ThinkAfrica reference guide Was Abacha a Good President? A Data-Driven Assessment of Sani Abacha’s Rule Short answer: Sani Abacha was not an elected president; he was Nigeria’s military Head of State from November 1993 until his death in June 1998. His government achieved genuine macroeconomic stabilization, sharply reduced inflation, improved the fiscal position for several […]
Was Abacha a Good President? Read More »
American innovation • Race • Immigration • Economic history Did American Innovation Decline as Its White Majority Declined? The claim that American innovation weakened as the country became less White sounds tidy, dramatic and measurable. It is also unsupported by the historical record. America’s most transformative modern technologies emerged while its population, universities and scientific
Did American Innovation Decline as America Became More Diverse? Read More »
In the vibrant annals of Jamaican history, certain threads stand out, woven with the indomitable spirit of resistance and the quest for freedom. Among these, the legacy of Samuel Sharpe and the Baptist War holds a place of profound reverence. While British abolitionists like William Wilberforce are acknowledged for their roles in ending slavery, it
Who was Samuel Sharpe and what was the Baptist War of 1831? Read More »
Welcome to the world of Bantu-speaking Africans—over 400 unique ethnic groups, speaking a stunning array of languages and living across Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa. To call the Bantu a “tribe” would be like calling all of Europe “one neighborhood.” The Bantu are bound not by a single identity but by a vast linguistic and
Who are the Bantu Africans? Read More »
Using any available books or studies already published, I estimated the numerical estimates (with sources) for European people enslaved or used as forced labour during these periods of oppression, conflict or global changes. Between 10.2 million and 14.8 million Europeans have been enslaved or used as forced labour since 300 Bc. I don’t know every
Enslavement of Europeans Read More »
Apartheid is a mind-set that took 300 years to put in place in South Africa, which relied on racist attitudes of successive white-settlers who accumulated power over time. The major social-engineers of apartheid included prime minister Daniel Malan (the 4th prime minister of the Union of South Africa), prime minister Johannes Strijdom, and prime minister
The Good Ol’ Days During the Colonization of Africa As we look back to see how we got here, it becomes obvious that a few Africans were not taught what the colonization of Africa was like and why almost all African territories were handed back self-rule. To solve problems like poverty, misrule, dictatorships, corruption and
The Colonization of Africa and why it came to an end Read More »
“Segregation now,
Segregation tomorrow,
Segregation forever”
George Wallace, former Alabama Governor, 1963
United States racial wealth gap since emancipation Read More »
There are a lot of misconceptions about what happened during the Trans-Sahara slave trade and the Atlantic slave trade in black Africans, including how it began. Many people believe the slave trade in Africans began in 1619. In truth, we know that slavery itself began much earlier. Refer to the laws of Hammurabi as one
The Slave Trade in Black Africans Read More »
Many countries from Europe, Asia Minor and America were involved in the slave trade, transporting Africans against their will from Africa to their own countries or colonies to profit from their re-sale or value in use. In the following table, the estimates of the numbers of people transported, the flags of the carriers and their
10 Non-African Nations involved in the slave trade Read More »
ThinkAfrica explainer African Nations Involved in the Slave Trade The slave trade was the horrific trafficking of Africans as enslaved persons to the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. It was a catastrophe of violence, extraction, and human degradation—driven above all by external demand and imperial systems, but also, tragically, involving some African states and
10 African nations involved in the slave trade Read More »
If you think that slavery has been eradicated, think again. Modern-day slavery takes place in the form of human trafficking which involves forcing, pressuring or defrauding victims into labor or sexual exploitation.
How human trafficking affects Africa today Read More »
Europe often claims that it is an advocate of democracy. It is claimed that the Athenian constitution and the British Parliament are the earliest examples of democracy but written history says otherwise. Africa has Meroe, Carthage, the Gada system of the Oromo and the Kalenji system to point to for evidence of pre-colonial democracy. Furthermore,
Africa’s Independence Dates Read More »
Phillis Wheatley[1] is one of the most iconic examples of growth over achievement and empowerment. Despite going through devastating situations and falling prey to the cruelties of her historical era, she had the opportunity to get an informal education, and go down as one of the West’s earliest female writers. To gain a sense
The word “polyglot” comes from Greek. “Poly” means “many” and “glot” means tongue. Greek was the first European language to use vowels. It is an Afroasiatic language written right to left originally like Hebrew. Almost every word that starts “ph” in English comes from Greek, along with 12% of all English words – 150,000 words. There are 600,000 words in English, 120,000 words in Yoruba, and no-one has ever counted the number of words in Latin or Greek. Within six years of banning the slave trade, a former slave had the opportunity to produce a bible fully translated into Yoruba, a guide to grammar for Nupe, Igbo and Yoruba, a Yoruba version of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, receive a Doctor of Divinity from Oxford between 1861 and 1881, to become a polyglot, and become the first Anglican African bishop.
Samuel Ajayi Crowther: from slave to Polyglot & first African Anglican Bishop Read More »
Have you watched “Madagascar”, the cartoon? Seen the inhabitants? Seen it as the island of Lemurs? Have you ever bit the bullet and spent £3,000 for white beaches, fresh fish from the Indian Ocean and a private villa with concierge? When you think Madagascar, do you think “luxury holiday”, think “lemurs” or think Gisèle Rabesahala? Who is Gisèle Rabesahala?
Gisèle Rabesahala: Visionary and A Human Rights Lawyer Read More »
