Review: An African History of Africa by Zeinab Badawi

"When one examines the long history of humankind, it becomes apparent that racial differentiation is a relatively recent occurrence; genetics present us with facts that are at odds with the cultural construct of racism."

"From the twelfth to sixteenth centuries ... three West African kingdoms played a role in the global economy. And this at a time when Europe was in the throes of a series of famines and plagues known as the ‘Black Death’ in England, that were dealing a harsh blow to European populations and wealth."

"The participation of some Africans in the trade of enslaved people is a topic most people across Africa find difficult to comprehend. It engenders feelings of shame and guilt among the descendants of enslavers and there are concerns that a franker conversation could foster divisions among communities and perhaps even hinder efforts at nation building....There has also been little, if any, meaningful discussion in Arab countries on the subject. Arab society and civilisation benefited tremendously over the centuries from the blood, sweat and tears of African labour and there has not been a public debate about slavery reparations to mirror the one in Europe and North America."

"if an Arab man bore any offspring with an enslaved woman, that child would be born free, and in practice the mother would be released to look after her infant. Yet, in the Americas and the Caribbean a child sired by a white ‘master’ with an enslaved African woman would generally be born an enslaved person too."

"The idea that Europeans ‘discovered’ parts of Africa is a misconception. Africans such as Tippu Tib had long traversed large portions of the African interior and were familiar with its topography and terrain"

"when it comes to African artefacts in particular, I have at times noticed an unpalatable undertone to some of the counter-arguments being deployed. In August 2021, an article about the Benin Bronzes published by The Spectator stated: ‘The fact that the objects were taken from a West African kingdom that could hardly be confused with a pacifist, vegan commune – Benin grew rich on the Atlantic slave trade and the slaying of elephants; it practised human sacrifice and possibly ritual cannibalism – does not quench the appetite of those demanding their return.’ The implication is that the people of Benin are not worthy recipients of their historic works of art because of the ‘sins’ of their predecessors. The same people who hold these views usually reject the notion that present-day Europeans should be held responsible for the ‘colonial sins’ of their forefathers. Such paradoxes speak for themselves."

"The legacy of the transatlantic slave trade therefore cannot be blithely consigned to distant history, for its end did not mean real emancipation for Africans. Rather, they were subjected to a different form of coercion, control and domination: colonisation, which endured well into the twentieth century and extended beyond areas of Africa affected by the transatlantic trade. In the case of southern Africa, the subject of the next chapter, white rule continued until the very end of the last century."

"By the start of the twentieth century, five European nations – Britain, France, Belgium, Portugal and Germany – had seized almost the whole continent, awarding themselves 30 new colonies and protectorates with 110 million African subjects. The Berlin Conference did not set in motion the Scramble for Africa; rather, it formalised a process that had long been underway on the ground."

"After the Guineans voted to leave, France instantly withdrew financial and economic support, stripping Guinea of its public records, equipment and all movable objects. What could not be shifted was destroyed. Telephone lines were severed. The country would have collapsed had it not – in an act of pan-African solidarity – received a £10 million loan, equivalent to about £240 million today (about US$400 million), from Ghana, which had significant revenues from the sale of cocoa, gold and timber."

"I would like to say to the non-African reader of this book that I hope I have demonstrated that Africa has a history, that it is a fundamental part of our global story, and one that is worthy of greater attention and respect than it has so far received. And to African readers, I hope I have managed in some small way to increase your knowledge of – and pride in – the great history of your continent."