Martin Plaut

Martin Plaut, a distinguished journalist and author, shares his expertise on Ethiopia’s Tigray War and its significance for the Horn of Africa. He reflects on his upbringing in apartheid South Africa and his journey into journalism amid political activism. The conversation delves into the complex history of African slavery, highlighting misconceptions and the extensive regional dynamics involved. Plaut explains the Eritrean influence on the Tigray conflict and the humanitarian catastrophes stemming from it, revealing the fragile nature of ceasefire agreements and the region's ongoing instability.

Martin Plaut, veteran BBC journalist and historian of African affairs, and author of Unbroken Chains. He traces slavery’s roots to ancient Nile civilizations and maps vast trans-Saharan, Indian Ocean, Omani/Zanzibari and internal African systems. He discusses how religion, race, regional powers and modern institutions shaped and often obscured both historical and present-day chattel slavery.