Award-winning author and BBC broadcaster Zeinab Badawi will be in conversation with fellow writer Vamba Sherif about her new book, dealing with a history from the dawn of humanity to independence.
In her new book, the Sudanese-British journalist traces the sprawling history of the African continent through the voices of Africans themselves – of countless historians, anthropologists, archaeologists and local storytellers from across more than 30 countries. ‘The history of Africa is the story of the origins of human civilisation’, states Badawi, yet little of its early and modern history is widely known. The continent has been neglected, overlooked and dominated by Western narratives of poverty, slavery and colonialism. In this lecture, Badawi will talk about the engrossing tales of warrior queens, mighty civilisations, lavish buildings, and bustling markets that show how Africa’s history is so much more than the story we think we know.
Join Badawi and Vamba Sherif, author of The Emperor’s Son (2023) and co-founder of the ZAM Boekenclub van Lezers en Schrijvers, as they discuss the significance of books like theirs, in a conversation moderated by research journalist and program maker Phaedra Haringsma. Africadelic founder Otiniel ‘Mano’da Silva will introduce the panelists. Controbutions by the University of Colour and Jerry Afriyie from Nederland Wordt Beter. Musical intermezzo by Zeinab Bahghi. Book signing afterwards – the Dutch translation, Afrika: Een Afrikaanse Geschiedenis will be available on location.
Venue: University of Amsterdam Campus, Oudemanhuispoort, lecture hall D0.08
Registration (free of charge).
