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An African History of Africa
- From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence
- Narrated by: Zeinab Badawi
- Length: 15 hrs and 32 mins
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An African History of Africa
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
Everyone is originally from Africa, and this book is therefore for everyone.
For too long, Africa's history has been neglected. Dominated by western narratives of slavery and colonialism, its past has been fragmented, overlooked and denied its rightful place in our global story.
Now, Zeinab Badawi guides us through Africa's spectacular history, from the origins of humanity, through ancient civilisations and medieval empires with powerful queens and kings, to the miseries of conquest and the elation of independence.
Seeking out occluded histories from across the continent, meeting with countless historians, anthropologists, archaeologists and local storytellers, and travelling through more than thirty countries, Badawi weaves together a fascinating new account of Africa: an epic, sweeping history of the oldest inhabited continent on the planet, told through the voices of Africans themselves.
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Critic reviews
'Both a tour d'horizon and a tour de force... It will transform...views of the continent, its peoples and its histories. I cannot recommend it too strongly or praise it too highly.' (Sir David Cannadine)
What listeners say about An African History of Africa
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-06-24
Interesting history lessons
I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about African kingdoms of the past, and more of present day Africa.
A recommended listen.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Irti
- 11-06-24
Good overview of African history
I have been looking for more information on African history and this was a good book for that. There is so little I felt I know about African history and this was full of many very interesting facts and perspectives. Sometimes a little dry due to many facts but it did enlighten me a lot. Worked better for me approaching it in chunks, but I did enjoy it,
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-07-24
Required listening for anyone interested in Africa.
This is an excellent book which gives you an overview of the history of this vast continent. Of course it cannot go into detail with such a vast hinterland of history to explore. But what it does with clarity, compassion, and some humour, is to show without doubt that the continent has a long, rich, vibrant and sophisticated history.
It clearly shows that African history does not start with the arrival of the Europeans which so many of us have - and in some cases are still being taught. This for me, this is a book that should find a home on everyone’s physical or digital bookshelf.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Saara Gibbs
- 02-06-24
Engaging
An engaging listen and well written. There is an initially uncomfortable amount of colonial history and enslavement but it gets easier as you allow it sink in and, although it can be depressing and uncomfortable, it's also impressive and encouraging to hear about the heroism and pride of the African nations.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Torse
- 04-05-24
Well researched, brilliantly complied and narrated
I have thoroughly enjoyed learning about Africa’s history across the continent and to discover that the history are available and have survived the passage of time. A huge thank you and well done to Zeinab Badawi for these first steps from an African to discover and in the process honour Africa's past history. I think that I need a paper copy to discover a lot of the names as I am keen to delve further where possible. Probably a pdf of names in this history book can be an attachment please.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Eternal Goddess
- 08-07-24
I Am African and Proud
This epic compilation has made me more eager to play my part and contribute to the epic saga that is The African Legend! Here is to learning from our past experiences, rising up, and being inspired to forge a new chapter for the continent and our people! A sovereign, limitless and divine people arise 🌍 Amandla Awethu ✊🏾
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- Joseph
- 21-07-24
Insightful and inspiring. A must read for all!
Zeinab has put together an excellent piece of work here that strikes the tough balance of comprehensiveness and depth. An inspiring history for Africans and an importanty rebalancing of this tale for all. And of course, extremely well-read. Thank you, Zeinab!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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- HM
- 24-07-24
Valiant and important telling of an enormous historical story.
I found the many subjective, first person interjections distracting and quite unnecessary. I was also unclear about the sources used. I loved finding out more about the heritage of the continent and the context of history in Africa's better known recent past.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Yemi
- 21-06-24
Comprehensive and ambitious
There is a lot of history to cover, and Zeinab attempted it . Well written and incredibly informative
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- Kirsty
- 28-04-24
Spectacular opening of my ignorant mind ! And oh SO interesting
The history of Africa is SO interesting and until you read this book you will be as ignorant and biased as I was . Finally I have a perspective that puts Africa at least on a par with the rest of the world and hopefully now it has a positive future I was horrified to discover about the political interference from the rest of the world - east and west. I am intrigued now to visit some of the countries that until now I could hardly place on a map So much to explore. I think this book should be on school curricula everywhere. The author is the ideal narrator and probably makes it easier to follow than if you read it yourself The many local names would have had been slowing down whilst with her reading - the story gallops along THE MOST AMAZING BOOK I have read in a long while
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2 people found this helpful