Stone tool technology, or lithic technology, spread across the world as one of the greatest inventions of all time. But this type of technology wasn’t powered by a processing chip or battery. It was powered by African people.
There are significant data that suggest East Africa is where stone tool technology originated. This technology involves using stones to create tools for hunting and gathering, along with food production. East Africa was a tech hub before that term became popular, but that wasn’t the only area in Africa hip to stone tools.
Research shows that stone tool technology existed in North Africa as well over a million years ago. Regardless if it was East or North Africa, the continent was rich in innovation. Years later, the tools spread to Europe and Asia. As these tools evolved over time, so did our people’s ability to hunt, farm, and thrive, and this tech helped keep them fed and alive.
Technology continues to evolve, and we can’t be left behind. We can shape the future as innovators, which is more important than just being consumers.
The history of stone tool technology shows that our people have played a pivotal role in the evolution of technology, and we all have the capability of continuing that legacy by advancing Black societies through our own unique ways.