Africa's story has long been presented in western narratives as one that only 'began' with the arrival of non-Africans – yet modern science has revealed that the African continent was, in fact, the cradle of humanity itself. Zeinab Badawi speaks to Danny Bird about her new book that puts Africans firmly in charge of the telling of their continent's rich history – one that spans millennia of great civilisations, long-overlooked deeds of great men and women, and the African instinct to thrive in adversity.

(Ad) Zeinab Badawi is the author of An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence (WH Allen, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/African-History-Africa-Humanity-Independence/dp/0753560127/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.URp_LAKHkzuEJR64At4TXjVGAbKt5Qodjj-n3C0sjpiwi7X6VuFyx4DXO3-3AygZ.eiBWV_si59ZvHOJy8XNzCx0ordvmcgBBG5e3_rMxkck&dib_tag=se&qid=1711628678&refinements=p_27%3AZeinab+Badawi&s=books&sr=1-1&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty.

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.

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