A book about the history of Madagascar

Madagascar, one of biggest islands in the world is famous for vanilla and and it´s unique nature. But the island nation also has a very fascinating political history, with the different people on the island fighting for political influence, to the French colonization, independence and today´s political climate. I really recommend the book pictured below, which I have just finished reading. It gives you a good overview of Madagascar´s history in just 231 pages, but it still manages to give very detailed information.

Libya is home to one of the best preserved ancient Roman sites

On Swedish television you can now watch Simon Reeve travel to different places around the Mediterranean sea and of course he passes through North Africa, especially in episode three. 

In episode three he travels to Leptis Magna in Libya, one of he best preserved Ancient Roman sites, and talks to local people who defended the site against the Islamic State. Amongst oher things, he also talks to African migrants who ty to make it to Europe and talks a look at a place in Tunisia where parts of the Star Wars movies were shot.

More on Leptis Magna you can check out the video below (not from the show with Simon Reeve).

The history of DR Congo

The results from the elections in DR Congo has not been declared yet and the tensions are rising in the country.

To understand the current political situation it could be interresting to take a look at the history of DR Congo. From the colonial times where king Leopold of Belgium treated the country (then known as the Congo Free State) as his own personal property, the assasination of prime minister Patrice Lumumba, the dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko to today´s political climate. Take a look at the video below from Crash Course World History.

Gandhi statue removed in Ghana

A statue of Mahatma Gandhi has been removed at a university in Ghana. The reason is that people are complaining that Gandhi was racist towards Africans.

Gandhi lived for a long time in South Africa and it is at this time people say Gandhi showed what he really felt about Africans. Find out more about this topic here and some more about Gandhi here.

Strikes are nothing new - just ask the Ancient Egyptians

Did you think labor strikes is a new phenomena? Then you are wrong. Pharaoh Ramses III had to face a strike during his reign. The first recorded strike in human history occured in Ancient Egypt during the new kingdom (1570-1069 BC), after the wages were starting to come in late for the tomb-builders and artisans. The strike came as a surprise for the authorities since everyone are suppose to respect his or hers place in Egyptian society according to the philosophy ma´at. Read more here about the strike.

The Africans who fought in World War I

Some ceremonies were held in Africa this weekend in memory of the end of World War I. Speaking of this, today we might not talk so much about the Africans who had to sacrifice their lives the World wars. This BBC article talks about the war in Kenya. But African soldiers were recruited from all over the continent. France recruited West Africans to the "Tirailleurs Sénégalais" (Senegalese riflemen) and they were not just Senegalese as the name will have you believe, they came from all over West Africa. France recruited 192 000 people to the Tirailleurs Sénégalais, 134 000 fought in Europe and 30 000 died in World War I. 

France might return art objects to Africa

France might soon return some of the art objects taken from African states during the colonial era, items which are now in French museums. At least that is the recommendation in a new report which will be given to French president Emmanuel Macron, written by French historian Bénédicte Savoy and Senegalese economist and writer Felwine Sarr. About two thirds of 90 000 African objects would be affected if the suggestions in this report would be a reality. Emmanuel Macron has also promised earlier to look into ths question.

"We are dealing with the case of a continent which has almost nothing left of its history when we have it all. The aim is not to empty Western museums to fill up the African ones, but to invent a new relationship based on ethics and equity", says Bénédicte Savoy according to theartnewspaper.com.

What is actually happening in Cameroon?

The recent tensions between the English-speaking Cameroonian people and the French speaking Cameroonian people traces it´s roots back to the colonial era, where one part of the country were run by the French and one part were run by the British. The Francophone people have most power and the Anglophone people feel marginalized. If you want to find out more, read this article which explains the situation in a simple way.

Great Zimbabwe

Have you ever heard anything about African history besides the slave trade and colonialism? The fact is Africa has a rich pre-colonial history that more people should know more about. One of those examples is the structure Great Zimbabwe.

One of the first things I was told when studying African history was how the legacy of Great Zimbabwe had been mistreated by the Europeans. They simply didn´t believe Africans were capable of building a structure like Great Zimbabwe and many different explanations for the structure were offered. In Rhodesia the official politics was that it was built by non-blacks. Modern research point to that it was a Shona speaking group who were the builders begind Great Zimbabwe. Find out more about Great Zimbabwe - and it´s real legacy - in the BBC documentary below.

A visit to Robben island

Nelson Mandela should have turned 100 years old this year. Last winter I made a visit to Cape town and of course took the boat out to see Robben island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. I really recommend a visit here, since they have former Robben island political prisoners as guides, who tell their own story of how it was like to be at Robben island prisoner during the apartheid era. When I was there, one of the guides spoke with such intensity that it was impossible not to be moved.

When Ethiopia won the war against Italy

During the scramble for Africa, Ethiopia managed to resist colonization by defeating Italy in the first Italo-Ethiopian war betwenn 1895 and 1896. Why did Ethiopia won? If you like history, watch the video below that in a very informative way explains just this.

Antibiotics made some Africans feel better over 2000 years ago

I found this story from 2010 about a scientific discovery that suggests some Africans may have known about antibiotics more than 2000 years ago, a long time before the modern discovery. Analysis from  mummies from the ancient Nubians, who lived south of ancient Egypt in modern day Sudan, have shown that they drank beer which contained tetracycline, a type of antibiotics. The question is if the Nubians knew what they were doing?

"Given the amount of tetracycline there, they had to know what they were doing. They may not have known what tetracycline was, but they certainly knew something was making them feel better", biologival anthropologist George Armelagos told the site www.abc.net.au.

Albertina Sisulu turns 100

A lot of men behind the anti-apartheid movement are famous, like Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. But of course there have also been many women who have contributed to the rise of democracy in South Africa. One such woman is Albertina Sisulu who should have turned 100 years old this year.

She was a nurse and one of her first experiences of racism in South Africa was when black patients weren´t allowed to be treated in the "European" rooms,but instead had to lay on the floor. Albertina Sisulu was involved in a lot of political activities and was married to Walter Sisulu, another anti-apartheid activist. Click on this link to find out more about Albertina Sisulu.

African born historian makes history in the UK

I have said earlier that I want to talk about scientists and social scientists from Africa who makes an impact in the world. One such person is historian Olivette Otele who was born i Cameroon. She has now become Britain´s first black female professor in history, after receiving a professorship at Bath Spa University.

According to the site OkeyAfrica, her new book "Afro-Europeans - a short history" will be the first academic text to take a deep look into the history of people of African descent in Europe.

She is a specialist in colonial and postcolonial studies and in the video below you can see her opinions on how these subjects are adressed in today´s world.

One of the most famous women from antiquity

The city Alexandria in northern Egypt was once home to the famous library where a lot of the known knowledge of the mediterranean world was gathered. This was really the centre for knowledge and science in the ancient world. Not many women are famous from this period, but one such celebrity is the philosopher and mathematician Hypatia.

The documentary below talks both about the scientific advancements in Alexandria, the melting pot that ancient Alexandria was and about who Hypatia really was.

The story behind the world´s largest man made lake

The largest man made lake in the world can be found on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is called Lake Kariba and the story behind it´s creation is a spectacular one. Filling of the water into the lake between 1958 and 1963 caused more than 20 earthquakes.

At the same time, during operation Noah, 6 000 animals was relocated due to the rising of water levels. A talented artist, Lesotho-born Bennet Zondo, was inspired by this to make fantastic art. His sculptures of animals within boats memorizes this moment. Bennet Zondo is working in South Africa and is part of the group Ardmore Ceramics.
Picture above: Bennet Zondo. Picture below: His Operation Noah art. Pictures are shown with the permission from Admore Ceramics.

Who was Shaka Zulu?

Many people around the world has probably heard the name Shaka Zulu. But who was he and what made him famous? In short, in the beginning of the 1800s, he expanded the Zulu kingdom. This was made possibly because it is said that Shaka invented new war formations and changed the choice of weaponry for the Zulu warriors. As it is said in the video below, the sources of who Shaka was are conflicting and it is not easy to give a clear picture of him. Watch the video below and fnnd out more.

Did Africans invent art?

A recent finding suggests that art may have first emerged on the African continent. What seems like a drawing was found in the Blombos cave in South Africa and dates back to more than 70 000 years ago. If classified as art, this is the oldest art finding ever. But the scientists are divided on the subject.

Read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/12/science/oldest-drawing-ever-found.html

And here: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2018/09/news-ancient-humans-art-hashtag-ochre-south-africa-archaeology/

This finding aside, African art has inspired famous artists, most notably Pablo Picasso.

Ibn Khaldun - the revolutionary historian

It´s always nice to talk about what scientific contributions that has been done by people from the African continent. I have earlier mentioned Edmond Albius, an African slave who invented a way to pollinate the vanilla in a more effective way, which really helped to launch the big vanilla industry.

But moving away from the natural science to social sciences, we find a man called Ibn Khaldun. He was born in 1332 in Tunis in North Africa and lived until 1406. His works has had a great impact on sociology, economics and history. He brougt forward new ideas such as that the environment can shape how people act. One of the reasons for this conclusion is his studies with the bedouins in the desert.

If you want to learn more about Ibn Khaldun, listen to this BBC radio show on Youtube in the clip below.