West Africans & Ancient Egypt

Around 14 years ago I attended a seminar on African History and the speaker mentioned that modern day West Africans were originally from Ancient Egypt. He explained that our ancestors were the people who had enslaved the Children of Israel which was why West Africans suffered greatly during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. I was surprised by his assertions but he didn't have much evidence to support his claims so I pushed them to the back of my mind.

My family are Yoruba so I recently questioned my mother about the origins of the Yoruba tribe. My mother informed me that the Yoruba tribe were originally from Egypt but they migrated to the West Coast of Africa. The traditional religion of the Yoruba people is similar to the Ancient Egyptian religion and there are also similarities in the languages. This information made my heart fall because it made me realise that my ancestors were once the oppressors. The Bible tells us that God doesn't judge people by the sins of their ancestors (Ezekiel 18:1-9), so I reject the notion that the Trans-Atlantic slave trade was punishment for what the Ancient Egyptians did to the Children of Israel.

The West African connection to Ancient Egypt is relevant to Afro Spirituality because Jesus spent time in Egypt after He was born (Matthew 2:13-14). If Egypt was a place that was filled with evil people God wouldn't have directed Joseph to take his family there. Black people can be proud of the fact that Jesus once lived in Africa amongst their BLACK African ancestors. I pray that God continues to guide us on our spiritual journeys 🙏🏿🙏🏾🙏🏽.