Africa's Untold Stories

What happens when you have a series of stories and accounts about an empire that left behind little evidence of its existence? Listen as we recount the work historians have done to create a picture of the rise and fall one of the few empires of East Africa - The Bachwezi Empire.

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REFERENCES:

1. General History of Africa, Volume 4. Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century-UNESCO (1984)

We have guests once more! Haleemah and Sesi from Oriire join us to discuss the many angles and changes in the way we tell stories on the continent, what it means to us as young Africans. Check out Oriire's podcast, articles, etc. on their website: https://www.oriire.com

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Women getting "married" but not in a relationship, family members "testing" the ability of their child's future spouse and kidnapping a woman to marry her. Sounds like movies but no, these are some of the strange marriage customs we discuss in this episode. Buckle up and enjoy the wild ride!

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REFERENCES:

1. Banyankole: The African tribe where the groom must have sex with the bride’s aunt to test his potency (2022) GhanaWeb. Available at: https://www.ghanaweb.com/lifestyle/trenderhq/Banyankole-The-African-tribe-where-the-groom-must-have-sex-with-the-bride-s-aunt-to-test-his-potency-19142#:~:text=Banyankole%3A%20The%20African%20tribe%20where,aunt%20to%20test%20his%20potency (Accessed: 15 May 2023).

2. Codingest (no date) Kalanga: A Tribe/culture where the bride sleeps with her father in-law on wedding night, African Writers Desk. Available at: https://awdesk.com/kalanga-a-tribeculture-where-the-bride-sleeps-with-her-father-in-law-on-wedding-night (Accessed: 15 May 2023).

3. Herskovits, M.J. (1937) ‘A note on “woman marriage” in dahomey’, Africa, 10(3), pp. 335–341. doi:10.2307/1155299.

4. Today, S.A. (2022) 7 unique African marriage traditions, FurtherAfrica. Available at: https://furtherafrica.com/2022/04/23/7-unique-african-marriage-traditions/ (Accessed: 15 May 2023).

5. ‘nu’uhegme’a’: The mystic frafra marriage custom that compels women to remain faithful to their husbands (2022) GhanaWeb. Available at: https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Nu-uhe-gme-a-The-mystic-Frafra-marriage-custom-that-compels-women-to-remain-faithful-to-their-husbands-1543736 (Accessed: 15 May 2023).

Hi guys! Join us as we discuss two very significant women whose stories were almost lost to time--Pokou of the Baoule of Ivory Coast and Sarraounia of the Azna of Niger. We give background to the worlds they find themselves in, the occasions that necessitated that they step up, and how they did so exquisitely.

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REFERENCES:

1. https://www.themodernnovel.org/africa/other-africa/niger/mamani/sarraounia/

2. Elara Bertho , « Sarraounia, an African queen between history and literary myth (Niger, 1899-2010) » ,  Genre & Histoire [Online], 8 | Spring 2011, online November 21, 2011 , accessed April 15, 2023 . URL  : http://journals.openedition.org/genrehistoire/1218; DOI  : https://doi.org/10.4000/genderhistory.1218 3. Dadié, B., & Dixon, M. (1979). The Baoulé Legend. Callaloo, 7, 6–7. https://doi.org/10.2307/2930703

4. Weiskel, T. C. (1978). The Precolonial Baule: A Reconstruction (Le Baule précolonial: reconstruction). Cahiers d’Études Africaines, 18(72), 503–560. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4391626

Part 2 ! We wrap up our discussion on scarification with the final general use case and some isolated and peculiar cases.

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REFERENCES:
1. The Clothing of Political Identity: Costume and Scarification in the Benin Kingdom by Joseph Nevadomsky and Ekhaguosa Aisien. Source: African Arts , Winter, 1995, Vol. 28, No. 1 (Winter, 1995), pp. 62-73+100
2. Boundaries of Beauty: Tattooed Secrets of Women's History in Magude District, Southern Mozambique by Heidi Gengenbach. Source: African Arts (Vol. 28, Issue 1). Winter
3. The Clothing of Political Identity: Costume and Scarification in the Benin Kingdom by Nevadomsky, J., & Aisien, E. (1995). Source : JOurnal of Women's History (Vol. 106, Issue 4). Winter

4. Vaughan, M. (2007). Scarification in Africa. Cultural and Social History, 4(3), 385–400. https://doi.org/10.2752/147800407x219269

5. Orjinmo, N. (2022). Nigeria’s facial scars: The last generation - BBC News. BBC News, Abuja. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-61229617

6. Adjovi, L. (2014). Why some people want facial scars - BBC News. BBC Africa, Benin. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27412311

Hiya ! In this episode we discuss the seemingly strange practice of scarification on the continent. This is the first episode on the topic. We look at why certain cultures practice scarification and we examine a couple of the practices, their origins and purposes.

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Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403

REFERENCES:
1. The Clothing of Political Identity: Costume and Scarification in the Benin Kingdom by Joseph Nevadomsky and Ekhaguosa Aisien. Source: African Arts , Winter, 1995, Vol. 28, No. 1 (Winter, 1995), pp. 62-73+100
2. Boundaries of Beauty: Tattooed Secrets of Women's History in Magude District, Southern Mozambique by Heidi Gengenbach. Source: African Arts (Vol. 28, Issue 1). Winter
3. The Clothing of Political Identity: Costume and Scarification in the Benin Kingdom by Nevadomsky, J., & Aisien, E. (1995). Source : JOurnal of Women's History (Vol. 106, Issue 4). Winter

Hi people! We're finally back with a full episode. Listen to us discuss writing and ideographic scripts from the Continent including Nsibidi of West Africa, Ge'ez of East Africa and Tifinagh of North Africa.

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REFERENCES:
1. Kasper Juffermans, Yonas Mesfun Asfaha, Ashraf Abdelhay (eds.) - African Literacies_ Ideologies, Scripts, Education (2014, Cambridge Scholars Publishing)
2. The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland No. 1/2 (Apr., 1951), pp. 26-32 (8 pages)
3. A History of African Societies to 1870 (1997, Cambridge University Press)
4. The History of Africa_ The Quest for Eternal Harmony (2019, Routledge)
5. The Oxford Handbook of African Archaeology
6. Landscapes, Sources and Intellectual Projects of the West African Past
7. The Routledge Handbook of Scripts and Alphabets

Hi guys ! We're back ! Let's kick things off with a recap of last season and what to expect for the upcoming season. Follow us: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Africas_UntoldS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africasuntoldstories/ Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403

This episode is a continuation of the Origin of the Mossi. Here, we continue to the establishment of the first kingdoms and talk about how they were ran and among other things, how the relations people had with each other shaped the kingdoms and Mossi tradition.

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In this episode we kick off the story of the Mossi Kingdoms, a group of historical states in modern day Burkina Faso. Here, we examine their confusing and mysterious origins.

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In this episode, Seyram tells us the oral tradition of how his people (the Ewes of Ghana) migrated, and the renowned figure who played a very important role in who and where they are today - Togbe Tsali. We examine the story, its relevance today and how sometimes people get away with their actions.

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In this episode, we discuss Africa's largest and most significant population shift: The Bantu Expansion. We talk about who the Bantu speakers are, why they are significant, what their origin is, and the effect that their movement had on the entire continent.

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In this episode we discuss Lunja, a folk hero from Amazigh mythology; daughter of an man-eating ogre, who befriends a scrawny prince. Join us for a tale of magic, giant vultures and a redemption arc.

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Ruins of a mysterious stone town believed by the locals to be haunted by spirits. A medieval town with an odd location, structure and demise...this episode on the Gedi ruins will make you think about just how much of Africa's stunning history is still hidden.

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Folk hero with an impenetrable skin. Sound familiar ? In this episode we discuss the hero of the Luo of Kenya, Luanda Magere and learn about why he is revered by them. We also pick up a lesson that is a common among many African stories.

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Churches built by angels? Defensive walls built by the queen of Sheba? Or maybe it's all just aliens! We visit Nigeria and Ethiopia in this episode to try to make sense of two historical structures that do not quite make sense.

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Secret societies, shadow rulers, guardians from the spiritual…controversial, shady, too powerful; this episode on the Poro and Sande will probably raise more questions than it answers but then again, isn’t that what truly makes a secret society…secret? Join us to learn about two powerful secret societies in Liberia and Sierra Leone

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This episode will feel like a trip to an alternate reality but it definitely happened: powerful Christian kingdoms in modern day Sudan. We discuss their rise, their might, just how Christian they were and why Sudan today has little trace of this history left.

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Join us for part 2 of our series on creatures from African folklore and myths! Don't worry, you wouldn't be scarred in this one.

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Heya ! In this episode we have an overview of a rather complex topic: Arabs in Africa. We give some history and context to understand why North Africa is dominated by Arabs although the Arabic heartland is in the Middle-East. This is very much a simplified version of events and we do encourage listeners to read more on this topic outside of this podcast.

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Join us for an episode on creatures from African folklore and myths! From some disturbing ones to ones with pure hearts and one somewhere in-between. We guarantee you will be shaken and awed.

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This second and final part of the Epic of Sundiata brings to a close the story about the founder of the Mali Empire's rise to power. It covers his rivalry with Saomaoro Kante, ruler of the Sosso Kingdom and his battles with Sundiata and how he was overcome in Sundiata's quest to unite the various Mande speaking people to create the Empire of Mali.

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Welcome to season 3 of AUS! In out first episode back, we narrate part of a retelling of the Epic of Sundiata, a historical account of the life of the founder of the Mali Empire, passed down through generations of Mande speaking Griots in West Africa. We cover his mother's backstory, his birth, difficult childhood and exile from his native kingdom of Niani.

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'Aminatu, a woman as capable as a man'. Our final episode for the second season covers a woman whose character elevated her to heights that will forever entrench her in the history of the Hausa people.

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Swahili Samson or Swahili Achilles? You decide for yourself when you join us for a new episode about the (partially mythologized) story of Liyongo, a folk hero of the Swahili people.

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Another episode about a large but overlooked ethnic group on the continent! Join us to learn about the Malagasy people of Madagascar and how the merger of two worlds birthed their unusual origin which has given rise to one of Africa's most unique languages and culture.

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Join us and a guest from Algeria (!) to talk about the Amazigh (Berber) queen Dihya (AKA Al-Kahina) who fought against the early Arab expansion into Northern Africa. We discuss what little information there is about her life outside war and why she was so much of a bother to the Arabs that they gave her the title, 'Seer'.

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The child with the face of a man. Today's episode is a narration of stories of Hlakanyana of the Xhosa people of Southern Africa, a more evil trickster than others we have spoken of. The lessons from his stories as told to children were a twofold warning. And of course, it starts with an unusual birth...

Link to Bryan's short stories: https://medium.com/@yinsakya

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In today's episode, we welcome a guest speaker to take charge of a discussion on the renowned queen mother of the precolonial Ashanti Empire - Nana Yaa Asantewaa. We learn about her motivations, her life and what led her to take charge and lead her people to war against the British Empire (War of the Golden Stool) at 60 years old!

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For our first episode back, we examine one of Africa's finest medieval cities known to its locals are Edo and foreigners as Benin. We examine the city and kingdom's origin, its structure, what made it so great and just why every visitor to the city was stunned by what they saw. We also examine one of the most revered Edo traditions - the Benin Bronzes and of course how it declined and the role of the British in that. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403

This episode is a retelling of the story of two divine brothers from the Ambundu people of Angola. It is a sort of origin story for the thunder and its echo. Like the other epics we have covered on this show, it starts with someone born wielding a weapon...

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We carry on from where we left off in the previous episode of the Songhai Empire. A new dynasty (the Askiya dynasty) comes to power and ushers Songhai into a period of erratic highs and lows before the eventual collapse of the last great West African medieval empires.

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The final of the three mighty medieval West African empires – Songhai ! In today’s episode we discuss largely its origins, how it morphed from a simple city state to the largest West African empire and how at the helm of all this was one of Africa’s greatest conquerors – Sonni Ali Ber. We discuss his influence on the region and why he was a divisive figure, even today.

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Ready for a story by the fireside? This episodes serves just that - Anansesɛm! Follow stories about the trickster god of the Akan people of Ghana and Ivory Coast, a mischievous character so influential, he traveled across the Atlantic with enslaved Akans. We discuss his origin, stories and relevance even in today's Ghana and beyond.

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Our second North African episode! We talk about Ibn Battuta, the most travelled man before the invention of the steam engine, and highlight a few significant trips on his journey as well as his reactions.

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In this episode we have talk about the concept of death in some indigenous African cultures and its influence on the beliefs and lifestyle of Africans. We look at the ancient Egyptians, Dogon and some others to get a perspective on how our view of death influenced our culture.

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In the second episode of the new season, we talk about Kanem! And Borno! And Kanem-Borno because they are the same thing...or are they? Join us to learn about one of the longest lasting empires in the world (about 1000 years) with one of the greatest comeback stories.

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We're back for a new season! We start off with one of the most interesting belief systems in the world, that of the Dogon people of Mali. Join us to learn about their creation story, why the star Sirius is relevant to them and why...Aliens!

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In the final episode of season 1, we discuss the San (and to some extent the Khoi) of southern Africa, the first settlers of the area. We talk about their emergence, long history and the consequences of their interactions with the Khoi, Bantu speakers and later white settlers.

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In this episode we discuss the ancient Kushite kingdom centered in Meroe and its dynasty of female rulers known as the Kandakes. We talk about their power, accomplishments and the long tradition of women playing important roles in that part of the world.

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Join us to discuss the medieval kingdom of Kongo of central-west Africa. We highlight its formation, key practices, early adoption of Christianity, its tense relations with the Portuguese, and how Kongo serves a blueprint for what many African states went through upon contact with European powers.

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We're back! This week's episode is a discussion on probably Africa's second most well-known pantheon - the Orshias, traditional deities of the Yoruba people of West Africa. We talk about their origin, their influence today and expand a little on the stories of a few like Shango and Oya.

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Join us to discuss the Imagizghen, the native ethnic group of most of North Africa and parts of the Sahara. Throughout the episode, we highlight aspects of their history, culture, identity and relationships with other people like the Arabs and French.

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In this episode, we talk about Menelik II, a pioneer of modern day Ethiopia and a huge reason the country was never colonized by Europe. We discuss his origin, rise to power and how he ensured Ethiopia's independence at a time when Africa was being carved up by European powers.

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In this episode, we tell the story of Ditaolane, a legendary figure in Lesotho folklore. We follow it up with a discussion on some characteristics of African folklore and how they represent the real world. Follow us: Twitter: @Africas_UntoldS Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403

Journey with us to 19th century Uganda, in the small kingdom of Bunyoro, where a a British medical missionary recorded one of the earliest known C-section operations, complete with indigenous solutions for anesthesia and antiseptics at a time when most of the world had little or no regard for either! We also highlights a few more medical achievements from the continent worth mentioning. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403

For this episode, we talk about the empire of Wagadou, more commonly known as Ghana, the first of the great medieval West African empires. We discuss its clouded origins, its wealth, its decline, how its location made it powerful, and why it is so important to the history of the whole of West Africa. Follow us: Twitter: @Africas_UntoldS Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403

In the 6th episode, we dive into the story of the Dahomey Amazons, a fierce all-female fighting unit in the army of the pre-colonial state of Dahomey, located in the modern day country of Benin. We discuss their formation, why they were feared and their role in Dahomey punching well above its weight to become one of the most powerful states in West Africa. Follow us: Twitter: @Africas_UntoldS Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403

Join us as we discuss one of the most influential Africans of the past millennia: the founder of the Zulu Empire - Shaka. In this episode, we discuss his origin, his rise to power, his large impact on the southern tip of the African continent (both good and bad) and how he uplifted the Zulus from a small people to a powerful force. Follow us: Twitter: @Africas_UntoldS Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403

In this episode, we retell the Epic of Mwindo, a story about a mythical figure of the Nyanga people of Congo DR.  It's a bit different from our normal episodes as it is an entirely fictional story. However, it still comes with its own lessons. Follow us: Twitter: @Africas_UntoldS Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403