

Africa's Untold Stories
Africa's Untold Stories
Join us to discuss African history that is largely untold. Each episode, we have a conversation about a topic in African history and point out some lessons that come with that significant aspect of the continent's history.
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Follow us:
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Episodes
Mentioned books

May 20, 2023 • 35min
Strange Marriage Customs From Africa: A Lesson on Weird Solutions and Excuses
Women getting "married" but not in a relationship, family members "testing" the ability of their child's future spouse and kidnapping a woman to marry her. Sounds like movies but no, these are some of the strange marriage customs we discuss in this episode. Buckle up and enjoy the wild ride!
Follow us:Twitter: https://twitter.com/Africas_UntoldSInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/africasuntoldstories/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFuTYzTqseXvH1RkmxV-1XA
Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403
REFERENCES:
1. Banyankole: The African tribe where the groom must have sex with the bride’s aunt to test his potency (2022) GhanaWeb. Available at: https://www.ghanaweb.com/lifestyle/trenderhq/Banyankole-The-African-tribe-where-the-groom-must-have-sex-with-the-bride-s-aunt-to-test-his-potency-19142#:~:text=Banyankole%3A%20The%20African%20tribe%20where,aunt%20to%20test%20his%20potency (Accessed: 15 May 2023).
2. Codingest (no date) Kalanga: A Tribe/culture where the bride sleeps with her father in-law on wedding night, African Writers Desk. Available at: https://awdesk.com/kalanga-a-tribeculture-where-the-bride-sleeps-with-her-father-in-law-on-wedding-night (Accessed: 15 May 2023).
3. Herskovits, M.J. (1937) ‘A note on “woman marriage” in dahomey’, Africa, 10(3), pp. 335–341. doi:10.2307/1155299.
4. Today, S.A. (2022) 7 unique African marriage traditions, FurtherAfrica. Available at: https://furtherafrica.com/2022/04/23/7-unique-african-marriage-traditions/ (Accessed: 15 May 2023).
5. ‘nu’uhegme’a’: The mystic frafra marriage custom that compels women to remain faithful to their husbands (2022) GhanaWeb. Available at: https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Nu-uhe-gme-a-The-mystic-Frafra-marriage-custom-that-compels-women-to-remain-faithful-to-their-husbands-1543736 (Accessed: 15 May 2023).

Apr 16, 2023 • 38min
The African Matriarchs Who Saved Their People: A Lesson on Dying History
Hi guys! Join us as we discuss two very significant women whose stories were almost lost to time--Pokou of the Baoule of Ivory Coast and Sarraounia of the Azna of Niger. We give background to the worlds they find themselves in, the occasions that necessitated that they step up, and how they did so exquisitely.
Follow us:Twitter: https://twitter.com/Africas_UntoldSInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/africasuntoldstories/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFuTYzTqseXvH1RkmxV-1XA
Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403
REFERENCES:
1. https://www.themodernnovel.org/africa/other-africa/niger/mamani/sarraounia/
2. Elara Bertho , « Sarraounia, an African queen between history and literary myth (Niger, 1899-2010) » , Genre & Histoire [Online], 8 | Spring 2011, online November 21, 2011 , accessed April 15, 2023 . URL : http://journals.openedition.org/genrehistoire/1218; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/genderhistory.1218
3. Dadié, B., & Dixon, M. (1979). The Baoulé Legend. Callaloo, 7, 6–7. https://doi.org/10.2307/2930703
4. Weiskel, T. C. (1978). The Precolonial Baule: A Reconstruction (Le Baule précolonial: reconstruction). Cahiers d’Études Africaines, 18(72), 503–560. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4391626

Mar 27, 2023 • 26min
Scarification In Africa Part 2: A Lesson on uhhh ... "reasons"
Part 2 ! We wrap up our discussion on scarification with the final general use case and some isolated and peculiar cases.
Follow us:Twitter: https://twitter.com/Africas_UntoldSInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/africasuntoldstories/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFuTYzTqseXvH1RkmxV-1XA
Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403
REFERENCES:1. The Clothing of Political Identity: Costume and Scarification in the Benin Kingdom by Joseph Nevadomsky and Ekhaguosa Aisien. Source: African Arts , Winter, 1995, Vol. 28, No. 1 (Winter, 1995), pp. 62-73+1002. Boundaries of Beauty: Tattooed Secrets of Women's History in Magude District, Southern Mozambique by Heidi Gengenbach. Source: African Arts (Vol. 28, Issue 1). Winter3. The Clothing of Political Identity: Costume and Scarification in the Benin Kingdom by Nevadomsky, J., & Aisien, E. (1995). Source : JOurnal of Women's History (Vol. 106, Issue 4). Winter
4. Vaughan, M. (2007). Scarification in Africa. Cultural and Social History, 4(3), 385–400. https://doi.org/10.2752/147800407x219269
5. Orjinmo, N. (2022). Nigeria’s facial scars: The last generation - BBC News. BBC News, Abuja. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-61229617
6. Adjovi, L. (2014). Why some people want facial scars - BBC News. BBC Africa, Benin. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27412311

Mar 13, 2023 • 42min
Scarification In Africa: A Lesson on Different Cultural Perspectives
Hiya ! In this episode we discuss the seemingly strange practice of scarification on the continent. This is the first episode on the topic. We look at why certain cultures practice scarification and we examine a couple of the practices, their origins and purposes.
Follow us:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Africas_UntoldS
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africasuntoldstories/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFuTYzTqseXvH1RkmxV-1XA
Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403
REFERENCES:
1. The Clothing of Political Identity: Costume and Scarification in the Benin Kingdom by Joseph Nevadomsky and Ekhaguosa Aisien. Source: African Arts , Winter, 1995, Vol. 28, No. 1 (Winter, 1995), pp. 62-73+100
2. Boundaries of Beauty: Tattooed Secrets of Women's History in Magude District, Southern Mozambique by Heidi Gengenbach. Source: African Arts (Vol. 28, Issue 1). Winter
3. The Clothing of Political Identity: Costume and Scarification in the Benin Kingdom by Nevadomsky, J., & Aisien, E. (1995). Source : JOurnal of Women's History (Vol. 106, Issue 4). Winter

Feb 19, 2023 • 46min
African Scripts: A Lesson on Communication
Hi people! We're finally back with a full episode. Listen to us discuss writing and ideographic scripts from the Continent including Nsibidi of West Africa, Ge'ez of East Africa and Tifinagh of North Africa.
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/Africas_UntoldS
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africasuntoldstories/
Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403
REFERENCES:
1. Kasper Juffermans, Yonas Mesfun Asfaha, Ashraf Abdelhay (eds.) - African Literacies_ Ideologies, Scripts, Education (2014, Cambridge Scholars Publishing)
2. The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland No. 1/2 (Apr., 1951), pp. 26-32 (8 pages)
3. A History of African Societies to 1870 (1997, Cambridge University Press)
4. The History of Africa_ The Quest for Eternal Harmony (2019, Routledge)
5. The Oxford Handbook of African Archaeology
6. Landscapes, Sources and Intellectual Projects of the West African Past
7. The Routledge Handbook of Scripts and Alphabets

Feb 6, 2023 • 16min
Season 3 Recap
Hi guys ! We're back ! Let's kick things off with a recap of last season and what to expect for the upcoming season.
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/Africas_UntoldS
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Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403

Aug 28, 2022 • 47min
The Mossi Kingdoms Part 2: A Lesson on How Relationships Shape Society
This episode is a continuation of the Origin of the Mossi. Here, we continue to the establishment of the first kingdoms and talk about how they were ran and among other things, how the relations people had with each other shaped the kingdoms and Mossi tradition.
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/Africas_UntoldS
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Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403

Aug 28, 2022 • 39min
The Mossi Kingdoms Part 1: A Lesson on Mysterious Origins
In this episode we kick off the story of the Mossi Kingdoms, a group of historical states in modern day Burkina Faso. Here, we examine their confusing and mysterious origins.
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/Africas_UntoldS
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Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403

Aug 7, 2022 • 37min
Togbe Tsali & The Ewe Migration: A Lesson on the Absence of Consequences
In this episode, Seyram tells us the oral tradition of how his people (the Ewes of Ghana) migrated, and the renowned figure who played a very important role in who and where they are today - Togbe Tsali. We examine the story, its relevance today and how sometimes people get away with their actions.
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Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403

Jul 24, 2022 • 37min
The Bantu Expansion: A Lesson on Migration
In this episode, we discuss Africa's largest and most significant population shift: The Bantu Expansion. We talk about who the Bantu speakers are, why they are significant, what their origin is, and the effect that their movement had on the entire continent.
Follow us:
Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S
Instagram: @africasuntoldstories
Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403


