From Aksum to Zimbabwe, Casablanca to Cape Town, learn about the fascinating civilizations and stories of Africa on the first dedicated Pre-Colonial African history podcast.
Is there a way to get a transcript for each episode? I LO V E your podcast but have some friends who are hearing impaired that would like to follow along with our learning group.
Hi Liz, thanks for bringing the lack of transcripts to my attention. I have now created a transcripts page here: https://historyofafricapodcast.blogspot.com/p/transcripts.html
first of all thanks for putting in the work and uploading, its a great show. I started listening today and really liked it. Unfortunately I have reached the point, where there is background music in the episodes, which I find to distracting in order to keep listening. Is there a version without the background music? I would pay for that, obviously.
Hi Max, This is a good idea. You're not the first person to bring up the music. Apparently, a lot of really like it and some others really don't. I think I'll just start uploading both to the podcast's Patreon as free uploads which people can access without subscribing. If you want to subscribe to the show there just cause, feel free, but you won't need to to access them starting next episode. Thanks.
Love love love this show. I was curious if you ever thought about doing a episode about Gaspar Yanga? The only African that liberated towns in Mexico of freed slaves and indigenous peoples
Hey Jesse, thanks and I'm glad to hear that you like the show. I would like for now to focus only on history which took place on the continent of Africa itself. This project is already very ambitious in its scope and scale, and adding stories from the African diaspora while very cool would make this scope even wider. Maybe if I do a season on the Ekang he might receive a bonus episode for the Patreon.
Hello, I have just finished listening to the first two episodes of your podcast. You sound extremely knowledgeable about the topic. Is there anywhere that you share your credentials? How do you know so much about the topic? Are you a student or professor or teacher of history? As a librarian, I always teach my students to assess the validity of a source in part by looking at who created the source.
I value my anonymity a bit too much to publish my credentials. However, I will let you know that I am current working and advancing in academia. In terms of credibility, I let my sources act as my ethos. They are listed under each of the seasons.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this with such indepth discussion, no one complied this much information in one place, let alone made it so easily accessible, thank you so much I really love your podcast and I had to let you know, keep up the good work 🙏
Hi Thank you for your work on this podcast. It's very important. Maybe I missed a previous explanation, but I'm very curious as to how you source your information and your history in African studies. If you don't mind me asking...
Hi Andy, really appreciate this podcast. The sources -- which I'd like to add to my reading list -- aren't showing up on the Season 1 page -- lil' help?
Hi Andy, Have you read "the destruction of black civilization" by Chancellor Williams? I'm buying the book and I wondered if you have an opinion on it?
Hello. I have actually read this book cover to cover before, and I sadly cannot recommend it. I would not describe the book as genuine historical scholarship, but rather as an exercise in grievance.
In Destruction, Chancellor Williams doesn't really seek to genuinely analyze and interrogate the history of the African continent as much as he seeks to "explain" certain things in the world around him. Basically, Williams saw the (at the time ongoing) colonization of Africa, as well as the oppression and prejudice directed towards members of the African diaspora globally and sought to construct a historical narrative to explain the origins of this global racial animosity. Williams lays out a thesis of an ancient, malicious, global conspiracy to wipe out black excellence, and that this ongoing conspiracy is responsible for the failings facing Africa and the African diaspora.
I personally find this thesis ridiculous and indefensible. Williams' most obvious failing is that he applies the modern idea of race to societies of the past. He imposes the modern idea of a "biological race" onto societies that did not believe in such a concept, and overemphasizes the role that skin color played in ancient societies more generally. For example, he often posits that ancient Egypt was a "black civilization", and singlehandedly focuses on this civilization for the majority of the book. In short, he often assumes that because the society he lived in was obsessed with skin color, that ancient societies must have been the same way.
Modern historians have constructed a far more plausible alternative. The mainstream scholarly view is that the idea of race defined primarily by skin tone is a relatively new concept, gradually emerging in Europe during the 15th and 16th century. There is very strong evidence that, prior to this period, religious affiliation was a far more important identifier than skin tone. Dark-skinned, African Christians, such as existed in Ethiopia and later Kongo, were generally accepted by Christians from Europe as part of the concept of "Christendom", while pale skinned North Africans, European Jews, and European pagans were labelled as others. Meanwhile, dark skinned Muslims were accepted by the Islamic world as part of the Islamic community. Both Christians and Muslims highly were highly discouraged from enslaving from their own religious "nations", and the Christian/Muslim regions of Africa were included within this definition. However, with the emergence of a more global maritime trade economy, the existence of a large non-Christian, non-Muslim population in West Africa led to the proliferation of the slave trade among both Christians and Muslims, while the widespread conversion of African and Native American slaves in the new world gradually led colonial powers to require a new justification for colonialism beyond religion. This justification was promulgated by Spanish intellectual Juan Gines de Sepulveda, and posited that Native Americans, Africans, and Europeans all belonged to distinct "razas", or races, and that it was the duty of the white race to rule over the others. The oppression of minority groups in the west was largely justified by this ideology, as was the colonization of Africa. There is little to support that, as Williams claims, these actions were part of a grander, ancient conspiracy to hold back black people. This would be impossible, considering that the notion of a unified "black race" did not exist anywhere in the world, not even Europe.
I would also criticize that, despite positing itself as an African history, Williams largely ignores African perspectives in his book. He never actually acknowledges or interrogates how African civilizations viewed each other, how they viewed Europeans, their conceptions of global geography or religious identity, etc. In an ironic twist, the book is incredibly Eurocentric, as it ascribes all historical agency to Europeans, while positing Africans as helpless victims.
I do not share my background because, regardless of if my ancestors come from Africa or not, the reality is I am still a foreigner to the continent. I also do not want people to be under the impression that the point of this podcast is to "glorify" the history of my or anyone else's ancestors/race, or anything of the sort. It is purely an exercise in scholastic interest.
While I can understand wanting to maintain some privacy I think it is important to let your listeners know about your background. You could reach a much wider audience if you were more open. Unfortunately, credible non fictional sources of information cannot be seriously considered if they are submitted under a pseudonym. Love the intention behind the show though
Beyond privacy, I want the focus of the show to be the history, not on me. The show is not about me. I also don't want people to believe what I say because of my "credibility", I want to receive honest feedback without people feeling intimidated by ethos and to interact with my research and sources directly.
I just discovered your podcast and it is exactly what I was looking for! I am a population geneticist working in academia, and my research has led me recently to African genomics data. I feel obligated to learn more about African history and people to make sure I treat this data with respect and knowledge. Your podcast has already helped me a lot! Keep up!
Hello guys...great body of work you guys have done so far..just wanted to find out if there is a contact number to call or an email address via which i can contact you guys for a feature on your podcast? Also, it'd be great to know your rate cards
Hi Andy - I just went back to the first episode and man it's great. It's so good I wanted to encourage you to return to working on the 'cast actively, and to edit the bloops in that first episode -- it'd be worth it!
Hi. The topic of each season is chosen by our Patreon supporters via a poll. I've put kush as a topic a few times, and it has always come in second or third. So give it time, I can't imagine that there won't be a full season on it some day.
Hello- looking for ways to submit email feedback but couldn’t find it. Was keen to listen to the Bantu episodes but actually couldn’t sit through more than a minute because of the mispronunciation of Xhosa. Here is a guide: https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=99&v=Trq_gIe1v04&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.za%2F&source_ve_path=MzY4NDIsMjgyNDAsMzY4NDIsMTM5MTE3LDI4NjY2&feature=emb_logo
Is there a way to get a transcript for each episode? I LO V E your podcast but have some friends who are hearing impaired that would like to follow along with our learning group.
ReplyDeleteHi Liz,
Deletethanks for bringing the lack of transcripts to my attention. I have now created a transcripts page here: https://historyofafricapodcast.blogspot.com/p/transcripts.html
Cheers
Hi,
ReplyDeletefirst of all thanks for putting in the work and uploading, its a great show. I started listening today and really liked it. Unfortunately I have reached the point, where there is background music in the episodes, which I find to distracting in order to keep listening. Is there a version without the background music? I would pay for that, obviously.
cheers
Hi Max,
DeleteThis is a good idea. You're not the first person to bring up the music. Apparently, a lot of really like it and some others really don't. I think I'll just start uploading both to the podcast's Patreon as free uploads which people can access without subscribing. If you want to subscribe to the show there just cause, feel free, but you won't need to to access them starting next episode.
Thanks.
Hi Andy,
DeleteThats great news. Thanks a lot!
Just became a patron, looking forward to the new season!
Greetings
Love love love this show. I was curious if you ever thought about doing a episode about Gaspar Yanga? The only African that liberated towns in Mexico of freed slaves and indigenous peoples
ReplyDeleteHey Jesse, thanks and I'm glad to hear that you like the show. I would like for now to focus only on history which took place on the continent of Africa itself. This project is already very ambitious in its scope and scale, and adding stories from the African diaspora while very cool would make this scope even wider. Maybe if I do a season on the Ekang he might receive a bonus episode for the Patreon.
DeleteHello, I have just finished listening to the first two episodes of your podcast. You sound extremely knowledgeable about the topic. Is there anywhere that you share your credentials? How do you know so much about the topic? Are you a student or professor or teacher of history? As a librarian, I always teach my students to assess the validity of a source in part by looking at who created the source.
ReplyDeleteHello,
DeleteI value my anonymity a bit too much to publish my credentials. However, I will let you know that I am current working and advancing in academia. In terms of credibility, I let my sources act as my ethos. They are listed under each of the seasons.
Just discovered your podcast on spotify, so far a great great show please keep it up.
ReplyDeleteThank you from the bottom of my heart for making this with such indepth discussion, no one complied this much information in one place, let alone made it so easily accessible, thank you so much I really love your podcast and I had to let you know, keep up the good work 🙏
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteThank you for your work on this podcast. It's very important. Maybe I missed a previous explanation, but I'm very curious as to how you source your information and your history in African studies. If you don't mind me asking...
Sources are listed on the season pages of the blog.
DeleteHi Andy, really appreciate this podcast. The sources -- which I'd like to add to my reading list -- aren't showing up on the Season 1 page -- lil' help?
DeleteHi Andy,
ReplyDeleteHave you read "the destruction of black civilization" by Chancellor Williams?
I'm buying the book and I wondered if you have an opinion on it?
Hello. I have actually read this book cover to cover before, and I sadly cannot recommend it. I would not describe the book as genuine historical scholarship, but rather as an exercise in grievance.
DeleteIn Destruction, Chancellor Williams doesn't really seek to genuinely analyze and interrogate the history of the African continent as much as he seeks to "explain" certain things in the world around him. Basically, Williams saw the (at the time ongoing) colonization of Africa, as well as the oppression and prejudice directed towards members of the African diaspora globally and sought to construct a historical narrative to explain the origins of this global racial animosity. Williams lays out a thesis of an ancient, malicious, global conspiracy to wipe out black excellence, and that this ongoing conspiracy is responsible for the failings facing Africa and the African diaspora.
I personally find this thesis ridiculous and indefensible. Williams' most obvious failing is that he applies the modern idea of race to societies of the past. He imposes the modern idea of a "biological race" onto societies that did not believe in such a concept, and overemphasizes the role that skin color played in ancient societies more generally. For example, he often posits that ancient Egypt was a "black civilization", and singlehandedly focuses on this civilization for the majority of the book. In short, he often assumes that because the society he lived in was obsessed with skin color, that ancient societies must have been the same way.
Modern historians have constructed a far more plausible alternative. The mainstream scholarly view is that the idea of race defined primarily by skin tone is a relatively new concept, gradually emerging in Europe during the 15th and 16th century. There is very strong evidence that, prior to this period, religious affiliation was a far more important identifier than skin tone. Dark-skinned, African Christians, such as existed in Ethiopia and later Kongo, were generally accepted by Christians from Europe as part of the concept of "Christendom", while pale skinned North Africans, European Jews, and European pagans were labelled as others. Meanwhile, dark skinned Muslims were accepted by the Islamic world as part of the Islamic community. Both Christians and Muslims highly were highly discouraged from enslaving from their own religious "nations", and the Christian/Muslim regions of Africa were included within this definition. However, with the emergence of a more global maritime trade economy, the existence of a large non-Christian, non-Muslim population in West Africa led to the proliferation of the slave trade among both Christians and Muslims, while the widespread conversion of African and Native American slaves in the new world gradually led colonial powers to require a new justification for colonialism beyond religion. This justification was promulgated by Spanish intellectual Juan Gines de Sepulveda, and posited that Native Americans, Africans, and Europeans all belonged to distinct "razas", or races, and that it was the duty of the white race to rule over the others. The oppression of minority groups in the west was largely justified by this ideology, as was the colonization of Africa. There is little to support that, as Williams claims, these actions were part of a grander, ancient conspiracy to hold back black people. This would be impossible, considering that the notion of a unified "black race" did not exist anywhere in the world, not even Europe.
I would also criticize that, despite positing itself as an African history, Williams largely ignores African perspectives in his book. He never actually acknowledges or interrogates how African civilizations viewed each other, how they viewed Europeans, their conceptions of global geography or religious identity, etc. In an ironic twist, the book is incredibly Eurocentric, as it ascribes all historical agency to Europeans, while positing Africans as helpless victims.
Andy.
Thank you very much Andy
DeleteIs there another book that perhaps speaks more to the accurate history of ancient Africa that you would recommend?
DeleteAre you of the African diaspora or??? If not I still appreciate your knowledge
ReplyDeleteI do not share my background because, regardless of if my ancestors come from Africa or not, the reality is I am still a foreigner to the continent. I also do not want people to be under the impression that the point of this podcast is to "glorify" the history of my or anyone else's ancestors/race, or anything of the sort. It is purely an exercise in scholastic interest.
DeleteJust found out about your podcast and very excited to get started! Do you provide sources for your info? How/Where do u find your info? Thanks
ReplyDeleteSources can be found the seasons pages.
DeleteWhile I can understand wanting to maintain some privacy I think it is important to let your listeners know about your background. You could reach a much wider audience if you were more open. Unfortunately, credible non fictional sources of information cannot be seriously considered if they are submitted under a pseudonym. Love the intention behind the show though
ReplyDeleteBeyond privacy, I want the focus of the show to be the history, not on me. The show is not about me. I also don't want people to believe what I say because of my "credibility", I want to receive honest feedback without people feeling intimidated by ethos and to interact with my research and sources directly.
DeleteHello Andy, I just want to say a massive thank you for undertaking this endeavour.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for making transcripts easily accessible. I am deaf and this helps so much :)
ReplyDeleteHi Andy, I stumbled on your podcast this evening and I’m hooked! Keep up the great work.
ReplyDeleteI just discovered your podcast and it is exactly what I was looking for! I am a population geneticist working in academia, and my research has led me recently to African genomics data. I feel obligated to learn more about African history and people to make sure I treat this data with respect and knowledge. Your podcast has already helped me a lot! Keep up!
ReplyDeleteHello guys...great body of work you guys have done so far..just wanted to find out if there is a contact number to call or an email address via which i can contact you guys for a feature on your podcast? Also, it'd be great to know your rate cards
ReplyDeleteHi Andy - I just went back to the first episode and man it's great. It's so good I wanted to encourage you to return to working on the 'cast actively, and to edit the bloops in that first episode -- it'd be worth it!
ReplyDeleteHi. Wondering why there wasn't episodes dedicated to Nubia, more specifically the kingdom of Kush?
ReplyDeleteHi. The topic of each season is chosen by our Patreon supporters via a poll. I've put kush as a topic a few times, and it has always come in second or third. So give it time, I can't imagine that there won't be a full season on it some day.
DeleteHello- looking for ways to submit email feedback but couldn’t find it. Was keen to listen to the Bantu episodes but actually couldn’t sit through more than a minute because of the mispronunciation of Xhosa. Here is a guide: https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=99&v=Trq_gIe1v04&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.za%2F&source_ve_path=MzY4NDIsMjgyNDAsMzY4NDIsMTM5MTE3LDI4NjY2&feature=emb_logo
ReplyDelete