What in the history?

Recently, a TikTok video crossed my path—a Black American engaging on Nigerian history, a topic that, for many of us, remains shrouded in the fog of collective amnesia. His exposition was intriguing, even captivating, but what truly struck me wasn’t just the content—it was the unsettling realization of how much, as a people, we have become unmoored from our own history.

Nigerians flooded the comments, expressing astonishment at the new insights gained from this fleeting clip. It’s always heartening when digital spaces serve as vessels of education, but it also lays bare the gaping void in our collective knowledge. For all we know, the man could have been embellishing, weaving narratives as ostentatious as they were captivating. Yet, ignorance is indeed bliss, and so we readily embrace these moments as “today I learned” without much scrutiny.

We’re often told that we cannot forge ahead without understanding our roots—a phrase so overused it risks becoming trite, trotted out whenever didacticism is the order of the day. But I’ll invoke this axiom once more. We are, regrettably, a people who have drifted far from the shores of our origins, our culture, and the intricate pathways that have brought us here. It is perhaps this estrangement that makes us so quick to disparage or dismiss the little we do know. In truth, we are woefully ignorant of our own history.

This isn’t meant to be a didactic exercise in itself, but rather a reflection on the enduring relevance of the past in our everyday lives. Let’s begin with Karl Marx, whose philosophies continue to shape our understanding of society. Marx was not merely a critic of capitalism; he was a prophet of its inherent contradictions. His theory of class struggle—the endless tension between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat—remains a critical lens through which we analyze economic inequalities and social unrest today. When we discuss income disparity, the gig economy, or even the ceaseless pursuit of profit at the expense of human dignity, we are, in many ways, echoing Marx’s critiques.

But Marx is not an isolated figure in this pantheon of enduring ideas. Take, for example, Isaac Newton. His laws of motion and universal gravitation laid the groundwork for classical mechanics, principles that govern not just the physical world but also our technological advancements. Every rocket that launches into space, every satellite that orbits our planet, owes a debt to Newton’s insights.

Then there’s Al-Khwarizmi, the Persian polymath whose work on algebra is the very foundation of modern mathematics. His treatises, which introduced the concept of algorithms, are the backbone of today’s computing age. Whether you’re using a search engine, encrypting data, or even automating a simple task, you are relying on principles first articulated by Al-Khwarizmi.

Consider also Niccolò Machiavelli, often vilified as the patron saint of political manipulation. His treatise, The Prince, laid bare the often ruthless nature of power, a reality as pertinent today as it was in Renaissance Italy. In a world where political strategy can determine the fate of nations, Machiavelli’s insights into statecraft and realpolitik continue to inform leaders and policymakers.

Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection also holds immense significance. While originally focused on biological organisms, Darwin’s ideas have transcended the realm of biology to influence economics, psychology, and even the social sciences. Phrases like “survival of the fittest” are now applied to everything from business strategies to personal development.

Let’s not forget Sigmund Freud, whose exploration of the human psyche laid the groundwork for modern psychology. His theories on the unconscious mind, repression, and the mechanisms of defense continue to shape our understanding of mental health, influencing everything from psychotherapy to marketing strategies.

The legacy of Albert Einstein is another testament to the enduring power of human thought. His theory of relativity revolutionized our understanding of space, time, and energy—principles that underpin modern physics and have led to technological advances from nuclear energy to GPS systems.

Moving into the realm of social thought, we have Max Weber, who introduced the concept of the “Protestant Ethic,” linking it to the rise of capitalism. His ideas about bureaucracy, authority, and the “iron cage” of rationalization remain central to sociological discussions about modern institutions and their impact on individual freedom.

Even in the realm of politics, figures like Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong continue to cast long shadows. Their interpretations of Marxism led to revolutions that shaped the 20th century, and their strategies of governance and propaganda are studied in both historical and contemporary contexts.

In literature and philosophy, there’s Friedrich Nietzsche, whose exploration of existentialism and the “will to power” challenges us to consider the depths of human motivation and the construction of meaning in a seemingly indifferent universe. His ideas resonate in debates about morality, power, and the nature of existence itself.

In this, we see that history is not just a collection of dates and events lost to the annals of time—it is the very foundation upon which our modern world is built. The ideas of these thinkers are not merely relics; they are the bedrock of our contemporary understanding of society, technology, and human nature.

And so, while the TikTok video may have sparked a “today I learned” moment for many, it also serves as a reminder of how much we still have to learn. To move forward, we must not only acknowledge our history but actively seek to understand it. The past, far from being a distant memory, is an ever-present force, shaping our world in ways both visible and subtle.

To ignore it is to sever the threads that connect us to the wisdom of those who came before and to navigate our future without the compass of their insights.

Make history relevant again.