Wadau,
This may seem hard to believe, but in the 12th Century, Oxford was a primitive village stuck in the European Medieval Dark Ages. Meanwhile Africa had powerful Kingdoms like the Mali Empire. The Universities of Timbuktu and Sankore were thriving centers of scholarship and research. Scholars came all the way from Greece and Macedonia to study there.
In those days, the most primitive people were Northern Europeans like the Germanic, Celtic , Anglo-Saxon and Frankish tribes (i.e. Franks, Vandals, Visigoths, Barbarians, etc) The Mediterranean tribes like Greeks and Romans walikuwa wamedharau hii watu sana. Britain as you know was colonised and civilised by Romans.
The ancient Romans described the German tribes thus:
“They are nearer to animals than men. They are by nature unthinking, and their manners are crude. Their bellies protrude, their colour is white and their hair long. In sharpness and delicacy of spirit and in intellectual propensity, they are NIL. Ignorance, lack of reasoning power and boorishness is common among them”
African people were in Europe in the Middle Ages in high ranking positions. They were called Moors. The most advanced part of Europe was Spain which was ruled by the Moors for 700 years.
Let’s look at some primary sources so as to prove what I’m saying:-
[B]Herald of a Black emperor. Germany 14th Century
http://www.ngw.nl/heraldrywiki/images/e/e0/Hollenbu.jpg[/B]
Portrait of a Moorish Lady-Florence 14th Century
[B]https://doublehistory.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/african.jpg[/B]
Portrait of a Moor 1525 AD
https://static.greatbigcanvas.com/images/singlecanvas_thick_none/everett-collection/portrait-of-an-african-man-by-jan-jansz-mostaert-c-1525-30,2418108.jpg?max=300
https://image.slidesharecdn.com/themoors-150322160839-conversion-gate01/95/the-moors-14-638.jpg?cb=1427058602
[B]Alessandro de Medici the Duke of Florence (present day Italy)-1510-1537 AD
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/X7p22FDnuzM/hqdefault.jpg[/B]
Saint Maurice
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/ca/d4/a2/cad4a271dfad06e6f7b81c0e9ca401cd.jpg
[B]Moorish Knight (soldier)
https://static.wixstatic.com/media/952fbc_44c60269fc084bdb8b21717d1f95419c~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_205,h_340,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/952fbc_44c60269fc084bdb8b21717d1f95419c~mv2.webp[/B]
[B]http://www.thedevilslance.com/resources/St%20%20MAURICE.jpg[/B]
[B]Statue of a Moor-Shaffhausen, Switzerland
http://l7.alamy.com/zooms/95b223de380847f798a3056b14298b87/mohrenbrunnen-well-on-fronwagplatz-square-schaffhausen-canton-of-schaffhausen-c02jtc.jpg[/B]
Portrait of a Moor in a turban-1640 AD
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/75/70/92/757092e645aa18b5546264b9367121ee.jpg
[B]Our Lady of Anjoy, France-(portrait of Mary mother of Jesus)
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59a7171f8419c2904766859f/t/59bad1c3017db2353cae9dab/1505415882825/Anjony+black+madonna.jpg[/B]
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e3/00/37/e300378b1a3cb0662beeec707d73e08f.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/474x/53/34/68/533468fd2e60bcd7c88de3eca6506e6e--black-girls-black-women.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2d/e4/a6/2de4a6730b76a5c4382cc9b77d629767.jpg
[B]Miguel Castro, Ambassador of the Kongo Kingdom in the Netherlands 1643
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DI0WrPzUQAA7TLo.jpg[/B]