Africa
The Kushite Kingdom - YouTube (49:53)
David Adams goes to the lands of the Kush and explores the history of the Black Pharaoh of Egypt. He travels down the part of the Nile that has never been traveled down. Adams wants to learn more about how these pharaohs impacted ancient Egypt. Nearly 3,000 years ago the Kings of Kush conquered Egypt. They would rule Egypt for nearly a century. Adams follows the trail of a British general as he marched to Khartoum. How did these kings of Kush do it? Adams explores this question. *Recommended for a geography class. Use clips in a history class.*
The Lost African Metropolis of Mapungubwe - YouTube (50:44)
The Lost African Metropolis of Mapungubwe is about the ancient African Kingdom that was on the northern border of South Africa. It was in the Limpopop Valley, and this valley divides Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Many clues are still buried in the ground, and these clues can tell the story of the Mapungubwe Metropolis. It was the largest known settlement in Africa. *Recommended for college history and archeology classrooms.*
Ethiopia - YouTube (49:20)
Ethiopia and Ethiopians are proud of their 3,000-year-old history. Afua Hirsch traces this history. It is a story of defiant independence. It gave birth to the Aksumites one of the influential people in history. Ethiopia is characterized by faith and devotion. It is filled with heroes and heroines. New imagery and art are now emerging from both triumph and tragedy. It is a history that is virtually unknown to the outside world. *Recommended for a geography class. Use clips in a history class.*
The Black Mummy Mystery - YouTube (48:07)
It was thought that ancient Egyptians invented mummification. However, there is new evidence that suggests that mummification was not invented in Ancient Egypt. A discovery in the Libyan desert has shattered this belief. A small mummified child was discovered. A new theory was developed as to where mummification began. Who were these people? Why did they mummify their dead? This child may be the key to discovering more about a long-lost African culture. *Recommended for a history class and for a science class.*
History of Africa
Southern Kingdom (44:49)
Zeniab Badawi travels the width and breadth of Africa to learn more about the kingdoms of Africa. Africa is home to a variety of civilizations that have rivaled other ancient civilizations. In this series, Zeniab interviews a variety of historians, archeologists, and citizens to learn more about these civilizations. She travels the length and breadth of Africa to discover its history. Africa’s history is long, often complex, and not really well known. Zeniab brings light into this hidden part of history and in this episode looks at the kingdoms of Southern Africa. *Recommended for a history classroom.*
Kush (44:48)
Kush is a forgotten kingdom. Kush is often overshadowed by Ancient Egypt and other kingdoms. However, it was the kingdom that conquered its neighbor to the north and took over. Kush ruled Egypt for one hundred years. Their influence could be felt in the Middle East. Today Kush is in modern-day Sudan. Khartoum, the capital, is where the Blue and White Nile meet. The waters merge to create the Nile River and it is from here the waters flow north and into the Mediterranean Sea. Zeniab Badawi explores this kingdom and discovers an interesting history. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
Aksum (48:48)
The Kingdom of Aksum was considered one of the four greatest civilizations of the ancient world. Zeniab Badawi describes how the kingdom grew rich and powerful as a result of control of the Red Sea trade. The Red Sea was the center of trade for the Middle East, Africa, and India. According to local tradition, it was founded by the son of the Queen of Sheba. It was the home to the Ark of the Covenant. It gave a grateful world coffee. Examining this civilization provides an insight into modern Ethiopia and Eritrea. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
North Africa (45:18)
Zeinab Badawi heads up to North Africa in this episode. She is learning about the Berbers otherwise known as the Amazigh people. She visits Carthage and looks into the history of Carthage and its place in African History. Then she talks about the Berber and the Great Berber Kings and how they kept control during Roman Rule. The tour continues to other ancient sites that were built by the Romans. *Highly recommended for a history class. A short clip can be showed to an English class.*
Kings and Emirs (45:17)
Zeianab Badawi explores the fall of the Kingdom of Askum and how Christian Rulers followed in that fall. She learns about the legacy of King Lalibela who ruled in the 12th/13th Century. He built a complex of rock-hewn churches which would have been considered a great feat of engineering. She also explores the arrival of Islam and how the emirs coexisted with the kings. She then visits Harar and watches the hyena men of Harar who feed hyenas by hand. *Highly recommended for a history class. Part 1 on the churches can be shown to a geography class.*
Gift of the Nile (45:16)
Zeinab Badawi continues to explore the history of Africa and this time she is touring Egypt. She explores Egyptian Civilization and the Nile River. They were the first civilization in Africa to invent writing. They left behind spectacular monuments. She films the mummy and the treasures of King Tutankhamun. She goes beyond the mummies and the pyramids. Who were the actual Egyptians? What were the origins of Ancient Egyptians? *Highly recommended for a history class.*
Desert Empires - YouTube (45:11)
Zeinab Badawi visits historic and magnificent ruins in Mali and Mauritania, sites that are rarely seen. She learns about the trans-Saharan trade that helped make these empires rich. The trade-in gold gave rise to three great empires on the African continent, the Ghana Empire, The Mali Empire, and Songhay Empire. Then under protection, Zeinab visits Timbuktu which was overrun by extremists in 2012. Mansa Musa, the ruler of Mali was considered to be the wealthiest individual to have ever lived. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
City States - YouTube (44:47)
Zeinab Badawi travels to Nigeria and is granted a rare interview with the King of the Benin. The Kingdom of the Benin is in Southern Nigeria. She also meets with the Queen Mother of Lagos and learns about the history of the Yoruba People. She learns more about the Benin Bronzes, these bronzes date back to the 13th Century. She also interviews the Emir of Kano, a ruler in Nigeria’s Muslim city-states, and talks with the former governor of Nigeria’s central bank. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
Mother Africa - YouTube (44:56)
Zeinab Badawi travels across Africa to learn about the origins of humankind in the first episode of History of Africa. She learns how and why humans evolved in Africa. She gets access to the actual bones that were discovered. Her travels take her to Tanzania and learns about a tribe where they continue to live as hunter-gatherers. This community has been rarely filmed and provides insights into how our ancestors lived. *Recommended for a science class and anthropology.*
Cattle, Crops, and Iron - YouTube (45:16)
Zeinab Badawi works through the history of Africa. She travels to meet the Maasai tribe of East Africa. The Maasai are the best-known group from Africa. The Maasai explain how humans started to domesticate animals and became pastoralists. Then Zeinab travels to Zimbabwe and visits a lively family. She looks at how humans make a living from farming after settling down. Then she learns about the impact of the Iron Age which would pave the way for the development of urban civilizations. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
The Golden Stool - YouTube (44:48)
Zeinab Badawi travels to Ghana and the Ivory Coast and learns about the Asante people and the Asante Kingdom. She learns about the history, myths, and legends of the Asante. The tour continues with a trip to the festival of Akwasidae. This festival features the king of the Asante, known as the Asantehene, and the king wears golden regalia. Then Zeinab learns about the Asante queen who led the resistance movement against the British. Finally, Zeinab learns about the golden stool. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
Coast and Conquest - YouTube (44:44)
Zeinab Badawi visits spectacular historic sites in Africa. She visits the Swahili Coastal settlements of Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique on the Indian Ocean. Then she talks about how the Arab’s arrival in this area trigged the start of the slave trade in Africa. The Arabs and their Swahili partners were the first to trade in humans and Zeinab highlights how this slave trade was different from the trans-Atlantic slave trade. She looks into this dark period of African history and how it is looked at by modern Africans. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
Ancestors, Spirits, and God - YouTube (45:11)
Zeinab Badawi examines the role of religion in Africa. She first examines the indigenous religions that people still follow. Her first stop is Zimbabwe to learn about a community that follows traditional African Religion. Then she heads to Senegal and meets a Muslim man. She discovers that he blends both Islam and ancestral beliefs and talks to trees. Finally, she learns about the impact of Judaism and Christianity in Africa and how Africans had an impact on Christian thinking. *Highly recommended for a history class, potential applications in an speech/communications class.*
Slavery and Salvation - YouTube (44:51)
Zeinab Badawi visits Ghana and learns about the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The slave trade led to competition for enslaved Africans between European nations. These nations build forts along the Atlantic coast. She hears about the inhumane conditions that the slaves were kept in while waiting for shipment across the Atlantic. Zeinab also looks at the driving forces behind abolition and why did many Africans return to the Continent, particularly to Liberia. How were these returnees received by the local communities? *Highly recommended for a history class.*
No Longer at East - YouTube (45:12)
Zeinab Badawi continues her exploration of the history of Africa. This time, Zeinab explores the lives of Africans before the arrival of Europeans. She goes to Kenya and sees traditional religious practices in Kenya. Then she meets with a traditional medicine practitioner in Congo. In Uganda, she sees traditional justice in action while community elders hear a marriage dispute. She interviews a local king in Zambia. This episode is a run-up to the episode on slavery and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
Kongo and the Scramble for Africa - YouTube (44:56)
Zeinab Badawi travels to central Africa, focusing on Angola and the Congo. She is exploring the great Kongo Empire. She learns about the role played by women in African History particularly learning about Queen Nzinga. Queen Nzinga was a leader who battled the Portuguese for a quarter of a century in the 1600s. Decades later Kimpa Vita was burned alive after her failed resistance. One woman also shares her memories from when the Belgians ruled the Congo. *Recommended for a college history class, the first half can be used for a high school history class.*
Resistance and Liberation - YouTube (45:10)
Africa is made up of 54 nations that were united by their history despite the diversity of backgrounds. For the most part, these nations got their freedom peacefully, however, there were times when the struggle for freedom got violent. Zeinab Badawi looks at how across Africa freedom fighters rose up to fight for freedom in Africa. She interviews a Mau Mau fighter in Kenya. A member of the resistance in Algeria’s war for independence. She talks about the families of Africa’s best-known independence leaders: Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah, Congo’s Patrice Lumuba, and Senegal’s Leopold Senghor. *Even though it is fast, recommended for a history class.*
Diamonds, Gold, and Greed - YouTube (44:58)
Zeinab Badawi travels to South Africa and Zimbabwe. She learns about how Southern Africans came to grasp the destruction and suffering that was inflicted on them by white settlers. Then she learns about how the original settlers of the Cape tried to resist the settlers and the cruel reprisals for their endurance. Then she explores the history of the Zulu, particularly Shaka the King of the Zulus. She meets with a descendant of Shaka and they talk about their illustrious ancestor. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
Islam in Africa - YouTube (44:49)
Zeinab Badawi travels to several countries and looks at the spread of Islam. She explores how many Africans practice Islam particularly the Sufi form of Islam. Arab culture also had a huge influence in Africa and she explores that as well. She then looks at the rise of Islamic Dynasties in North Africa. These dynasties would build monuments, mosques, and empires and they would play a part in Africa’s history. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
Slavery and Salvation - YouTube (45:03)
Zeinab Badawi looks at the impact of slavery on Africa itself. Much is known about what happened to the enslaved Africans when they arrived in the Americas and Europe, but little is known about the impact on Africa. She explores one of the eviler chapters in human history the trans-Atlantic slave trade. She travels to several countries to see where and why the trade began. She also talks with academics to answer the question of why some Africans helped sell their fellow Africans into slavery. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
Lost Kingdoms of Africa
Nubia - YouTube (58:36)
Gus Casely-Hayford explores the Lost Kingdoms of Africa. His first lost kingdom is Nubia. The history of Africa was not written down all the time. However, the people of Africa preserved their culture through objects. Nubia was the traditional name of Northern Sudan. The civilization dominated the area in the Sahara. For the Egyptians, they were a source of slaves and treasures. For the Romans, the Nubians were barbarian people. The Nubians were ultimately defeated by their environment. *Highly recommended for a history class. Also recommended for independent study students.*
Ethiopia - YouTube (58:50)
Gus Casely-Hayford explores the lost kingdom of Ethiopia. In 1974, the Ethiopian military rose against the king and deposed him. It brought to an end one of the world’s longest dynasties. The Ethiopians remember their empire proudly. King Menelik II fought back against any attempts to invade it and make it a colony. Gus wants to go back to ancient times to try to find the secrets of the Ethiopian empire. What will he find? What made the Ethiopians so independent? *Highly recommended for a history class. Also recommended for independent study students.*
Great Zimbabwe - YouTube (51:10)
Great Zimbabwe was discovered in 1871. A German geologist stumbled upon some splendid ruins. He had no idea who built the stone structure. He assumed that they were not built by Africans. However, that myth has been dispelled. Could Great Zimbabwe be the equivalent of El Dorado? Gus Casely-Hayford travels the length of Africa to discover the secrets of Great Zimbabwe. *Highly recommended for a history class. Also recommended for independent study students.*
West Africa - YouTube (48:88)
Gus Casely-Hayford begins at the British Museum. He is exploring the Kingdom of Benin. When the British discovered the artifacts they did not believe they were carved by Africans. However, they are not carvings, they were copper cast. Copper casting is a difficult skill to masters and the fact that Africans mastered it baffled Europeans for ages. Where did the Benin people learn these skills? How did they manufacture these artifacts? Gus goes to Nigeria to find out. *Highly recommended for a history class. Also recommended for independent study students.*
Zulu - YouTube (58:33)
In Eastern South Africa, there was a battle. It was where the British army was humiliated. The British had the latest in war-making technology and they were defeated by an army armed with spears and old muskets. They were brought down by the Zulu empire. Gus Casely-Hayford explores the people beyond that story. The Zulu were a peaceful people, more interested in raising cattle than war. How did the Zulu rise to power? *Highly recommended for a history class. Also recommended for independent study students.*
Berbers of Morocco - YouTube (58:54)
The Berbers turned the northwest corner of Africa into a kingdom. The Sahara Desert has one of the harshest climates in the world. It is an unlikely location for an empire. However, the Berbers did it. This empire stretched from the Sahara to Spain. This kingdom lasted for centuries. The Berbers left their mark on this stretch of desert. How did the Berber nomads create an empire in the desert? *Not recommended for a history or independent study students.*
David Adams goes to the lands of the Kush and explores the history of the Black Pharaoh of Egypt. He travels down the part of the Nile that has never been traveled down. Adams wants to learn more about how these pharaohs impacted ancient Egypt. Nearly 3,000 years ago the Kings of Kush conquered Egypt. They would rule Egypt for nearly a century. Adams follows the trail of a British general as he marched to Khartoum. How did these kings of Kush do it? Adams explores this question. *Recommended for a geography class. Use clips in a history class.*
The Lost African Metropolis of Mapungubwe - YouTube (50:44)
The Lost African Metropolis of Mapungubwe is about the ancient African Kingdom that was on the northern border of South Africa. It was in the Limpopop Valley, and this valley divides Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Many clues are still buried in the ground, and these clues can tell the story of the Mapungubwe Metropolis. It was the largest known settlement in Africa. *Recommended for college history and archeology classrooms.*
Ethiopia - YouTube (49:20)
Ethiopia and Ethiopians are proud of their 3,000-year-old history. Afua Hirsch traces this history. It is a story of defiant independence. It gave birth to the Aksumites one of the influential people in history. Ethiopia is characterized by faith and devotion. It is filled with heroes and heroines. New imagery and art are now emerging from both triumph and tragedy. It is a history that is virtually unknown to the outside world. *Recommended for a geography class. Use clips in a history class.*
The Black Mummy Mystery - YouTube (48:07)
It was thought that ancient Egyptians invented mummification. However, there is new evidence that suggests that mummification was not invented in Ancient Egypt. A discovery in the Libyan desert has shattered this belief. A small mummified child was discovered. A new theory was developed as to where mummification began. Who were these people? Why did they mummify their dead? This child may be the key to discovering more about a long-lost African culture. *Recommended for a history class and for a science class.*
History of Africa
Southern Kingdom (44:49)
Zeniab Badawi travels the width and breadth of Africa to learn more about the kingdoms of Africa. Africa is home to a variety of civilizations that have rivaled other ancient civilizations. In this series, Zeniab interviews a variety of historians, archeologists, and citizens to learn more about these civilizations. She travels the length and breadth of Africa to discover its history. Africa’s history is long, often complex, and not really well known. Zeniab brings light into this hidden part of history and in this episode looks at the kingdoms of Southern Africa. *Recommended for a history classroom.*
Kush (44:48)
Kush is a forgotten kingdom. Kush is often overshadowed by Ancient Egypt and other kingdoms. However, it was the kingdom that conquered its neighbor to the north and took over. Kush ruled Egypt for one hundred years. Their influence could be felt in the Middle East. Today Kush is in modern-day Sudan. Khartoum, the capital, is where the Blue and White Nile meet. The waters merge to create the Nile River and it is from here the waters flow north and into the Mediterranean Sea. Zeniab Badawi explores this kingdom and discovers an interesting history. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
Aksum (48:48)
The Kingdom of Aksum was considered one of the four greatest civilizations of the ancient world. Zeniab Badawi describes how the kingdom grew rich and powerful as a result of control of the Red Sea trade. The Red Sea was the center of trade for the Middle East, Africa, and India. According to local tradition, it was founded by the son of the Queen of Sheba. It was the home to the Ark of the Covenant. It gave a grateful world coffee. Examining this civilization provides an insight into modern Ethiopia and Eritrea. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
North Africa (45:18)
Zeinab Badawi heads up to North Africa in this episode. She is learning about the Berbers otherwise known as the Amazigh people. She visits Carthage and looks into the history of Carthage and its place in African History. Then she talks about the Berber and the Great Berber Kings and how they kept control during Roman Rule. The tour continues to other ancient sites that were built by the Romans. *Highly recommended for a history class. A short clip can be showed to an English class.*
Kings and Emirs (45:17)
Zeianab Badawi explores the fall of the Kingdom of Askum and how Christian Rulers followed in that fall. She learns about the legacy of King Lalibela who ruled in the 12th/13th Century. He built a complex of rock-hewn churches which would have been considered a great feat of engineering. She also explores the arrival of Islam and how the emirs coexisted with the kings. She then visits Harar and watches the hyena men of Harar who feed hyenas by hand. *Highly recommended for a history class. Part 1 on the churches can be shown to a geography class.*
Gift of the Nile (45:16)
Zeinab Badawi continues to explore the history of Africa and this time she is touring Egypt. She explores Egyptian Civilization and the Nile River. They were the first civilization in Africa to invent writing. They left behind spectacular monuments. She films the mummy and the treasures of King Tutankhamun. She goes beyond the mummies and the pyramids. Who were the actual Egyptians? What were the origins of Ancient Egyptians? *Highly recommended for a history class.*
Desert Empires - YouTube (45:11)
Zeinab Badawi visits historic and magnificent ruins in Mali and Mauritania, sites that are rarely seen. She learns about the trans-Saharan trade that helped make these empires rich. The trade-in gold gave rise to three great empires on the African continent, the Ghana Empire, The Mali Empire, and Songhay Empire. Then under protection, Zeinab visits Timbuktu which was overrun by extremists in 2012. Mansa Musa, the ruler of Mali was considered to be the wealthiest individual to have ever lived. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
City States - YouTube (44:47)
Zeinab Badawi travels to Nigeria and is granted a rare interview with the King of the Benin. The Kingdom of the Benin is in Southern Nigeria. She also meets with the Queen Mother of Lagos and learns about the history of the Yoruba People. She learns more about the Benin Bronzes, these bronzes date back to the 13th Century. She also interviews the Emir of Kano, a ruler in Nigeria’s Muslim city-states, and talks with the former governor of Nigeria’s central bank. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
Mother Africa - YouTube (44:56)
Zeinab Badawi travels across Africa to learn about the origins of humankind in the first episode of History of Africa. She learns how and why humans evolved in Africa. She gets access to the actual bones that were discovered. Her travels take her to Tanzania and learns about a tribe where they continue to live as hunter-gatherers. This community has been rarely filmed and provides insights into how our ancestors lived. *Recommended for a science class and anthropology.*
Cattle, Crops, and Iron - YouTube (45:16)
Zeinab Badawi works through the history of Africa. She travels to meet the Maasai tribe of East Africa. The Maasai are the best-known group from Africa. The Maasai explain how humans started to domesticate animals and became pastoralists. Then Zeinab travels to Zimbabwe and visits a lively family. She looks at how humans make a living from farming after settling down. Then she learns about the impact of the Iron Age which would pave the way for the development of urban civilizations. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
The Golden Stool - YouTube (44:48)
Zeinab Badawi travels to Ghana and the Ivory Coast and learns about the Asante people and the Asante Kingdom. She learns about the history, myths, and legends of the Asante. The tour continues with a trip to the festival of Akwasidae. This festival features the king of the Asante, known as the Asantehene, and the king wears golden regalia. Then Zeinab learns about the Asante queen who led the resistance movement against the British. Finally, Zeinab learns about the golden stool. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
Coast and Conquest - YouTube (44:44)
Zeinab Badawi visits spectacular historic sites in Africa. She visits the Swahili Coastal settlements of Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique on the Indian Ocean. Then she talks about how the Arab’s arrival in this area trigged the start of the slave trade in Africa. The Arabs and their Swahili partners were the first to trade in humans and Zeinab highlights how this slave trade was different from the trans-Atlantic slave trade. She looks into this dark period of African history and how it is looked at by modern Africans. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
Ancestors, Spirits, and God - YouTube (45:11)
Zeinab Badawi examines the role of religion in Africa. She first examines the indigenous religions that people still follow. Her first stop is Zimbabwe to learn about a community that follows traditional African Religion. Then she heads to Senegal and meets a Muslim man. She discovers that he blends both Islam and ancestral beliefs and talks to trees. Finally, she learns about the impact of Judaism and Christianity in Africa and how Africans had an impact on Christian thinking. *Highly recommended for a history class, potential applications in an speech/communications class.*
Slavery and Salvation - YouTube (44:51)
Zeinab Badawi visits Ghana and learns about the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The slave trade led to competition for enslaved Africans between European nations. These nations build forts along the Atlantic coast. She hears about the inhumane conditions that the slaves were kept in while waiting for shipment across the Atlantic. Zeinab also looks at the driving forces behind abolition and why did many Africans return to the Continent, particularly to Liberia. How were these returnees received by the local communities? *Highly recommended for a history class.*
No Longer at East - YouTube (45:12)
Zeinab Badawi continues her exploration of the history of Africa. This time, Zeinab explores the lives of Africans before the arrival of Europeans. She goes to Kenya and sees traditional religious practices in Kenya. Then she meets with a traditional medicine practitioner in Congo. In Uganda, she sees traditional justice in action while community elders hear a marriage dispute. She interviews a local king in Zambia. This episode is a run-up to the episode on slavery and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
Kongo and the Scramble for Africa - YouTube (44:56)
Zeinab Badawi travels to central Africa, focusing on Angola and the Congo. She is exploring the great Kongo Empire. She learns about the role played by women in African History particularly learning about Queen Nzinga. Queen Nzinga was a leader who battled the Portuguese for a quarter of a century in the 1600s. Decades later Kimpa Vita was burned alive after her failed resistance. One woman also shares her memories from when the Belgians ruled the Congo. *Recommended for a college history class, the first half can be used for a high school history class.*
Resistance and Liberation - YouTube (45:10)
Africa is made up of 54 nations that were united by their history despite the diversity of backgrounds. For the most part, these nations got their freedom peacefully, however, there were times when the struggle for freedom got violent. Zeinab Badawi looks at how across Africa freedom fighters rose up to fight for freedom in Africa. She interviews a Mau Mau fighter in Kenya. A member of the resistance in Algeria’s war for independence. She talks about the families of Africa’s best-known independence leaders: Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah, Congo’s Patrice Lumuba, and Senegal’s Leopold Senghor. *Even though it is fast, recommended for a history class.*
Diamonds, Gold, and Greed - YouTube (44:58)
Zeinab Badawi travels to South Africa and Zimbabwe. She learns about how Southern Africans came to grasp the destruction and suffering that was inflicted on them by white settlers. Then she learns about how the original settlers of the Cape tried to resist the settlers and the cruel reprisals for their endurance. Then she explores the history of the Zulu, particularly Shaka the King of the Zulus. She meets with a descendant of Shaka and they talk about their illustrious ancestor. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
Islam in Africa - YouTube (44:49)
Zeinab Badawi travels to several countries and looks at the spread of Islam. She explores how many Africans practice Islam particularly the Sufi form of Islam. Arab culture also had a huge influence in Africa and she explores that as well. She then looks at the rise of Islamic Dynasties in North Africa. These dynasties would build monuments, mosques, and empires and they would play a part in Africa’s history. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
Slavery and Salvation - YouTube (45:03)
Zeinab Badawi looks at the impact of slavery on Africa itself. Much is known about what happened to the enslaved Africans when they arrived in the Americas and Europe, but little is known about the impact on Africa. She explores one of the eviler chapters in human history the trans-Atlantic slave trade. She travels to several countries to see where and why the trade began. She also talks with academics to answer the question of why some Africans helped sell their fellow Africans into slavery. *Highly recommended for a history class.*
Lost Kingdoms of Africa
Nubia - YouTube (58:36)
Gus Casely-Hayford explores the Lost Kingdoms of Africa. His first lost kingdom is Nubia. The history of Africa was not written down all the time. However, the people of Africa preserved their culture through objects. Nubia was the traditional name of Northern Sudan. The civilization dominated the area in the Sahara. For the Egyptians, they were a source of slaves and treasures. For the Romans, the Nubians were barbarian people. The Nubians were ultimately defeated by their environment. *Highly recommended for a history class. Also recommended for independent study students.*
Ethiopia - YouTube (58:50)
Gus Casely-Hayford explores the lost kingdom of Ethiopia. In 1974, the Ethiopian military rose against the king and deposed him. It brought to an end one of the world’s longest dynasties. The Ethiopians remember their empire proudly. King Menelik II fought back against any attempts to invade it and make it a colony. Gus wants to go back to ancient times to try to find the secrets of the Ethiopian empire. What will he find? What made the Ethiopians so independent? *Highly recommended for a history class. Also recommended for independent study students.*
Great Zimbabwe - YouTube (51:10)
Great Zimbabwe was discovered in 1871. A German geologist stumbled upon some splendid ruins. He had no idea who built the stone structure. He assumed that they were not built by Africans. However, that myth has been dispelled. Could Great Zimbabwe be the equivalent of El Dorado? Gus Casely-Hayford travels the length of Africa to discover the secrets of Great Zimbabwe. *Highly recommended for a history class. Also recommended for independent study students.*
West Africa - YouTube (48:88)
Gus Casely-Hayford begins at the British Museum. He is exploring the Kingdom of Benin. When the British discovered the artifacts they did not believe they were carved by Africans. However, they are not carvings, they were copper cast. Copper casting is a difficult skill to masters and the fact that Africans mastered it baffled Europeans for ages. Where did the Benin people learn these skills? How did they manufacture these artifacts? Gus goes to Nigeria to find out. *Highly recommended for a history class. Also recommended for independent study students.*
Zulu - YouTube (58:33)
In Eastern South Africa, there was a battle. It was where the British army was humiliated. The British had the latest in war-making technology and they were defeated by an army armed with spears and old muskets. They were brought down by the Zulu empire. Gus Casely-Hayford explores the people beyond that story. The Zulu were a peaceful people, more interested in raising cattle than war. How did the Zulu rise to power? *Highly recommended for a history class. Also recommended for independent study students.*
Berbers of Morocco - YouTube (58:54)
The Berbers turned the northwest corner of Africa into a kingdom. The Sahara Desert has one of the harshest climates in the world. It is an unlikely location for an empire. However, the Berbers did it. This empire stretched from the Sahara to Spain. This kingdom lasted for centuries. The Berbers left their mark on this stretch of desert. How did the Berber nomads create an empire in the desert? *Not recommended for a history or independent study students.*
Updated on February 17, 2024
