Your university away from university. This is your trusted collection of global lectures, powerful videos, insightful narratives, and transformative conversations designed to expand how we understand Africa, how we see the world, and how we see ourselves. 📚
Extracted from Description: “The Dahomey mothers or Amazons were a group of elite all-female soldiers, who were trained to kill and protect the Kingdom of Dahomey, in modern-day Benin. They started by protecting the king, but would go on to fight against the French.”
The warrior Queen Amina, also known as Aminatu, was believed to have been born around 1533 in Zazzau, a province of Zaria now in modern-day northwest Nigeria. She was a Hausa Muslim and eldest daughter to King Nikatau of Zazzau and Queen Bakwa Turunku, the 22nd rulers of Zazzau.
Extracted from Description: “Queen Njinga Mbande lived from 1583 to 1663. She was the monarch of the Mbundu people and ruled a region which is in present-day Angola.”
Extracted from Description: “Yaa Asantewaa was a Ghanaian warrior queen, born around 1840, who rose up to lead an army against the invading British.”
Extracted from Description: “The British, aiming to crush Mahdist resistance in eastern Sudan and relieve Egyptian garrisons, marched inland from the Red Sea port of Suakin. After a tough victory at the Battle of El Teb, they encountered Mahdist forces again at Tamai…”
Extracted from Description: “Dig into the Rubber Terror, the period in which King Leopold II’s horrific regime in the Congo resulted in the deaths of 10 million people… Lesson by Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, directed by Héloïse Dorsan Rachet.”
Extracted from Description: “On September 12, 1977, the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa was dealt a heavy blow due to the death of Bantu Steve Biko, a popular voice of Black liberation in South Africa between the mid 1960s until his death in police detention in 1977.”
Extracted from Description: “Trace the rise and fall of the Kingdom of Kush, an overlooked ancient African civilization which fought off both the Egyptians and Romans. Geoff Emberling details the rise and fall of the Kush empire. Lesson by Geoff Emberling, directed by Carlos Rupit & Lizeth Rodríguez.”
Extracted from Description: “The battle was a decisive victory for the Zulus and caused the defeat of the first British invasion of Zululand.The British Army had suffered its worst defeat against an indigenous foe equipped with vastly inferior military technology. Isandlwana resulted in the British taking a much more aggressive approach in the Anglo–Zulu War, leading to a heavily reinforced second invasion, and the destruction of King Cetshwayo's hopes of a negotiated peace.”
Extracted from Description: “Examine the empty land theory, which was created by European colonizers in South Africa to support their claims to the region. Lesson by Anneliese Mehnert, directed by Héloïse Dorsan-Rachet.”
Extracted from Description: “It's 50 years since the start of the Biafran war, one of Africa's bloodiest post-independence conflicts. What was the Nigerian conflict about and why does its legacy still matter today? Video journalist: Roderick MaCleod, Reporter: Tomi Oladipo”
Extracted from Description: “For one hundred days in 1994, the African country of Rwanda suffered a horrific campaign of mass murder… Susanne Buckley-Zistel digs into the history of the Rwandan Genocide. Lesson by Susanne Buckley-Zistel, directed by Mohammad Babakoohi… To clarify, the 800,000 casualties mentioned at minute 3:19 in this video were specifically Tutsi.”
Extracted from Description: “Mansa Musa, the 14th century African king of the Mali Empire, is said to have amassed a fortune that possibly made him one of the wealthiest people who ever lived. Jessica Smith tells the story of how Mansa Musa literally put his empire – and himself – on the map. Lesson by Jessica Smith, animation by Sandro Katamashvili.”
Extracted from Description: “The Anglo-Zulu War erupts as British troops cross into the Zulu Kingdom of present-day South Africa. Behind King Cetshwayo, the mighty Zulu warriors make a defiant stand against the largest empire on earth in fateful battles at Isandlwana, Rorke’s Drift, and Ulundi. What follows is disastrous and fateful British vs. Zulu combat.”
Extracted from Description: “The Anglo-Zulu War in 1879 is one of the most well known colonial wars of the British Empire. And while the British ultimately won and annexed the Zulu Kingdom, at the Battle of Isandlwana they suffered one of their worst defeats.”
Extracted from Description: “📜 Africa's Zulu Empire - African History Part 1 Extra History. With no written records from the Zulus themselves, historians and anthropologists have pieced together their history from a smattering of sources. We first learn of the Zulu as a minor tribe of the Bantu people, living in South Africa. Shaka Zulu, the man who would organize them into an empire, was born the illegitimate son of a Zulu king.”
Extracted from Description: “It's difficult to talk about African theater thanks to colonialism. Pre-colonial Africa was home to many spoken languages, and not nearly as many written languages. The chain of oral tradition was broken by colonial policies, and so many pre-colonial traditions are lost. Today, we're going to talk about some of the dance and theater traditions of Africa, and look at post-colonial theater across the continent.”
Extracted from Description: “Get to know the life of West African revolutionary Thomas Sankara, and his pursuit of liberating Burkina Faso from colonial rule... Lesson by Lisa Janae Bacon, directed by Tomás Pichardo-Espaillat.”
Extracted from Description: “Rising out of the highlands of Sub-Saharan Africa are the ruins of the long-secluded, spectacular Great Zimbabwe. Perhaps the real mystery connected with this site is why society and archeologists took so long to recognise the Great Zimbabwe for what it is: South Africa's first city.”
Extracted from Description: “In which John covers the long, long history of ancient Egypt, including the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms, and even a couple of intermediate periods. Learn about mummies, pharaohs, pyramids, and the Nile with John Green.”
Extracted from Description: “In which John Green teaches you about one of the least funny subjects in history: slavery. John investigates when and where slavery originated, how it changed over the centuries, and how Europeans and colonists in the Americas arrived at the idea that people could own other people based on skin color.”
Extracted from Description: “Explore how Dutch and British colonization of South Africa led to Apartheid, the strict national policy of racial segregation. Thula Simpson explores how colonization led to the national trauma of Apartheid. Lesson by Thula Simpson, directed by Aya Marzouk, Giraffics.”
Extracted from Description: “John not only covers the West African Malian Empire, which is the one Mansa Musa ruled, but he also discusses the Ghanian Empire and even gets over to East Africa as well to discuss the trade-based city-states of Mogadishu, Mombasa, and Zanzibar. In addition to all this, John considers emigrating to Canada.”
Extracted from Description: “Dig into the ancient manuscripts, scrolls, and books of Timbuktu— and find out why they’ve been hidden for centuries. Elizabeth Cox digs into the literary tradition of Timbuktu. Lesson by Elizabeth Cox, directed by AIM Creative Studios.”
Extracted from Description: “Slavery has occurred in many forms throughout the world, but the Atlantic slave trade -- which forcibly brought more than 10 million Africans to the Americas -- stands out for both its global scale and its lasting legacy. Anthony Hazard discusses the historical, economic and personal impact of this massive historical injustice. Lesson by Anthony Hazard, animation by NEIGHBOR.”
Extracted from Description: “Stretched across a tree-peppered expanse in Southern Africa lies the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, a medieval stone city of astounding wealth…Lesson by Breeanna Elliott, directed by JodyPrody.”
