I woke up to see the Google doodle had an image of someone I had never seen. I pointed my cursor on it to see who was behind the image. To my uttermost amazement, the name suggested someone of Ghanaian origin – Amo.
When I googled, I got interesting headlines and contents as “Google Doodle celebrates an African-German philosopher initially based on present Ghana Anton Wilhelm Amo or Antonius Guilelmus Amo“, “Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Berlin-based guest artist Diana Ejaita, celebrates Ghanian-German philosopher, writer, and academic Anton Wilhelm Amo— widely credited as one of Europe’s first African-born university students and professors as well as one of the 18th century’s most notable Black philosophers.”, etc.
Going through the article by Norbert Lochner with the title “ANTON WILHELM AMO: A GHANA SCHOLAR IN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY GERMANY” revealed a lot about why such an icon would be celebrated by Google.
I was elated to know he was a true Ghanaian who had academic laurels and the ability to teach in three different Universities in Germany as of that time. The man from Nzima in now Ghana, had a life and work that accorded Ghana some publicity and respect especially among those who knew him or read his books.
In all probability from archives and official records, Amo was born in or about 1703 at an inland place near Axim on the Gold Coast. Amo was the first African-born person known to have attended a European university.
Thank you Google for celebrating such a great philosopher who hailed from my mother-land – Ghana.
Read on from https://www.jstor.org/stable/41405712?seq=1