Sharer: "It would be so much easier, so much more natural, for us to create a system based on equal sharing."
Keeper: "What figure would you have in mind for that system?"
Sharer: "A sphere."
Keeper: "Of all the funny figures imaginable, a sphere?"
Sharer: "It's a perfect figure for balance. Equity. No part of a sphere is in essence down or up." [NB: we call this Maat. GI]
Ayi Kwei Armah, KMT: in the house of life, p. 280
Maat for Beginners
1. Maat: The Moral Idea in Ancient Egypt by Maulana Karenga (2004). This is one of Maulana Karenga's most recent works on the topic. Its a great reference book on Maatian principles.
2. Kemet and the African Worldview by Maulana Karenga and Jacob Carruthers (1986). I recommend this one for beginners. It is a compilation of papers from the founding meeting of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations (ASCAC).
3. Essays in Ancient Egyptian Studies by Jacob Carruthers (1992[1984]). This is also a great beginners text. Chapter 2 is specifically about Maat.
4. I also HIGHLY recommend several works by Ayi Kwei Armah. Armah uses the genre of historical fiction to think through how Maatian principles were actually practiced and lived by black/Afrikan people:
• Two Thousand Seasons
• The Healers
• Osiris Rising
• KMT: in the House of Life
For a beginner, I would suggest starting with Osiris Rising because it is set in contemporary times. The storyline follows the trials and tribulations of young Afrocentric revolutionaries who attempt to take over a west Afrikan university. Most Afrocentric folks like myself favor Two Thousand Seasons (TTS), but some of my comrades say its a difficult read. The Healers is a continuation of TTS. Osiris Rising is also black fantastic, but it moves back an forth in time; it might be difficult for a beginner to follow. kzs
tags: african civilization, afrocentric, egypt, mathematics, science, supreme wisdom, ayi kwei armah, maat, philosophy
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