Alkebulan | The Original Name For Africa

Afraka

Another school of thought posits that the Dogons, an ethnic group indigenous to the region of Mali, West Africa, defined people across the continent as AfRAkan. Theorists argue that while the term may appear similar, it’s unlike the word African because it was created by the continent’s people and not a European explorer. AfRAka is defined as, “First-Sun-Soul.” Of course, like Alkebulan and Afru-ika, this theory also assigns indigenous roots to the etymology of Africa.

Etymology of Africa: European Origin Theories

Other theorists believe that the etymology of Africa traces back to Arabic, Roman, Latin and even Dutch infiltration of the continent.

Arabic definition for Africa

The Arabic theory assumes the Arabic word “firk” or “frik,” which means separate, divide, or conquer, is the root for the word of Africa. This assigns an Arabic foundation to the etymology of Africa.

Roman definition for Africa

Other studies on the etymology of Africa theorize that the spelling and popularization of Africa originated from Romans who conquered what is now modern day Tunisia, and identified the continent as Africa terra (the feminine form of Africus, which is Roman mythological deity), meaning the land of the North African tribe, Afri.

Latin definition for Africa

Another etymology of Africa theory posits that the origin of the spelling of Africa stems from the Latin words “Afer,” which means black or dark, and “Aprica,” meaning sunny.

Greek definition for Africa

Still, some argue that the etymology of Africa has Greek origins. Phrike is a Greek word “meaning land of cold and horror.” When preceded by an “A-” prefix, the word Aphrike is formed, which holds the opposite meaning: “land free of cold and horror.” This aptly defines the continent and its climate in contrast to European winters.

Dutch definition for Africa

Another term for the continent was “Afrika.” While phonetically similar to “Africa,” it is believed that the “k” was substituted with the letter “c” to make the word appear more European. This is further supported by a comparison between Dutch and Afrikaan languages. Afrikaan is a language native to South Africa and Namibia. It’s partially creole, which is a fusion of multiple languages, but is around 90% Dutch. The big change Afrikaan makes from traditional Dutch is replacing the hard “c” with a “k.”

We’re sure these theories only scratch the surface of the complicated etymology of Africa. 

From Alkebulan, to Afru-ika, Afraka, Afri, Afer, Aprica and Afrika, the true etymology of Africa is still under-determined, even though the word itself was arguably born in the late 17th century. How will you determine the truth about the etymology of Africa? We say, go with whatever resonates with you – whatever your gut feels is true.