An African History of Africa, with Zeinab Badawi (Lecture and Q&A)

Join us for a fascinating afternoon with one of the best-known broadcast journalists working in the field today. In this lecture, the award-winning author and BBC broadcaster 𝗭𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯 𝗕𝗮𝗱𝗮𝘄𝗶 will guide us through Africa’s spectacular history, as explored in her new book 𝗔𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮: 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘄𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 (2024). With a conversation between Badawi and writer 𝗩𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗮 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗳, moderated by journalist 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗱𝗿𝗮 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀𝗺𝗮.

𝗔𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗭𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯 𝗕𝗮𝗱𝗮𝘄𝗶
Date: Friday, October 11, 2024
Time: 15.00 -17.00 hrs
Location: UvA Campus, 𝗢𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗵𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗿𝘁 (OMHP), lecture hall D0.08
Registration (free of charge): https://bit.ly/lecture-zeinab-badawi (this event is now fully booked, so it’s not possible to make any reservations anymore)

In her new book 𝗔𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 (2024), Sudanese-British journalist and broadcaster 𝗭𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯 𝗕𝗮𝗱𝗮𝘄𝗶 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 reveal 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), as they discuss the significance of books like theirs, in a conversation moderated by research journalist and program maker 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗱𝗿𝗮 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀𝗺𝗮. From the origins of ancient civilisations and medieval empires, to the miseries of conquest and the elation of independence, you will leave with a deeper understanding of the epic and sweeping history of the planet’s oldest inhabited continent.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺
14:45 | Doors open
⁠15:00 | Welcome and introduction by 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗱𝗿𝗮 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀𝗺𝗮
15:05 | Introductions by 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰 (Otiniel ‘Mano’ da Silva) about their events, the 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗿 (Amandla Awethu!) about their teach-ins, and 𝗡𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 (Jerry Afriyie) about their learning package
15:30 | Lecture by 𝗭𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯 𝗕𝗮𝗱𝗮𝘄𝗶
16:00 | Musical intermezzo by 𝗕𝗮𝗵𝗴𝗵𝗶
16:05 | Panel discussion with 𝗭𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯 𝗕𝗮𝗱𝗮𝘄𝗶 and 𝗩𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗮 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗳
⁠16:30 | Q&A
16:50 | Closing by 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗱𝗿𝗮 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀𝗺𝗮
17:00 | Book signing at 𝗕𝘂𝘇𝘇𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 (next door from room D0.08 in the same building; the Dutch edition of the Book, Afrika: Een Afrikaanse geschiedenis, will be available on location)

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘈𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘤, 𝘕𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘵 𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘳, 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘜𝘪𝘵𝘨𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘖𝘮𝘯𝘪𝘣𝘰𝘦𝘬, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘈𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘮𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘮 (𝘈𝘚𝘊𝘈), 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘉𝘶𝘻𝘻𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 (𝘜𝘷𝘈), 𝘙𝘦/𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘢𝘯 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦.

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮
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, Zeinab Badawi sets the record straight. In this fascinating book, Badawi guides us through Africa’s spectacular history – from the very origins of our species, through ancient civilisations and medieval empires with remarkable queens and kings, 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, she unearths buried histories from across the continent and gives Africa its rightful place in our global story. The result is a gripping new account of Africa: an epic, sweeping history of the oldest inhabited continent on the planet, told through the voices of Africans themselves.

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗭𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯 𝗕𝗮𝗱𝗮𝘄𝗶
Zeinab Badawi is a Sudanese-British television personality and award-winning broadcaster, journalist, and filmmaker. She is the President of SOAS, University of London, and 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 and among many other things, transformed UNESCO’s General History of Africa into a nine-part series for the BBC. Zeinab is a recipient of the President’s Medal of the British Academy, a Patron of the United Nations Association UK, and 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 / Afrika: Een Afrikaanse geschiedenis is her first book.

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗩𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗮 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗳
Vamba Sherif is a novelist, journalist, film critic, curator and motivational speaker. He was born in Liberia and raised partly in Kuwait and Syria. He has written several novels, such as The Emperor’s Son (2023), The Witness (2011), Bound to Secrecy (2007), The Kingdom of Sebah (2003), and Land of My Fathers (1999). His work, which has been translated in many languages, deals with themes such as migration, belonging, love, the history of slavery, colonialism, and the tension between moderate and radical Islam. About his work, the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung wrote: ‘Vamba Sherif creates vortexes of Shakespearean intensity.’

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗱𝗿𝗮 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀𝗺𝗮
Phaedra Haringsma is a freelance journalist, program maker and photographer based in Amsterdam. She received her master’s degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics in 2022. For De Correspondent she investigates how colonial history keeps shaping today’s societies. She is also involved in the research project Decolonial Futures at the University of Amsterdam, and gives tours at The Black Archives.

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰
Africadelic is a platform and festival operating from Paradiso Amsterdam that is committed to the programming and promotion of African and African diasporic cultural creativity, diversity and activism through talks, music, film and other performing arts.

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿
Nederland Wordt Beter (NLWB) focuses on a future without (anti-black) racism and exclusion, and believes this can only be achieved by acknowledging the impact that the history of colonialism and slavery has on today’s society and all Dutch people. They provide guest lectures on anti-black racism and exclusion, and create awareness about the Dutch colonial past and its legacies, from primary schools to universities. In addition, NLWB offers teaching packages to schools, for example on the history of Sinterklaas and Black Pete and the Dutch history of slavery.

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗿
The University of Colour aims to decolonize the university beyond the metaphoric sense. The collective aspires to create a more balanced university at both curricular and demographic level, which includes non-Eurocentric perspectives and ideas. The lecture with Zeinab Badawi adds to that aim, as it is part of the Teach-in Series on Decolonial Scholarly Self-Critique. During these teach-ins they reflect on what the academic practice does, covering the themes of positionality, invisibilised hierarchies (in academic research and discourses), erased epistemologies (erased through academic practice) and academic freedom.

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗢𝗺𝗻𝗶𝗯𝗼𝗲𝗸
Omniboek publishes history books from both Dutch and international authors, such as Zeinab Badawi, Dan Jones and Dick Harrison. They aim to share the knowledge of renowned historians and other researchers with a broad public. To them, it is important to publish in-depth books that make you contemplate both the past and today.