An image of author Derek Owusu in the Penguin Podcast studio

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Interviews

The Penguin Podcast: episode 2 – Black History Month

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‘Life is full of surprises’: 21 Questions with Zeinab Badawi

Image showing some of the best books of 2024, including Think Again, PATRIOT, The City and its Uncertain Walls and An African History of Africa

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Features

Must-read books of 2024: A look back at the year’s most exciting releases

An illustrated story of an incredible continent, from ancient Egypt to the fight for freedom

Africa: History and Heroes

Africa is a part of everyone’s history. 
 
The very first humans, thousands of years ago, evolved on the African continent – but its story didn’t end there. 
 
Journey through the remarkable history of Africa and its heroes, from ancient Egypt to the tragedy of the transatlantic slave trade, from the richest person that ever lived to a courageous queen who shimmied down a high cliff with enemies in hot pursuit. 
 
Uncover hidden stories, see awe inspiring churches carved from solid rock, watch as empires rise and fall and marvel as the African countries of today fought for their freedom. 
 
Illustrated in glorious colour, this history of Africa will inspire and amaze. It is for everyone.

Zeinab Badawi (Author) Zeinab Badawi is an award-winning broadcaster, journalist, and filmmaker. She is President of SOAS University of London and is an honorary fellow of her alma mater St Hilda’s College, Oxford. Born in Sudan, she has worked in the British media for several decades. Zeinab is a recipient of the President’s Medal of the British Academy, a Patron of the United Nations Association UK, and is on the boards of the Arts, Humanities and Research Council, MINDS (the Mandela Institute for Development Studies), the International Crisis Group and Afrobarometer. She was previously Chair of the Royal African Society. An African History of Africa is her first book. Dominique Ramsey (Illustrator) Dominique Ramsey is an award-winning illustrator based in North Carolina, USA. Her previous books include Solitary Animals: Introverts of the Wild, Everyone Starts Small, and Hidden Heroes. Dominique's artwork is heavily inspired by science, history, and music. She does her best brainstorming while listening to music.

Zeinab Badawi

Zeinab Badawi&rsquo;s remarkable new book lives up to her dependable standards of excellence. It takes the reader on an up-close-and-personal journey across this unique continent, seemingly holding your hand while uncovering extraordinary gems of truth as she allows previously untold stories to be heard

A fascinating, thought-provoking and entertaining romp through several thousand years of history . . . This book is for everyone not only in the sense that we are all, ultimately, from Africa, but also because it is highly readable

A refreshing corrective to narratives imposed on the continent by others . . . Ambitious in scope . . . The very act of telling African history from an African perspective and by making this history accessible to a wide audience is an assertion of dignity and an invitation to learn more . . . As Badawi puts it: &ldquo;I hope I have demonstrated that Africa has a history, that it is a fundamental part of our global story, and one that is worthy of greater attention and respect than it has so far received.&rdquo; She most certainly has

Zeinab Badawi reclaims her home continent&rsquo;s past . . . Researched across more than 30 countries, it brings dazzling civilisations of pre-colonial Africa vividly to life. A book that feels long-overdue . . . and wholly worth the wait

In a world where western narratives have poorly chalked up Africa&rsquo;s history to simply one of slavery and colonialism, Badawi heads out on a corrective journey. Visiting 30 of the continent&rsquo;s countries and interviewing everyone from historians to anthropologists, this is an eye-opening book

i paper - Best New Books to Read in April

Both a tour d'horizon and a tour de force, marvellously readable and beautifully written. This is a book that should be read by anyone who is interested in Africa, by anyone who thinks they know all they need to know about Africa, and above all by anyone who has no interest in Africa at all. It will transform their views of the continent, its peoples and its histories. I cannot recommend it too strongly or praise it too highly

Epic, magnificent, brilliant. Zeinab Badawi's soaring African history is as majestic, thrilling and vibrant as the continent of Africa itself. A moving personal journey, an investigation into the earliest years of human life, a powerful manifesto for historical research and national memory, this genius book - bursting with stories of incredible courage and determination, from battling empires, colonial fightback, ending the slave trade and forming nations - is a tour de force and entirely unforgettable

This is a book we have needed: a clear account of the fascinating history of Africa from an African perspective. I learned something on every page. It will leave everyone who reads it better informed and more thoughtful about the vast opportunity that can now be found in a continent we have often misunderstood

One of the greatest strengths of this wonderful African History of Africa and what makes it so engaging is the way Zeinab Badawi narrates the great sweep of this continent&rsquo;s rich history as a personal voyage of discovery, and in doing so is able to portray her feelings of the experience, be it touching humanity&rsquo;s most ancient bones or venturing into the dungeons of slave castles

From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence

Discover the ground-breaking, must-read history of Africa, the Sunday Times bestseller charting the epic story of the oldest inhabited continent in the world from the perspectives of Africans themselves. Shortlisted for the Nero Book Awards 
 
Picked as a best paperback by the Sunday Times, Guardian and I paper 
 
Radio 4 Book of the Week 
 
As recommended on The Rest is Politics 
 
Everyone is originally from Africa, and this book is therefore for everyone. For too long, Africa’s history has been dominated by western narratives of slavery and colonialism, or simply ignored. Now, award-winning journalist and broadcaster Zeinab Badawi sets the record straight. In this fascinating book, Badawi guides us through Africa’s spectacular history – from the origins of humanity, through ancient civilisations and medieval empires, to the miseries of conquest and the elation of independence. 
 
Visiting more than thirty African countries to interview countless historians, anthropologists, archaeologists and local storytellers, Badawi weaves together a gripping new history of the oldest inhabited continent on the planet, told through the voices of Africans themselves. 
 
Praise for An African History of Africa: 
‘Fascinating, thought-provoking and entertaining’ Sunday Times 
 
‘Dazzling . . . A book that feels long-overdue’ Vogue 
 
‘Authoritative and compelling’ BBC History 
 
‘Both a tour d'horizon and a tour de force, marvellously readable and beautifully written . . . I cannot recommend it too strongly or praise it too highly’ Professor Sir David Cannadine 
 
‘Remarkable’ Margaret Busby CBE 
 
‘Epic, magnificent, brilliant’ Professor Kate Williams

Zeinab Badawi

Books by Zeinab Badawi

Articles featuring Zeinab Badawi

The Penguin Podcast: episode 2 – Black History Month

‘Life is full of surprises’: 21 Questions with Zeinab Badawi

Must-read books of 2024: A look back at the year’s most exciting releases

Videos

An African History of Africa | Zeinab Badawi

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