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Skeptics wonder why there is a talk about African Renaissance because according to them the Africa of the past was a dark continent and nothing could be born out of darkness or nothingness. For them Africa was a land of childhood without history, spiritual and cultural heritage. Some South African intellectuals share this negative image of Africa.

They write about African naissance (i.e. birth) not renaissance (i.e. rebirth) because they believe there is nothing that existed in African that would be reborn. These ill informed intellectuals do not know that Africa had three renaissances before the birth of Europe, which gave birth to the classical civilizations of antiquity.

These renaissances included the New Kingdom (1550 BCE), the Ethiopian (712 BCE 25th) and the Meroiti (350 BCE) renaissance. The Ethiopian renaissance in particular, revived the Khemetic or Hermetic wisdom, which became the basis of classical civilization that was passed on to the world as Graeco-Roman civilization.

The European civilization was not a rebirth of classical European civilization, but a discovery of ancient African classical arts, science and philosophical literature, which had been translated into Greek and later into Latin. The destruction or suppression of this African cultural heritage during the fourth century of our Common Era (CE) led to European Dark Ages (476-1453 CE). During this period the Khemetic or hermetic knowledge was preserved in and propagated by the Khemetic (both Ethiopian and Egyptian) monasteries, which were later, copied and replicated by Europe.

The European Renaissance started around 1305 CE when Francesco Patriarch started writing poetry under the influence of Plato and other Graeco-Roman writers. The real European naissance started in 1460 after the arrival in Florence, Italy, of the Hermetic literature that had found its way from Alexandria, Egypt, to Constantinople (now Istanbul) in Turkey. After the fall of Constantinople to the Turks Hermetic scholars fled to Florence, Italy, talking their Hermetic books with them.

When Pixley ka Isaka Seme called for the regeneration of Africa he did not rely on the European Renaissance. Neither did Fredrick Douglas, Booker T Washington, W.E.B Du Bois or Marcus Garvey. They returned to the original African sources, which gave birth to the European naissance itself. The scholars of African descent were perfectly correct to trace back the African Renaissance to the continent itself.

For instance, no one could talk about climate change without knowledge of the workings of the stars, planets, the sun and the moon. Archeo-astronomy and astrology have been central to the African Cultural heritage from time immemorial. The conservative estimate of the birth of Mapungubwe civilization is 950 CE. But this civilization is the integral part of the regal culture that covered North Eastern, Western, Central and Southern Africa.

The European Renaissance began about half a century (510 years) after the birth of Mapungubwe civilization. When Copernicus decided to accept the Sun-Centered (or Heliocentric) worldview. He learnt about it at an Italian University that taught Hermetic science or Karaism-the philosophy of light.

Hosting COP 17 in South Africa is particularly important because it gives us an opportunity to remind ourselves that Africa, not Europe, gave the world the astronomical sciences. It would be a national suicide if South Africa (and Africa) does not use COP 17 to reclaim Africa's prior knowledge of astronomical sciences', which addressed climate change in the past.

The Zodiacs of Mapungubwe, Matendere (Zimbabwe), Meroe (Ancient Ethiopia), Dendera and Nabta (Ancient Egypt) provide ample evidence that Africa is the birthplace of astronomical sciences. The Graeco-Roman zodiac, which was later, adopted by the west, was an adaptation of the zodiac of Dendera. The Gregorian and Julian calendars were also adaptations of the indigenous African calendar, which still exist amongst indigenous communities.

The challenges of climate change have both spiritual and material aspects. Europe is suffering from crass and imprudent materialism; she cannot provide a sustainable solution to the problem of climate change. Africa too cannot assist if she ignores her spirituality and indigenous knowledge systems. The exclusion of indigenous African communities in the current COP 17 preparations is something, which we shall live to regret.

It is hoped that government will support civil society initiatives to bring on board, belated as it might be, indigenous African constituencies, which are the custodian of the African Cultural heritage. We must commend the OAU for African Culture charter and the adopting the African Cultural Renaissance charter. These charters lay the bases for recovery and development of the African cultural heritage as part of our quest to reassert our South African and African Identity.

In recent times Africa and her Diaspora witnessed the Harlem Renaissance that profoundly influenced great Pan African Leaders such as our icon, Nelson Mandela, Mnandi Azi- Kiwe (Nigeria) and Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana). The success of the Harlem Renaissance lay first and foremost, in the pursuit of self-knowledge, poetry, arts and literature, African and African American history. Without such knowledge a people cannot rediscover themselves, their self worth, culture of self-help and self-reliance and a sense of progress and development.

South African and Africa cannot aspire to be world leaders if they fail to appreciate their own national and world heritage site and tap into its resources to contribute to the COP 17 dialogue. South Africa (and Africa) should not reinvent the wheel. We should take the cue from two African charters and early African renaissance movements.

The 21st century has been declared the African Century. This coincides with the ANC Centenary Celebrations, making it the launching pad of the African Century. It is hoped that Inter-Cultural program at Mangaung on the 07th January 2012 will mark the beginning of the African Cultural Renaissance because this is the centenary of the people of Africa as a whole.