Where Ships Go to Die: The Forgotten Maritime History of Africa
Africa’s coastline carries stories most people never hear about.
Not the stories in tourism brochures and postcard beaches.
The darker stories.
Stories of ships swallowed by storms. Ancient cities sinking be....
What makes a bad name?
I just love good names.
One reason I love history is the names I get to discover. Kunta Kinte. Kwame Nkrumah. Ngolo Kanté.
You don't know why you like them. They just sound cool.
Take Kanté. Here is....
The Forest That Walks
Across Africa, animals are more than just animals.
They are symbols.
They are messengers.
Sometimes… they are family.
In East Africa, the lion represents royalty. In parts of West Africa, the leopar....
The Place Where You Can Touch a Crocodile and Live
In The Gambia, you can walk up to a full-grown West African crocodile and touch it.
Heavy. Ancient. Two metres of muscle and scale, lying on the bank in the sun.
You can crouch beside it, stroke its back, lift its tail, a....
The Country That Refused to Choose an Official Language
Sooner or later, most countries face the same question:
What language represents the nation?
Somalia chose Somali.
Nigeria chose English.
Tanzania chose Swahili.
Even countries with dozens of languages u....
Rome Didn’t Invent the 365-Day Year
Every year, without fail, the River Nile would rise.
The water would spill over its banks, swallowing farmland and forcing entire communities to higher ground. Then, just as predictably, it would retreat, leaving behind rich, dar....
A Compass Gone Mad
Picture this: It's 1962 in Bangui.
Children play football in dusty streets. Women carry water from the Ubangi River. Market vendors sell cassava and dried fish.
In the recently independent nation, life continues as it has....