane to Afrika.
2. Europeans particularly the Portuguese and British, polutted Afrikan languages by substituting 'C' whenever they saw 'K' or heard the 'K' sound B as in Kongo and Congo, Akkra and Accra, Konakri and Conakry B by substituting Q whenever they saw KW. No European language outside of Dutch and German has the hard 'C' sound. Thus, we see the Dutch in Azania calling and spelling themselves Afrikaaners.
We are not certain of the origin of the name Afrika, but we are sure the name spelled with 'C' came into use when Afrikans were dispersed over the world. There the 'K' symbolizes our coming back together again.
3. The 'K' symbolizes a kind of Lingua Afrikana, coming into use along with such words and phrases as Habari Gani, Osagyefo, Uhuru, Asante, together constituting one political language, although coming from more than one Afrikan language.
4. As long as Afrikan languages are translated (written) into English, etc., the European alphabet will be used. This is the problem. The letter 'K' as with the letter 'C', is part of that alphabet, and at some point must be totally discontinued with the original name of Afrika used. The fact that Boers (peasants) in Azania also use the 'K', as in Afrikan to represent the hard 'C' sound demonstrates one of the confinements of the alphabet. Azania is the original name for South Afrika.
Then there is the yet substantiate claim that Afrika with the 'k' is based on the name of a ruler of the ancient Zingh Empire, some 15,000 years ago, Tirus Afrik. The same empire is said to have established the Red, Black, and Green flag for the empire. The Roman general Scipio Africanus who conquered north Afrika many centuries later, supposedly replaced the hard 'k' with letter 'c'. There are also claims that spelling Africa with a 'k' was a German spelling, akin to Afrikaaners. Although I knew better than this, I eventually stopped using the 'k'. That is until I wrote Distorted Truths. The publishing house Afrikan Worlds Info System only knows one way to spell Afrika, and that's with a k.
Following is an analysis by Dr. Kwame Nantambu based on the Afrikan-American poet and writer Haki Madhubuti, who in his From Plan to Planet (1973), provides basically four reasons to spell Afrika with a K.
They are:
1. Most vernacular or traditional languages on the Continent spell Afrika with a K. K is germane to Afrika.
2. Europeans particularly the Portuguese and British, polutted Afrikan languages by substituting 'C' whenever they saw 'K' or heard the 'K' sound B as in Kongo and Congo, Akkra and Accra, Konakri and Conakry B by substituting Q whenever they saw KW. No European language outside of Dutch and German has the hard 'C' sound. Thus, we see the Dutch in Azania calling and spelling themselves Afrikaaners.
We are not certain of the origin of the name Afrika, but we are sure the name spelled with 'C' came into use when Afrikans were dispersed over the world. There the 'K' symbolizes our coming back together again.
3. The 'K' symbolizes a kind of Lingua Afrikana, coming into use along with such words and phrases as Habari Gani, Osagyefo, Uhuru, Asante, together constituting one political language, although coming from more than one Afrikan language.
4. As long as Afrikan languages are translated (written) into English, etc., the European alphabet will be used. This is the problem. The letter 'K' as with the letter 'C', is part of that alphabet, and at some point must be totally discontinued with the original name of Afrika used. The fact that Boers (peasants) in Azania also use the 'K', as in Afrikan to represent the hard 'C' sound demonstrates one of the confinements of the alphabet. Azania is the original name for South Afrika.
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