History of Africa
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History of Africa
Take a deep dive deep into African history with this in-depth podcast. From Casablanca to Cape Town, tune in to this podcast to learn about the magnificent and oft-forgotten history of Africa. To access more free resources about African history, provide feedback, or support the show, check out our a...
Neueste Episoden
100 Episoden
S6e18: The Omani Empire
Kilwa is brought to its knees by one final foreign invasion, which leads the island into an irreversible decline and the eventual dissolution of the s...
Season 6 Episode 17: The (Brief) Portuguese Conquest of Kilwa
The Portuguese have conquered Kilwa. Let's see how much pain their victory causes them in the long run.
Season 6 Episode 16: The Portuguese Arrive
The Portuguese arrive in Kilwa. This should go well.
From the Vault: Zengjiani, the Zanzibari Traveler in China
As my voice recovers, please enjoy this "from the vault" episode about Zengjiani, a famous East African traveler who reached numerous impressive desti...
Season 6 Episode 15: The Unstable 15th Century part 2: Emir Muhammad the Powerful
After decades of civil strife and conflict, a powerful leader finally emerges in Kilwa Kisiwani as the 14th century reached its climax. With the power...
Season 6 Episode 14: The Unstable 15th Century Part 1: Age of the Viziers Arrives
Today, we enter into an age of transformation. For a prominent period in Kilwa's history, the city and its many satellites will no longer be under the...
Season 6 Episode 13: The Stone City of Songo Mnara
Urban sprawl and social instability leads Kilwa to develop a sister city on a nearby peninsula. Songo Mnara grows rapidly to become a major urban cent...
Season 6 Episode 12: Ibn Battuta’s Kilwa Vacation
The great traveler Ibn Battuta arrives in Kilwa, and paints a tale of a country at the peak of its power, wealth, and prestige...but with a potentiall...
Season 6 Episode 11: The Father of Gifts
Every historic civilization has one or two famous leaders who rise above all others in their fame and prestige. Kilwa's most famous ruler was certainl...
Season 6 Episode 10: The Mahdali Coup
The Sultanate of Kilwa influenced Zanzibar. Today, Zanzibar influences Kilwa back.
Season 6 Episode 9: The height of the Shirazi Dynasty
In today's episode, we examine the height of the Shirazi Dynasty - with Kilwa's absorption of several nearby islands and territories, as well as the t...
Season 6 Episode 8: The Age of Rebellions
The 11th century: a period of tumult in Kilwa's history. The sultanate overthrows the yoke of the Xanga, only to find that this rebellion is not the l...
Season 6 Episode 7: Kilwa is Conquered
In today's episode, a mysterious conqueror from the mainland captures the island of Kilwa. In this episode, we examine the story of the matata mandali...
Season 6 Episode 6: Lime, Iron, and Salt
In today's episode, we chart the growth of Kilwa as a major economic center, from its growth as a manufacturer of lime and iron, to its rise as a midd...
Season 6 Episode 5: Make Way for Prince Ali - The Mysterious Kilwa Chronicle
It seems unlikely that he had 75 golden camels, but it's hard to say much else about Prince Ali of Shiraz. This historical figure has semi-historical...
Season 6 Episode 4: Second Fiddle In East Africa
Throughout the early middle ages, Kilwa remained a small settlement, laying in the shadow of the much greater city of Mogadishu.
Season 6 Episode 3: The Lost Cities of Azania
Hidden in the brackish estuary of the Rufiji River, one of the greatest archaeological finds of the modern era might be waiting: the remains of a stil...
Season 6 Episode 2: The World's Oldest Trade Route?
In this episode, we explore the origins of farming in East Africa, as well as some of the oldest evidence for long-distance trade reaching the region.
Season 6 Episode 1: The Swahili Coast
Despite being the most widely spoken African language on Earth, KiSwahili originates from a people who are shockingly small in number. However, what t...
Season 5 Episode 7: The Fezzan After the "Collapse"
Most histories of the Garamantian kingdom end after its political collapse in the 4th century. However, the archaeological and written record seem to...
Season 5 Episode 6: The Mysterious Garamantian Collapse
Pop histories of the Garamantian civilization often posit that Garama died of thirst: the Garamantes used up the fossil water reserves they had depend...
Season 5 Episode 5: Life During the Garamantes' Golden Age
As trade intensifies across the Sahara, the Garamantes become an ever-wealthier civilization. This episode examines how the growth of the Garamantian...
Season 5 Episode 4: The Roman Invasion of the Sahara
When Garamantian raids and control of trade routes become too much to bear, the Romans do what they do best: invade their neighbors. In this episode,...
Season 5 Episode 3: Trans-Saharan Trade in the Garamantes Civilization
Horses, carbuncles, gold, salt, and more. What do all these things have in common? They were first traded across the Sahara by the Garamantes. Today's...
Season 5 Episode 2: Fossil Water Farming
Brought to the Sahara following the Persian conquest of Egypt, the spread of a new irrigation technology allowed Garamantian civilization to expand dr...
Season 5 Episode 1: Paintings in the Libyan Sahara
Today we begin our journey into the history of the Garamantes, a civilization from the Libyan Sahara. This fascinating civilization transformed the ba...
What Does Bantu Mean: A Historiography of Bantu Linguistics and History (Part 2)
The Bantu Migration is one of the most important and seminal events in the history of the African continent. But what if this theory of Bantu origins,...
What Does Bantu Mean: A Historiography of Bantu Linguistics and History
Bantu is a term which has become one of the most contentious in the study of African history. The name of a language family stretching across much of...
Season 4 Episode 29: The Fall of the Twelve Hills
In a betrayal of previous commitments to Madagascar, Britain revoked its recognition of Malagasy sovereignty in a deal with France, in exchange for Fr...
Season 4 Episode 28: The Malagasy Gold Rush
Rainilaiarivony makes a desperate bet to try and repair his nation's floundering economy following the end of the French blockade of Madagascar. His d...
Season 4 Episode 27 Madagascar’s Independence (Partially) Defended
As the French begin their invasion of Madagascar's major ports in 1883, the queen of Madagascar falls deathly ill. In this atmosphere of chaos, the pr...
Season 4 Episode 26: The Malagasy Take Manhattan
As Malagasy prime minister Rainilaiarivony tries to distance his kingdom from French commercial interests, the French strike back. Eager to avenge his...
Season 4 Episode 25: Ranavalona II - Madagascar’s Christian Queen
As Rainilaiarivony radically reforms the government, educational system, and economy of the Kingdom of Madagascar, queen Ranavalona II radically refor...
Season 4 Episode 24: The Brother’s Coup and Malagasy Constitution
In the aftermath of the controversial coup against Radama II, the new head of state, prime minister Rainivoninahitriniony, was in a tumultuous positio...
Season 4 Episode 23: Radama II
Radama II had a short reign over Madagascar, and his legacy is heavily debated. Charitable accounts of his reign paint him as a forward-thinking and h...
Season 4 Episode 22: The Lambert Coup
Ranavalona reluctantly begins to thaw the relations between her island kingdom and her long-time French adversaries. However, when a French businessma...
Season 4 Episode 21: How Mad was the ”Mad Queen” of Madagascar?
Ranavalona has a reputation that precedes her as Madagascar's most unhinged and cruel despot. However, while this narrative is based in some truth, it...
Abraham Samuel: From Lowly Pirate to King of Madagascar - FROM THE VAULT
Due to sickness, I'm releasing a premium episode from the vault while I take the time to recover. This premium episode focused on Abraham Samuel, a mi...
Season 4 Episode 20: Progress for the Few, Misery for the Many
The economic progress made under Ranavalona's early reign was seemingly awe-inspiring. The country had rapidly transformed from a feudal state pumping...
Season 4 Episode 19: Western Technology, Malagasy Spirit
Ranavalona hires a new group of foreign artisans like Jean Laborde and James Cameron to hasten the transformation of Madagascar into a modern, industr...