Gamal Abdel Nasser was an Egyptian political leader and second post-independence President. Nasser joined Egypt's Royal Military Academy in 1937, and whilst in the military, he helped form the Free Officers Movement. In July 1952, the movement overthrew the monarchy in a coup and led Egypt into complete independence. Two years later, Nasser emerged from behind-the-scenes and positioned himself as Prime Minister, and then in 1956, he became President. Follow us on IG: itsacontinentpod and Twitter...
Mar 01, 2022•23 min•Season 5Ep. 3
This week we're in Guinea, looking at how the actions of market women went on to shape the policy of their nation through standing up against corruption. The cohesive nature of these demonstrations goes to show how market women became the most powerful collective group within their society. The revolt inspired other Guineans to speak up against Toure's oppressive regime, seeing him release political prisoners, culminating in an end to his ambition. The Guinean Market Women's revolt is remembered...
Feb 15, 2022•23 min•Season 5Ep. 2
The African Union (AU) was officially formed in 2002 with a vision to create an "integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.” In this episode we discuss how the AU came to be, its links to the Pan-African movement, and what the future holds for the continent under the AU. Follow us on IG: itsacontinentpod and Twitter: itsacontinent. It's a Continent (published by Coronet) is available to purchase: itsacontinent.co...
Feb 01, 2022•33 min
Hello! We will be back with our usual shenanigans and historical tea in February, bringing you stories from the African continent, and a new concept too - we'll be exploring themes that transcend national stories such as the African Union, the CFA Franc and more. Join us next month for It's a Continent Season 5, and why not catch up on an old episode before then? Follow us on IG: itsacontinentpod and Twitter: itsacontinent. Pre-order It's a Continent (2022) on itsacontinent.com/book We're on Buy...
Jan 25, 2022•2 min
Ceuta and Melilla are enclaved cities where the European Union has land borders with the African continent, as Spain continues to lay claims within Morocco. What is Spain doing in Morocco in the first place, and what are the wider implications? In this episode, we discuss why the two cities have been described as Europe’s “dirty secret" - the over-surveillance of the walls separating Africa from Europe, and the mistreatment and brutality towards those seeking a better life in Europe. We're back ...
Jan 11, 2022•21 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Our final episode of the season takes us to Algeria. We discuss the lead up to the Algerian War of Independence and the drastic actions France took in an attempt to retain power over the northern African nation. We also discuss the consequences of this conflict - including the mistreatment of Algerians in France, and those of Algerian descent demanding for official recognition of their treatment enshrined in law. See you in the new year! Follow us on IG: itsacontinentpod and Twitter: itsacontine...
Nov 16, 2021•29 min•Season 4Ep. 8
The Kingdom of Lesotho is a country enclaved within South Africa. The country’s formation stemmed from the work of King Moshoeshoe I (1786-1870) who founded the Basotho nation and helped define what it meant to be Basotho. In this episode, we’ll explore the country’s formation, its complicated relationship and history with South Africa, and recent political challenges which have shaped the nation. Follow us on IG: itsacontinentpod and Twitter: itsacontinent. Pre-order It's a Continent (2022) on ...
Nov 02, 2021•28 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Vera Chirwa was Malawi’s first female lawyer and became a founding member of the Malawi Congress Party and the Nyasaland African Women’s league. Chirwa’s belief in multiparty democratic rule came at a time when a dangerous despot, Hastings Banda ruled a newly independent Malawi. In 1982, Banda ended up charging Vera and her husband Orton with treason, and the following year the court sentenced the couple to death. In this episode we look at Vera Chirwa's life and her drive to keep going despite ...
Oct 19, 2021•30 min•Season 4Ep. 6
To recognise Black History month in the UK, we're joined by the academic, activist and author Professor Kehinde Andrews. Kehinde is a professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University and has written several books, his latest being ‘The New Age of Empire: How Racism and Colonialism Still Rule the World.’ In this episode we discuss black British identity, immigration, and how colonisation has shifted into its current form: benevolent imperialism. Kehinde's projects include the Harambee Org...
Oct 05, 2021•54 min•Season 4Ep. 5
We're back in Uganda for the second part of our episodes focussing on Yoweri Museveni. This time we discuss the way his government silenced Bobi Wine's activities during the 2021 elections through excessive force and sanctioned killings. An internet blackout took place in Uganda, limiting reporting on internal conditions; however the Red Pearl Movement and social media has allowed Uganda's story to be shared with the international community. This episode looks at the extreme and violent measures...
Sep 21, 2021•28 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Yoweri Museveni is a name you may have heard of during Uganda’s most recent elections where he was up against his main political rival Bobi Wine. This presidential election was entangled by fraud, threats, and sanctioned killings - but how did Ugandan politics get to this point? This episode is the first of a two-parter. We’ll look at Yoweri Museveni's rise to power: how his positioning as Uganda's liberator and increased stability for the nation gave way to a ban on other political campaigns an...
Sep 07, 2021•26 min•Season 4Ep. 3
During the Scramble for Africa, Italy was eager to develop a 'second Roman Empire' within the continent. It set its sights on Ethiopia, which they were 'awarded' during the Berlin Conference of 1884-85. Now, all they had to do was remove the Ethiopian government and occupy the land. This proved easier said than done. At the time, Ethiopia was under the leadership of Emperor Menelik II, who was able to lead and defend his country against the Italian army. The Emperor helped to put Ethiopia on the...
Aug 24, 2021•26 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Freetown is the capital city of Sierra Leone, a country in Western Africa. The name of the city has links to its origin as a British colony used to repatriate freed black people from across the British Empire (Jamaica and Canada) as well as other places as far and wide as The Congo and Lake Malawi. Britain insisted Freetown represented humanity, justice, and freedom but it didn’t represent any of those things. It stole land, got local chiefs to sign dodgy contracts, and highlighted the false ide...
Aug 10, 2021•24 min•Season 4Ep. 1
In celebration of Black Pound Day, we talk to William Adoasi, entrepreneur and founder of Vitae London. Vitae London is a London-based, Black-owned watch and accessories brand, selling high-quality watches at an accessible price. A portion of each sale revenue goes to support children’s education in Sub-Saharan Africa. We discuss how the idea for the business came about, shooting your shot with Richard Branson and how social enterprises can provide solutions for the continent. You can follow Wil...
Jul 06, 2021•25 min•Season 3Ep. 12
We're joined by Farida Nabourema, a Togolese human rights activist, writer and Pan-Africanist who has fought for democracy in her country since her teenage years. Farida founded the "Faure Must Go" movement in 2011, where she organised Togolese youths to stand against the dictatorial regime of the Gnassingbés. The movement captures the civil resistance movement in Togo, of which Nabourema is one of the most well-known leaders. In 2014 she published her book La Pression de l'Oppression, encouragi...
Jun 22, 2021•54 min•Season 3Ep. 11
In our final episode of season 3, we're exploring West Africa during the 13th century and the founder of the Mali Empire, Sundiata Keita. The Mali Empire was one of the continent's wealthiest and most prominent empires spanning across modern-day Mali, Senegal, Guinea, Mauritania, Gambia and Burkina Faso. Sundiata's life story is one of overcoming adversity, surviving jealous family members, and conquering the enemy. His story gives a fascinating insight into how oral traditions were kept alive a...
May 25, 2021•22 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Ceuta and Melilla are enclaved cities where the European Union has land borders with the African continent, as Spain continues to lay claims within Morocco. What is Spain doing in Morocco in the first place, and what are the wider implications? In this episode, we discuss why the two cities have been described as Europe’s “dirty secret" - the over-surveillance of the walls separating Africa from Europe, and the mistreatment and brutality towards those seeking a better life in Europe. Follow us o...
May 11, 2021•26 min•Season 3Ep. 8
We have a big announcement!! Pre-order It's a Continent (2022) here: Amazon Waterstones https://linktr.ee/itsacontinent Visit our website: itsacontinent.com Follow us on IG: itsacontinentpod and Twitter: itsacontinent. We're on Buy me a Coffee too: buymeacoffee.com/itsacontinent Hosts: Chinny: Twitter/IG: chindomiee Astrid: IG: astrid_monologuesx Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg Warm Nights by Lakey Inspired: https://soundcloud.com/lakeyinspired/... Creative Commons — Attribut...
Apr 30, 2021•2 min•Season 3Ep. 8
In this episode, we learn about Africa’s longest-serving dynasties, the Gnassingbé dynasty. They have ruled Togo since the late 1960s. The rise of the dynasty began with Gnassingbé Eyadéma, who forged a successful military career and became the country’s President. Following Gnassingbé’s death in 2005, his son Faure Gnassingbé became President following a questionable set of parliamentary changes, and like father, like son, his rulership has failed the Togolese people. Follow us on IG: itsaconti...
Apr 27, 2021•29 min•Season 3Ep. 7
The Chagos Islands are located in the Indian Ocean, home to Chagossians. However, the islands' sovereignty remains disputed to this day. The UK continues laying claims to the islands, despite being urged to end its unlawful occupation. In this episode we’ll focus on the expulsion of Chagossians from their home country, and the steps the British government have taken to make it more difficult for Chagos islanders to return home. Follow us on IG: itsacontinentpod and Twitter: itsacontinent. We're ...
Apr 13, 2021•31 min•Season 3Ep. 6
We're back with a bonus episode before we return to season 3! We discuss the consequences of the trans-atlantic slave trade on the continent with our special guest, Karis. We talk about the notion of Africans selling other Africans into slavery by applying the correct lens to examine a pre-colonial continent, how the slave trade gave way to European colonisation and the importance of education and cultural exchange as a solution to diaspora wars. You can follow Karis on Twitter: @friedricejim. C...
Mar 23, 2021•46 min•Season 3Ep. 5
In this episode, we're in Tanzania discussing its stint in socialism. The country's first post-independence President, Julius Nyerere, introduced the Arusha Declaration. A vital element of the declaration was the introduction of Ujamaa which means family-hood in Swahili. Ujamaa focused on freedom, equality and unity. He believed that colonialism had brought capitalism and individualistic thinking into Tanzania and across the African continent, and capitalism went against pre-colonial traditional...
Feb 23, 2021•34 min•Season 3Ep. 4
In this episode we discuss Somalia's socialist government between 1969-1991. This movement was led by Mohamed Siad Barre, a Somali Communist politician. Under the Supreme Revolutionary Council, Barre transformed Somalia into a one-party Marxist-Leninist communist state, renaming the country the Somali Democratic Republic and adopting a concept called scientific socialism, with support from the Soviet Union. Whilst Barre’s rule had initial success: modernisation, nationalisation and anti-tribalis...
Feb 09, 2021•31 min•Season 3Ep. 3
In this episode, we discuss France's relationship with its African colonies, specifically Chad. Chad became part of the French empire during the Scramble for Africa and successfully gained its independence in 1960 following the empire's disbandment. France's response to this change was to form alliances with its former colonies in order to maintain some of the political and economic benefits they had garnered during their colonisation. These alliances still stand today, with the French governmen...
Jan 26, 2021•37 min•Season 3Ep. 2
The Herero and Namaqua genocide is still not widely discussed or taught. Between 1904-1907, hundreds of thousands of Herero and Namaqua people were starved and tortured to death in response to a rebellion against German occupation and theft of land in Namibia. In this episode we discuss racist and fascist ideologies which led to this event (and later on, the holocaust), medical racism, and reparations that Namibians continue to demand from Germany to this day. Trigger warning: torture. We descri...
Jan 12, 2021•30 min•Season 3Ep. 1
We're back with an early Christmas present - a bonus episode with Lape Banjo! Lape is a British Nigerian broadcast journalist who has worked across both UK and African networks and is currently a reporter with Sky News. She has a passion for African culture and politics and has previously worked at political organisations, including The Economic Community of West African States, and UNICEF. In this episode we revisit Nigeria in its present day, discussing the impact of diasporans returning to th...
Dec 21, 2020•52 min•Season 2Ep. 9
In this episode we're in Madagascar, one of Africa’s island countries and the fourth largest island in the world. We explore the Malagasy Uprising which took place between 1947-1948. The uprising saw thousands of Malagasy people fight the French to regain ownership of their country. The French government had suspicions that the uprising wasn’t just caused by Malagasy groups, but also their European rivals: Britain and America. Following the uprising, France soon regained control of the country, ...
Nov 10, 2020•26 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Queen Nzinga was one of the greatest female rulers of the continent, ruling over the Kingdoms of Ndongo and Matamba (modern day Angola). She was made famous by fighting against the slave trade and European influence. In this episode, we're taking it back to pre-colonial times and discuss how Queen Nzinga fought off Portuguese invasions and slave raids for more than 30 years. Apologies for the sound quality - we're currently recording from home! Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg...
Oct 27, 2020•29 min•Season 2Ep. 7
South Sudan gained independence from the Republic of Sudan in 2011. In this episode, we discuss South Sudan’s arduous road having struggled through two civil wars spanning over 20 years. South Sudan’s current state of affairs has very much been influenced by its relationship with the Republic of Sudan, in particular, conflict over regional borders and oil revenue. Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg Warm Nights by Lakey Inspired: https://soundcloud.com/lakeyinspired/... Creative ...
Sep 22, 2020•26 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Steve Biko was a revolutionary and activist often regarded as the father of the Black Consciousness Movement, empowering black South Africans in the fight against apartheid. Biko was viewed as one of the first prolific anti-apartheid icons, and is viewed as a political martyr. In this episode we'll look at Biko's story, his impact and his legacy. Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg Warm Nights by Lakey Inspired: https://soundcloud.com/lakeyinspired/... Creative Commons — Attribut...
Sep 15, 2020•38 min•Season 2Ep. 4
