Season 3
Available to listen on other major platforms.
Namibia: 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.
Chad: 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. 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. Franco-African relations poses an interesting question, whether France can ever leave Africa?
Somalia: 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-tribalism, defeat in the Ogaden War triggered Somali rebellion and dissatisfaction.
Tanzania: Tanzania’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 African culture, which was more community-oriented. Nyerere was an iconic figure and was often considered to be Africa's conscience.
Bonus: In this bonus episode 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.