I Rise
Like the phoenix rising from the ashes
In 1781 over 100 enslaved Africans were thrown overboard the Zong slave ship to allow the slave owners to collect insurance money on their human commodities. The slave trade brought vast wealth to British ports and merchants but conditions were horrific. Enslaved people were transported on the ‘Middle Passage’ of the triangular trade route. Many …
Where is Ghana? Ghana is a country in Western Africa. Situated on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, it is bordered by Burkina Faso, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire. Ghana was the first black African country south of the Sahara to achieve independence from colonial rule. The modern state of Ghana is named after the …
Where is the Gambia? The Republic of The Gambia is the smallest country within mainland Africa and is sandwiched by Senegal. Banjul is the capital and the largest city in the Gambia. The Gambia has long been home to several different ethnic groups who have maintained their individual cultural traditions; as such, the country has …
Queen Anna Nzinga was a 17th-century African ruler who ruled the Ndongo and Matamba Kingdoms of the Mbundu people in Angola and fought against the slave trade and European influence in Angola. Anna Nzinga was born in 1581 in Kabasa, the capital of the Kingdom of Ndongo, which was ruled by a Mbundu-speaking people called …
Africa is the second largest continent in the world made up of 54 countries. There are many different religions in Africa and some of them have been celebrating their faith, telling their stories and teaching their principles for thousands of years. Islam has been in Africa for so long since its beginning on the Arabian …
Mansa Musa was the first African Muslim king to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. He was also the richest person in all history with a £321 ($400) billion fortune. Much richer than Bill Gates, the Rockefeller’s and the Rothschild family. Musa Keita I came into power in 1312 following the death of his predecessor, Abu-Bakr …
Boko Haram is a militant Islamist group based in northern Nigeria and founded in 2002. It has been terrorising Nigerians through assassinations and bombings for several years. They want to overthrow the Nigerian government and create an Islamic state, imposing Sharia law. Boka Haram means “Western education is sinful but the group’s official name is …
Africa Rising examines how the West’s policy has affected Africa. From Clover films and filmmaker Jamie Doran, comes a documentary examining the failure of western policies towards Africa and rethinking the role of western aid workers on the continent. Narrated by Tilda Swinton, Africa Rising takes a look at the benefits of ‘Self Help’ in …
The Wonders of the African World is an exuberant, visually stunning journey across Africa and through the history of its glorious but forgotten civilizations. Travelling by camel, by dhow, by Land Cruiser, and on foot, the renowned scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., takes us to twelve countries in search of Africa’s magnificent past, the …
When 20-year-old Sarah (also spelt Sara) Baartman got on a boat that was to take her from Cape Town to London in 1810, she could not have known that she would never see her home again. Nor, as she stood on the deck and saw her homeland disappear behind her could she have known that …
Humanity has spent most of its life in Africa. If you haven’t watched the Incredible Human Journey then you won’t be able to imagine this but, we are all from Africa. Not just black people but white, Chinese – everybody! This is a fascinating series from the BBC. Using DNA testing scientists show how our …
