Yosef A.A. (Alfredo Antonio) Ben-Jochannan (born February 14, 1918, Gondar, Ethiopia)[citation needed] is an American historian.
According to his own biographical sketches, Ben-Jochannan was born to a black Puerto Rican Jewish mother and an Ethiopian Jewish father who were both black. [1]
Ben-Jochannan claims to have been educated in Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Spain, and having earned degrees in engineering and anthropology[2]. Dr. Ben claims to have earned a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering at the university of Puerto Rico, and a Master's degree in Architectural Engineering from the University of Havana, Cuba. He also states that he received doctoral degrees in Cultural Anthropology and Moorish History, from the University of Havana and the University of Barcelona Spain. [2] In 1945 he was appointed chairman of the African Studies Committee of the newly-founded UNESCO[citation needed], a position which he stepped down from in 1970. From 1976-87, he was an adjunct professor at Cornell University.
Ben-Jochannan, also known as "Dr. Ben", is the author of numerous books, primarily on ancient Nile Valley civilizations and their impact on Western cultures. Dr. Ben-Jochannan claims to be fluent in "over a half dozen languages." In his writings, he states that the original Jews were Black Africans from Ethiopia, while the "white Jews" later adopted the Jewish faith and its customs[citation needed]. Dr. Ben lives in New York City, where he runs a business organizing trips to Egypt for travelers to see the monuments of ancient Africa[citation needed].
Dr Ben is founder and high priest in the Craft of Amen-Ra and holds the title/rank of 360° Grand Master in the Craft of Amen-Ra.[citation needed] He has made clearly pseudo-historical claims such as Aristotle traveling to Egypt with Alexander the Great to retrieve information from the library at Alexandria, despite of the fact that the library was constructed long after the deaths of both Aristotle and Alexander.[3]
In May 2005 his son Nnandi Ben-Jochannan was shot and murdered in Harlem.[4]
Footnotes
See also
External links
- Biography at National Black United Front website
- Afrocentrism Controversy at Wellesley Feb 1993
- "Dr.Ben And Dr.Clark pt.2" KJLH radio interview where Dr. Ben states his parentage at 3:00
- PROF: BLACK HISTORY GOT START IN EGYPT
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