Zeinab Badawi's book offers a fresh perspective on African history, challenging the Eurocentric narrative by highlighting the continent's rich pre-colonial civilizations. The reviewer praises the book for its engaging and comprehensive account of Africa's past, emphasizing the need for more accessible histories of regions like Kush and Aksum.
Zeinab Badawi's *An African History of Africa* is a captivating journey through the continent's ancient empires, challenging the common narrative that Africa's history began with European arrival. The book delves into the often-overlooked pre-colonial history, showcasing the vibrant cultures and civilizations that flourished along the Nile and beyond. Badawi's engaging storytelling brings to life the stories of warrior queens, mighty kingdoms, and bustling trade routes, drawing on her extensive travels and conversations with scholars and ordinary people alike. The reviewer highlights the book's importance in shedding light on lesser-known histories, such as the kingdoms of Kush and Aksum, and calls for more research and accessible accounts of these fascinating chapters of Africa's story.
Quick quotes
Broadcaster and journalist Zeinab Badawi’s long-awaited book *An African History of Africa* sets out to introduce an alternative to a common narrative — what Badawi describes as the 'myopia of a post-imperial education' — that holds that Africa’s history begins after Europeans arrived.
It has an extraordinary past: engrossing narratives of warrior queens, kings, chiefs, priests and priestesses; of mighty civilisations blooming on the banks of rivers or in the shade of sacred mountains.
Badawi makes an interesting point: that the Sudanese 'have not been as diligent as the Egyptians in promoting their heroic ancient past'.