An African History of Africa Quotes

“Africa is the birthplace of humankind itself, yet little of its ancient and modern history is widely known. It has an extraordinary past: engrossing narratives of warrior queens, kings, chiefs, priests and priestesses; of mighty civilisations blooming on the banks of rivers or in the shade of sacred mountains; of lavish buildings hewn out of rock, exquisite libraries bursting with discovery, bustling caravan routes and market squares thick with the voices of traders, travellers, farmers and entertainers.”
― Zeinab Badawi, An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence – An International Bestseller Told Through the Voices of Africans

“[...] Africa has a history, that is a fundamental part of our global story, and one that is worthy of a greater attention and respect than it has so far received.”
― Zeinab Badawi, An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence

“When an Egyptian committed a crime it was not the custom of Shabaka to punish him with death; but instead of the death penalty he compelled the offender, according to the seriousness of the offence, to raise the level of the soil in the neighbourhood of his native town. In this way the cities came to stand very high indeed.”
― Zeinab Badawi, An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence

“That we are all part of the original African diaspora is no longer disputed scientifically. . . . even if there is still debate about precisely where it happened within the continent, Africa is certainly where the human story began. We are an African animal, and African species who colonized the world, at different times and in different ways. No human being on earth can deny that Africa is their first home.”
― Zeinab Badawi, An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence

“I would like to say to the non-African reader of this book that 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. And to African readers, I hope I have managed in some small way to increase your knowledge of -- and pride in -- the great history of your continent. My project was inspired by the memorable words of the late Kenyan environmentalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai: 'You cannot enslave a mind that knows itself, that understands itself, that values itself.”
― Zeinab Badawi, An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence

“He told me that we must consider how much of the extremism in West Africa is actually religious-based, and how much of it is a reflection of extreme poverty, inequality, corruption and years of bad governance. 'It is difficult to find any serious jihadi tract that recommends killing innocent people, suicide bombings or kidnapping schoolgirls. These are just criminal activities. I hold strongly to the view that many of the conflicts in the world -- religious, ethnic and racial -- tend to be caused or at least inflamed by grievances rooted in economics. Poverty, unemployment, marginalisation and a general sense of being outsiders combine to bring together individuals who challenge the status quo, often violently.'"

[referring to her interview with Emir Muhammad Sanusi II of Kano in northern Nigeria]”
― Zeinab Badawi, An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence

“The Rhodesian Front Party, an all-white party led by Prime Minister Ian Smith, censored all books and material on Great Zimbabwe from 1965 until 1980, reflecting an attitude which Dr. Webber Ndoro describes as being 'pervasive in colonialist Africa: the continent had no history, no sophistication; its people and tribes were unchanging, unable to develop, culturally barren'. A crucial aspect of white-settler propaganda was that they had appropriated empty tracts of land inhabited by people with no culture or history -- terra nullius. Ian Smith's government instructed its employees that 'no official publication may state unequivocally that Great Zimbabwe was an African creation.”
― Zeinab Badawi, An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence