Dr. Gbadegesih

This week in freshman seminar, we received a lecture from Dr. Segun Gbadegesin. He is a professor in the College of Art and Sciences, who came from Africa. He gave us a lecture in which the contemporary topic was paying homage. In the lecture, he introduced us to an African story named Iwa.Iwa means existence and the character we have become. The moral of the story was to treat others with respect and to appreciate what we have. In doing so, we are paying homage because we are not taking anything for granted. Dr.Gbadegesin also talked about his early education.. He said he has learned a lot about influential philosophers such as Socrates and Aristotle however, he has not heard about the Ancient Egyptians. Although, influential philosophers got many of their ideas from the Ancient Egyptians but gave them little or no credit. Before these philosophers, there existed the Principles of Maat, The books of instructions, the pyramid texts, and the coffin text which laid the foundation for modern day morals and customs. Ancient Egypt was also influenced by other regions of Africa. Throughout many times of the year, there occurred many migrations in Africa. This caused cultural diffusion to occur, which is how Ancient Egypt was influenced by the rest of Africa. Dr. Gbadegesin’s lecture taught me to pay homage to those who laid the foundation for me.

Christian Nestor