African history, culture & futures — told by us
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Long reads on African history, governance, economics, culture, and what comes next.

All eras Ancient (before 500 CE) Medieval (500–1500 CE) Pre-colonial (1500–1884) Colonial era (1884–1960s) Independence era (1960s–2000) Contemporary (2000–present) Future systems & solutions
Governance & Political Systems Pre-colonial (1500–1884)

Osei Tutu and the Asante Confederation — federalism before Westphalia

The Asante state that Otumfuo Osei Tutu I and the priest-statesman Okomfo Anokye consolidated around 1701 is usually taught as a 'kingdom.' That is misleading. It was a …

5 min read · West Africa, Ghana · 49 views
Culture & Traditions Pre-colonial (1500–1884)

Yoruba diaspora retentions — Brazilian Candomblé orisha alignment

The Yoruba religious system — the *orisha* pantheon, the divination practices centered on Ifá, the cosmology that links *ori* (the personal head/destiny) to *àse* (the vital force) to …

2 min read · Atlantic, Yoruba diaspora · 23 views
Governance & Political Systems Pre-colonial (1500–1884)

Asante succession — the asantehene, the Queen Mother, and how the Golden Stool changed hands

Among the institutional features of the Asante state that the colonial encounter imperfectly understood, succession to the asantehene is one of the most consequential — and one of …

2 min read · West Africa, Ghana · 21 views
Environment & Land Pre-colonial (1500–1884)

African land tenure systems — communal does not mean unowned

One of the most consequential mistranslations in colonial administration was the equation of *communal* land tenure with *terra nullius* — land belonging to no one, available for the …

5 min read · Pan-African · 27 views
Governance & Political Systems Pre-colonial (1500–1884)

The Sokoto Caliphate's archives — Murray Last and what the colonial seizures missed

The Sokoto Caliphate, established by the Fulani jihad of Usman dan Fodio between 1804 and 1809, was at its peak the largest African polity south of the Sahara …

2 min read · West Africa, Northern Nigeria · 19 views