Ivan Van Sertima evidence to prove African presence in Olmec Civilization
Different scholars have written about the African presence in America and Mexico. They have adopted different theories to support their various arguments. Ivan Van Sertima is such a scholar, and is the focus of our discussion. The paper delineates on his evidence to prove the presence of Africans in the Olmec Civilization.
Sertima as depicted form his book published in the year 1977 is confidence as he states that Africans arrived in America way back before Columbus. He argues that Africans arrived in United States in two ways. The first category of Africans to go to America was the ancient Nubians and Egyptians. They Egyptians arrived in 1200 BCE while the Nubians went to Gulf of Mexico around 800 BCE (Sertima, 2009). According to Sertima, they carried with them writings and their pyramid building; things that they were practicing in their home countries. Centuries later, another wave of Africans (Mande people from the west of Africa) migrated to Panama, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuodor, Peru and other areas of the Caribbean islands.
The Olmec stone heads is one of the strongest evidence presented by Sertima in his argument that indeed these African communities were in Mexico and America (Aidi, 2014). The stones have features as well as linguistic attributes that trace them to this cultural practice of the African people. The traits and techniques on these stones closely link to the Egyptian-Nubian world.
Further evidence adduced by Sertima that links presence of African in the America is the writings of Columbus. Sertima argues that through the writings, inhabitants of Hispaniola island currently Dominican Republic and Haiti, had told him that people from Africa came from the south and engaged in trading. The trade they involved in was of gold. Some of the samples of the spears were send to Spain by Columbus for testing and there were some level of proportionality of silver, gold and copper alloys that appeared to have come from African Guinea. Furthermore, the son of Columbus named Ferdinand attested that his father had earlier told him that he saw black people in the northern part of America, currently Honduras (Sertima, 2009).
Sertima’s evidence is also built on the conclusion by the archeology society in of America who in 1968 declared that Columbus may not have been the first person to invent/discover America (Aidi, 2014). The Society of America Archeology observed that there might have been new comers or strangers in America who came from the prehistoric time before 1492. These visitors are therefore believed to be Africans.
Sertima also gives evidence from the writings of Columbus that there was trading between the Africans and the Indian people. This is captured in the quote,
The Indians of this Espanola said there had come to Espanola a black people who have the top of their spears made of a metal which they called “gua-nin,” of which he [Columbus] had sent samples to the Sovereigns to have them assayed, when it was found that of 32 parts, 18 were of gold, 6 of silver and 8 of copper (Sertima, 2009).
The word guanine according to Sertima is traced to various Mande languages of the people from West Africa, including the Kabunga, Mandingo, Toronka, Bambara, Kankank, Vei and Mande (Sertima, 2009).
In conclusion, despite the different opinions and arguments raised by scholars about African presence in America, the contribution of Sertima is tangible and insightful. His arguments are supported with evidence, which enhances credibility of the allegations he presents about the presence of Africans in America. Nevertheless, it is important to consider various pieces of work from other scholars to appreciate the argument whether indeed there was African presence in America.

References
Aidi, H. (2014). Who came before Columbus? Retrieved from: http://www.sankofa.ch/texts/BeforeColumbus.htm
Sertima, I. (2009). They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America, United States; Random House Trade paperbacks publishers.