Tomorrow's Substack article explains what this book gets wrong about African history

Bournouaise (woman of Bornu) ca. 1844 #ethnographxt

Funeral procession in Sierra Leone, ca. 1880 #ethnographxt mourners wear white costumes; a colour associated with death and the land of the dead in most Atlantic African societies

'Sanusi People' Kano, Nigeria ca. 1950 #ethnographxt

Wow that’s gorgeous. Have a good day and thank you for your work - it’s always fascinating.

Have a Merry Christmas, everyone! Yoruba nativity scene, mid-20th century

Slavery in African History: New Perspectives on Its Dynamics, Legacy, and Historical Memory. www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/slavery-in...

An essay of mine about Mahmood Mamdani's new book, Slow Poison. www.thenation.com/article/worl...

Silko inscription is online, incidentally

VERY important thread of cultural history that some of us were never taught but acquired later that's of immense value in getting perspective on the past.

"Christianity was present in Africa long before the imposition of colonial rule; however, it remained only one of several religious traditions, and despite centuries of sustained contact with Christian societies, its influence across the continent was relatively limited." @rhaplord.bsky.social

A truly intriguing read.

'The kiss of Judas' ivory pyx by Sapi artist, Sierra Leone, ca. 1490-1530. Madonna and Child, Yorubaland, Nigeria, mid-20th century. www.patreon.com/posts/146362...

-Tombs of the Christian kings of Kongo. Mbanza kongo, Angola. -Crucifix. Kongo Kingdom 16th–17th century. www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-brief-hi...

The medieval church of Bangnarti, Sudan. www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-brief-hi...

The church of Yemrehanna Krestos in Ethiopia. www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-brief-hi...

The Garima Gospels, ca 330–650 and 530–660 CE. Tigray, Ethiopia. www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-brief-hi...

Golden amulet of the goddess Isis suckling her son Horus 7th century BC, Meroe, Sudan. www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-brief-hi...

Festival of Dangbe at Ouidah, Benin. 19th-century www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-brief-hi...

“Christianity was present in Africa long before the imposition of colonial rule; however, it remained only one of several religious traditions, and despite centuries of sustained contact with Christian societies, its influence was relatively limited.” www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-brief-hi...

A brief history of Christianity in Africa's Religious Traditions www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-brief-hi...

Early Christianity in the religious history of West Africa (ca. 1500-1820) www.patreon.com/posts/146362...

Tomorrow's Patreon article is about 'indigenous' and 'foreign' belief systems

The King's Seat at Axum, Abyssinia (Aksum, Ethiopia) The old church at Axum ca. 1809 #archivesxt

Fomboni, Moheli. Comoros archipelago ca. 1869 #archivestx

'Costumes of West Africa - Foolahs' ca. 1820-1830 #ethnographxt

Freetown, Sierra Leone Auguste Francois Laby (1784-1860) #archivesxt

'History of Costumes' ca. 1905 First row: 1) Rich woman from Senegal (2) Fulbe man (3) Hausa nobleman (4) man from southern Morocco (5) Caravan leader from Senegal Second row: 1) Man from Kordofan (2) Man from Bornu (3) Tuareg man (4) Tibbu man (5) Tibbu men

I make maps without borders for this reason. They are temporary and blind the eye to geographic factors as separators of human groups.

One Portuguese chronicler who visited Suakin in 1541 compared it to Lisbon: “All the city is an island, and all the island is a city.” www.patreon.com/posts/histor...

African-Ottoman borderlands during the early modern period www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/african-ot...

The fortress of Murzuq in the Fezzan region of Libya. “Numerous gardens, squares, and wells still today bear names in Kanuri, the language of Kanem and Bornu.” Nachtigal, 1870. www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/african-ot...

“Ancient boundaries were more ambiguous than what is often shown in historical maps. While the modern understanding of borders relies on recent concepts of territorial sovereignty, the frontiers of pre-modern states were fluid and frequently contested.” www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/african-ot...

A speech by Stuart Hall at a protest in support of Walter Rodney in London in 1974.

“the academic” and “the intellectual” are not interchangeable terms: they are not the same thing: they may even be at the opposite ends of the scale. The academic life can actually prevent intellectuals [from] doing serious intellectual work. www.bostonreview.net/articles/whe...

This one was once out of print for like $600 I guess they found a few more copies

Here's why most people don't know much about African history (This is an excellent book, btw)

Coca-Cola was invented in 1886, and its original formula included extracts of Kola nuts Most consumers today remain largely unaware of the drink’s West African origins and the ancient long-distance trade networks that were sustained by the trade in Kola. www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-africa...

Kola appears in several West African medical manuscripts and is well represented in the corpus of West African artwork www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-africa...

Kola trade in Kano during the 1880s was valued at 38,400,000 German Marks (about $10 million in 1880) Hausa traders traveled in large caravans, some with as many as 2-5,000 people and an equal number of donkeys and pack oxen strung out over several miles. www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-africa...

The Wangara/Dyula diaspora of West Africa www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-africa...

Kola markets in Senegal, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Mali www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-africa...

Sailboats of the Upper Guinea (Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea-Conakry, Sierra Leone, and Liberia) used in coastal and riverine trade www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-africa...

Empires of West Africa. www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-africa...

Long-distance trade routes in West Africa during the 19th century www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-africa...

Kola trade in Kano during the 1880s was valued at 38,400,000 German Marks (about $10 million in 1880) 1,500 tons of Kola were imported annually from Gonja (Ghana) www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-africa...

'kola' is also a basic vocabulary item in the typical language of the Cameroon Grassfields (and it grows well there too, just past the eastern border of this map) - in Kom, ibi [ībi᷇], pl. tɨbi [tɨ̄bi᷇]; proto-Grassfields likely has a word *-bɪ́(̀ )

In Muslim West African societies, where the consumption of intoxicating substances was restricted: “The arrival of a new consignment of kola nuts is as great an event for the Hausa as is the first appearance of a seasonal dish for a gourmet in Europe.” www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-africa...

“Kola captured the imagination of European consumers in the second half of the 19th century, first as a drug and then as a tonic that was used as an ingredient in a wide range of emerging cola beverages.” www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-africa...