Who Was Kenneth Onwuka Dike?

For Kenneth Onwuka Dike, history was a tool not only useful for discovering the past but also for planning the future. Dike is recognized for countering the Western claim that Africa lacked history because African societies relied on oral tradition as opposed to written records.

Written by Afoma Dike

Dec 17, 2022

Photo Collage by Onyinye Dike / THE REPUBLIC

On 17 December 1917, Kenneth Onwuka Dike was born in Awka, Anambra State in southeastern Nigeria. He was born to Nzekwe and Nwudu Dike. By the age of five he had lost both of his parents, becoming an orphan at an early age, and was then raised by his grandfather, Dike Nwancho.

Kenneth Dike studied at Dennis Memorial Grammar School in Onitsha, then went on to Ghana to attend Achimota College, before attending Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone. After a brief period in Nigeria, Dike then travelled to Scotland to attend the University of Aberdeen where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History, graduating with first class honours at the top of his class. In 1950 Dike was awarded a PhD in African History from Kings College London, making him the first African to be professionally trained as a historian in the Western tradition.

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About the Author

Afoma Dike

is a writer based in Lagos and a former Associate Editor at The Republic.

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Who Was Kenneth Onwuka Dike?