Agbolade Omowole speaks alongside Martine Rothblatt, Stefan Lorenz Sorgner, others on emerging technologies

Modern civilization started in Africa but the story is different today. Africa is behind other continents in technological and economic development. Some tech experts believe that the use of emerging technologies to enhance human beings, holds significant hope for the African continent because the current state of the region is largely due to the prevailing bio- and technoscientific politics. 

Emerging technologies have the potential to reposition African countries to emerge and sustainably tackle its numerous problems and multifaceted challenges including hunger and malnutrition, poverty, diseases, and general underdevelopment. 

The event “Transhumanism and Africa” was co-organized by Leo Igwe from the University of Cape Town and Stefan Lorenz Sorgner from John Cabot University of Rome to discuss the future of Africa and how it can leverage human enhancement technologies. Both Stefan and Leo spoke at the event.
 
Other speakers at the event include Martine Rothblatt, one of America’s richest self-made women and CEO of United Therapeutics; Ojochogwu Abdul, philosopher and university lecturer; Aubrey de Grey, English author, biomedical gerontologist and Mathematician; Thomas F. DeFrantz, Research Professor in the Department of African and African American Studies, Duke University, USA; and Dr Bernd Kleine-Gunk, head of the German Society for Anti-Aging Medicine.

Speaking at the conference Agbolade Omowole spoke on the topic “the impact of religion on radical science in Africa.” He highlighted the need to be logical in analysing problems and providing solutions. He cited sickle cell anemia as an example of how knowledge gaps can pull back economic development. 

According to Agbolade Omowole “Abiku is a Yoruba word that can be translated as someone that is predestined to die. The Yorubas believed that an Abiku has a very short life span and can reincarnate after death. Abiku continued to be a mystery until the discovery of sickle cell anaemia.Religion and science can both advance civilization positively and everyone should be open to embracing both”.