Black History Unveiled

#13: The Berlin Conference

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 22:00:00 GMT

Today's episode is about an incredibly impactful moment in world history – one that reshaped not only the African continent but also the Western world. It influenced the development of modern Europe and the formation of Black diasporas across the globe.

Today's episode is about the Berlin Conference: perhaps one of the most famous events in the West tied to Africa – yet also one of the most misunderstood.

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#12: From Slavery to Colonialism

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 22:00:00 GMT

In this episode of the Black History Unveiled podcast, we delve into a pivotal moment in history, not just for Africa but for Europe and beyond – a moment that has helped shape the modern world. Our focus today is on the period following the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade, a time that evolved into the crushing weight of colonialism. We'll explore how these two devastating eras bled into one another and the long-lasting consequences for the people and regions affected.

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#11: Njinga – The Mother of Angola

Sat, 03 May 2025 22:00:00 GMT

Today's episode of the Black History Unveiled podcast is about one of pre-colonial Africa's most famous regents. A woman who, for several decades, resisted Portugal's attempt to conquer her country. A woman whose actions throughout history have been both demonized and glorified.

Today's episode is about Njinga – the mother of Angola – and the woman who, in the 17th century, was prepared to do everything to avoid losing her country.

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Interview: Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse on the aftereffects of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 23:00:00 GMT

In today's episode of the Black History Unveiled podcast, I interview Rwandan-French author Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse about her book "All Your Children, Scattered". It is a novel about the aftereffects of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, told through three generations.

Beata's latest book, "The Convoy", is about her own experiences of the genocide. She was only a teenager when it happened, and the book tells the story of how she escaped the killings and how she, as an adult, tries to piece together the accounts of other survivors.

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Interview: Sonya Lindfors on intersectionality, decolonization, and race in the art space

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT

In today's episode of the Black History Unveiled podcast, I interview Cameroonian-Finnish choreographer and artistic director Sonya Lindfors. We spoke literally minutes after she had just directed and starred in her piece "One Drop." We talk about intersectionality, decolonization, audience reactions, how discussions on race and identity have evolved in the art space, plus much more. Enjoy!

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#10: Brazil’s Black Kingdom: How Enslaved Africans Created Their Own Nation

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:00:00 GMT

The last main episode of Black History Unveiled explored the rise and fall of the Kingdom of Kongo—a powerful Central African state that met a devastating blow at the hands of the Portuguese in 1665. In the aftermath, Kongo not only lost its king but also saw much of its nobility captured, enslaved, and forcibly taken across the Atlantic.

Most of them vanished into the brutal anonymity of the transatlantic slave trade, their names erased from history. But not all. Some survived the passage of time. One such figure is Ganga Zumba.

Leading a daring escape, he and other fugitives from slavery carved out a stronghold deep in the jungles of Brazil.

This is the story of how enslaved Africans fought back, built their own nation, and came close to toppling the Portuguese colonial power.

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Minisode: Kendrick Lamar & The 40 Acres

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:02:48 GMT

The conversation around Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl performance is in full swing. Every detail is being dissected, from his set list and relentless jabs at Drake to his vision for the future of hip-hop. Fans and critics alike are also trying to unpack the layers of symbolism woven into his set.

One phrase, in particular, has sparked a wave of questions: "40 acres and a mule." What's its history, and why does it still resonate today? I break it down in today's episode.

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#9: The Rise & Fall of the Kingdom of Kongo

Sun, 02 Feb 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Season 2 of the Black History Unveiled podcast is here! And the first episode is about a Central African kingdom that dominated its region during the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. This kingdom initially enjoyed a close relationship with Portugal, a relationship that eventually devolved into horrific scenes. This kingdom's fate had profound consequences for the entire Western Hemisphere. Today's episode is about the rise and fall of the Kingdom of Kongo.

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Minisode: A reintroduction of female genital mutilation in The Gambia?

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 22:00:36 GMT

Today’s minisode of the Black History Unveiled podcast is about the fight to reintroduce female genital mutilation (FGM) in The Gambia. And how it’s a part of a global movement where, primarily, conservative men seek to maintain and/or regain control over women's bodies and sexuality.

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Minisode: The Haitian Crisis

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 14:41:10 GMT

Today's episode of the Black History Unveiled podcast provides some background to the scenes unfolding in Haiti as we speak. Too many media outlets ignore the context and are only interested in creating the most spectacular headline.

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#8: The Haitian Revolution, Part 3

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 21:10:10 GMT

Today's episode of the Black History Unveiled Podcast marks the third and final part of the Haitian Revolution series. In the previous episode, we witnessed the outbreak of the revolt and the successful expulsion of the invading British and Spanish forces by the enslaved people of Saint-Domingue.

However, instead of peace, the so-called "War of the Knives" ensued, with leaders of the newly liberated population vying for control of the colony. After two years of conflict, the former slave Toussaint Louverture emerged as the victor. But what had he really won? Officially, Saint-Domingue still remained under French sovereignty.

Our story picks up when the French are gearing up to assert their authority. Louverture and the rest of the freed slaves are faced with an overpowering enemy and impossible odds, with the violence in Saint-Domingue reaching apocalyptic levels. The episode also provides keys to understanding why Haiti is in such a vulnerable position today.

You can find Black History Unveiled wherever you get your podcasts.

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#7: The Haitian Revolution, part 2

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 23:00:18 GMT

This is the second episode of our three-part series about the Haitian revolution: one of history's biggest upsets, a classic David and Goliath moment.

In the first episode – which I recommend you listen to if you haven't already – we covered the creation of the French Caribbean colony of Saint-Domingue, which, from the late 17th century onwards, was the primary source of all coffee and sugar consumed in Europe. To make this possible, imported Africans were subjected to a particularly hideous form of slavery.

As this episode begins—late summer 1791—the slaves—the island's majority population—are preparing to give their lives for a chance at freedom.

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#6: The Haitian Revolution, part 1

Wed, 17 Jan 2024 05:00:01 GMT

Today's episode touches on one of the most fascinating events in history. It's a story containing incomprehensible evil, incredible courage, and inspiring resistance.

By understanding this story, you also understand more about why things look the way they do today. How, for example, can two neighboring Caribbean countries – sharing an island – have such enormously different conditions? How can there be prosperity, investment, and hope for the future on one side of the border, while on the other, there is mainly talk of societal collapse, poverty, and suffering?

Many of the answers can be found here.

The episode is about the colonization of a Caribbean island and the particularly brutal slavery that followed. But also about the revolt that culminated in creating what is usually called "the world's first black republic" – Haiti.

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Minisode: The British monarchy's refusal to return the remains of a stolen Ethiopian prince

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 23:16:37 GMT

Today's minisode is about an Ethiopian prince whisked away to England under mysterious circumstances. Since then, a battle has been waged over his remains, with Ethiopia yearning for his return, a request staunchly denied by the British monarchy.

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#5: Aksum – One of the Four Great Powers of Antiquity

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 13:11:16 GMT

Today's episode is about an East African kingdom that, in the 2nd century CE, was described as one of the world's foremost powers, along with Rome, Persia, and China. A kingdom that erected grand monuments and whose coinage spread throughout the world. It was not only among the first in history to convert to Christianity – a couple of hundred years later, it may have played a decisive role in the survival of Islam as a religion.

Today's episode is about Aksum.

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Minisode: The Trivialization of Transatlantic Slavery

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 23:00:48 GMT

Those of you who've been listening to the podcast know that I often caution against the pitfalls of drawing parallels between various forms of slavery, especially when such comparisons are rooted in misleading or deceptive reasoning.

In this episode, I'm spotlighting a recent instance of this very issue. It's a striking example of a comparison that seeks to downplay the sheer scale and catastrophic impact of transatlantic slavery. It's whataboutism to an extraordinary degree.

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#4: Transatlantic Slave Trade, Part 2: The Golden Age of the Slave Trade

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 23:00:03 GMT

In the second and final part of the series on transatlantic slavery, we take a closer look at the golden age of the slave trade. We examine what allowed the trade to become so lucrative and extensive and how slavery differed from place to place, establishing that the U.S. wasn't representative of the rest of America. We also explore how the slave trade institutionalized racism against Black people.

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Minisode: The Dutch apology for slavery

Wed, 22 Nov 2023 23:00:29 GMT

In this week's minisode, we're taking a closer look at last year's Dutch apology for the Netherlands' role in slavery. We will examine what led to it, why the apology took so long, what it might mean for the future and the ripple effects (if any) it has had so far.

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#3: Transatlantic Slave Trade, Part 1: Portugal's Exploration of Africa and the Birth of the Slave Trade

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 23:00:04 GMT

Today's episode is about the transatlantic slave trade, which is probably what many people think of first when they think of the history of Black Africa. Even so, it's a subject marked by misconceptions. People usually know that it happened, but not so much about why, how it started, or how far-reaching the consequences of it were.

Therefore, the following two episodes are a deep dive into transatlantic slavery. Part two will be more about the golden age of the slave trade, what life was like for those enslaved, and the obscene amounts of money the slave traders made.

In part one, we instead take a closer look at how the money that the Portuguese made from the West African gold trade pushed the Spanish to try to find their own sources of gold. But also on slavery as an institution and how the transatlantic slave trade first arose: how Portugal's exploration of Africa and the European so-called discovery of America worked together to create this tragic chapter in human history.

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Minisode: Did Disney steal from African traditions while creating "The Lion King"?

Wed, 08 Nov 2023 23:00:03 GMT

Before the podcast leaves Mali, I will address two allegations of plagiarism leveled at Disney. The first and weaker of the two claims is that Disney stole large parts of Mali's national epic, "The Epic of Sundiata," in creating the plot of the mega-hit "The Lion King."

The second is about one of the film's signature songs, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." The original version was written in 1939 by a South African man named Solomon Linda, who was paid pennies for the recording and died destitute, while American renditions of his song brought in millions.

The episode also highlights the battle against Disney that Linda's daughters have been waging to access missing royalties and have Solomon Linda's name recognized as the original composer.

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#2: The mighty Mali Empire & Mansa Musa – the richest man in history?

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 22:46:28 GMT

Today's episode is about a place where some people believed valuable minerals grew in the ground and were picked as plants. An immense empire serving as a center of trade and religion, supplying Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East with much-coveted gold.

But it was also a place that may have inspired Europeans to venture further out into the seas than ever before, with consequences no one could have imagined. This is the story of Mansa Musa and the Mali Empire.

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Minisode: Coups, violence in the Sahel & Burkina Faso's survival

Wed, 25 Oct 2023 22:00:26 GMT

After ordering the assassination of Thomas Sankara, his close friend and right-hand man Blaise Compaoré seized power in Burkina Faso. He ruled the country for 27 years before widespread protests forced him into exile in 2014. Two democratic elections followed as Burkina Faso was drawn deeper into the jihadist violence that has spread across the Sahel belt over the past decade.

In 2022, the country suffered two military coups. The latest brought the young and enigmatic Ibrahim Traoré to power. Since then, he has advocated for self-sufficiency, distanced himself from the old colonial power France, and fostered closer ties with Russia.

Can Traoré finally defeat the militias? And if so, will he return power to the people?

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#1: Thomas Sankara & the struggle for an independent Burkina Faso

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 22:10:38 GMT

The premiere episode of Black History Unveiled is about a country where corruption was rampant, where a small elite lived well at the expense of the majority, and where international aid was essential for survival. It is also a story about a person who wanted to change all that and who genuinely seemed to want the population's best. The methods have been questioned, but the result spoke for itself.

This is the story of Thomas Sankara and his struggle to make Burkina Faso stand on its own two feet. A fight that cost him his life

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#0: Why Black history is important

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 22:00:25 GMT

Welcome to Black History Unveiled, the new podcast where we spotlight pivotal moments, influential figures, and groundbreaking movements from Black History across the globe.

In this episode, I tell you a little about myself and what drove me to start this podcast. I also talk about how Black history, up until relatively recently, was considered insignificant and trivial. Until the 1960s, a typical Western view was that Black Africa was devoid of history. That's why that narrative is so important to change.

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Black History Unveiled – Trailer

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 09:28:11 GMT

Black History Unveiled: From the Continent to the Diaspora is a podcast by Swedish-Gambian journalist and author Amat Levin. It focuses on the part of world history that has received shockingly little attention. The podcast highlights gripping historical events, fascinating places, and exciting people that have been conspicuous by their absence in our history books.

Some episodes are about things that happened hundreds, even thousands of years ago. Others take place more recently and touch on scenes many of us may have witnessed. The stories are inspiring, illuminating, startling, and sometimes upsetting.

By listening, you'll learn why Black history has traditionally been suppressed, why it's essential to change that, and what learning about it can teach us about today.

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