It all started when…
HAPI HISTORY
HAPI is the earliest known name for the principle the Ancient Egyptians described as the Nile River. HAPI begins by exploring the role of the Nile River and its importance in the development of the economic and political foundation of civilization. The Nile River acted as not only a major thoroughfare but also a source of sustenance and stability, which lead to the rise of the Great kingdoms of the Nile. The Nile River made commerce possible across the vast African continent and solidified the prosperity of its people. The inundation or annual floods brought rich silt from the highlands of Ethiopia which made the soil of the Nile fertile and from this the lush abundance, came economic power. The surplus of crops traded with foreign lands formed the basis for the global influence and dominance of the Kemetic /Egyptian and Kushite kingdoms. Through their prosperous trade on the African continent, Asia and southern Europe, civilization and economic growth flourished.
Situated in the area of Southern Egypt and Northern Sudan, the Middle Nile region became a point of contention for much of the history of the kingdoms of the Nile. Because of its strategic location at the crossroads of the trade routes between the interior of the continent and the Nile River, controlling the Middle Nile meant control of the economy. Large groups migrated to the region to trade their goods and/or seek more arable land during periods of harsh climates. This competition between various groups in that area and the newcomers often culminated into wars. Evidence of such can be found in the construction of the forts during the Egyptian Middle Kingdom and during the Great War in the beginning of the New Kingdom.
The HAPI film then moves forward in time to discuss the emergence of the Great kingdoms of Central and West Africa and their cultural confluence with the kingdoms of the Nile e.g. language, arts, culture and most importantly ethnicity. The film then examines the development of Western civilization and its economic foundation with close analysis of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its monetary impact on Western Civilization. Additionally, through in-depth analysis and commentary by some of today’s foremost scholars, HAPI presents the “big picture”. The documentary will also investigate the failure of the consumption –driven Black economy through the lens of cause and effect. From systemic poverty, disenfranchisement, and the decline of entrepreneurship, to group economics, social networking and independent startup, HAPI addresses the many complex problems as well as providing innovative solutions for successful competition in the global economy.
Throughout the film we will also examine how this history directly impacts us today and use the Nile as a model for success because despite any strife, the kingdoms benefitting from the fertile Nile. As a result they were able to utilize their ecology to flourish in an age of power and financial dominance we do not see today with those people on the African continent or Africans throughout the Diaspora. HAPI explores where this competitive acumen has been lost, how we came to lose it and how we can once again rise to power and dominance by regaining it.
