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The History of Africa

The History of Africa

Zeinab Badawi delves into the history of Africa for a brand new, eight-part series on BBC World News. The continent of Africa has a long, complex history, and its people built civilizations which rivalled those which existed anywhere else in the world. However, much of the continent's history is not widely known, and the little that is known often projects a distorted, partial picture. Sudan-born Zeinab travels to all four corners of Africa, interviewing historians, archaeologists, and citizens whose stories paint a vivid picture of their continent's past and how it informs their present lives.

Created By
StatusReturning Series
Original NameThe History of Africa
First Air DateJuly 1, 2017
Last Air DateApril 10, 2020
Seasons2
Episodes20
Episode Runtime 0min
LanguageEnglish
Original LanguageEnglish
Production CountriesUnited Kingdom
Production CompaniesKush Communications
NetworksBBC World News
S02E11

Resistance and Liberation

In the 20th episode Zeinab Badawi makes a huge and broad sweep across Africa examining the struggle for freedom, even in the face of bloody crackdowns: a veteran Mau Mau fighter in Kenya, a member of the resistance in Algeria’s brutal war of independence, from one African president whose ancestor fought the French and from the grandson of the Mahdi who defeated Britain’s General Gordon. And she talks about that heady time of independence with the families of three of Africa’s best known independence leaders: Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah, Congo’s Patrice Lumuba and Senegal’s Leopold Senghor as well as the son of the legendary Nigerian singer Fela Kuti.

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