In this episode we discuss Lunja, a folk hero from Amazigh mythology; daughter of an man-eating ogre, who befriends a scrawny prince. Join us for a tale of magic, giant vultures and a redemption arc. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africas-untold-stories/message

Ruins of a mysterious stone town believed by the locals to be haunted by spirits. A medieval town with an odd location, structure and demise...this episode on the Gedi ruins will make you think about just how much of Africa's stunning history is still hidden. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403 --- Send in a voice message:...

Folk hero with an impenetrable skin. Sound familiar ? In this episode we discuss the hero of the Luo of Kenya, Luanda Magere and learn about why he is revered by them. We also pick up a lesson that is a common among many African stories. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africas-untold-stories/message

Churches built by angels? Defensive walls built by the queen of Sheba? Or maybe it's all just aliens! We visit Nigeria and Ethiopia in this episode to try to make sense of two historical structures that do not quite make sense. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africas-untold-stories/message

Secret societies, shadow rulers, guardians from the spiritual…controversial, shady, too powerful; this episode on the Poro and Sande will probably raise more questions than it answers but then again, isn’t that what truly makes a secret society…secret? Join us to learn about two powerful secret societies in Liberia and Sierra Leone Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ:...

This episode will feel like a trip to an alternate reality but it definitely happened: powerful Christian kingdoms in modern day Sudan. We discuss their rise, their might, just how Christian they were and why Sudan today has little trace of this history left. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403 --- Send in a voice message:...

Join us for part 2 of our series on creatures from African folklore and myths! Don't worry, you wouldn't be scarred in this one. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africas-untold-stories/message

Heya ! In this episode we have an overview of a rather complex topic: Arabs in Africa. We give some history and context to understand why North Africa is dominated by Arabs although the Arabic heartland is in the Middle-East. This is very much a simplified version of events and we do encourage listeners to read more on this topic outside of this podcast. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ:...

Join us for an episode on creatures from African folklore and myths! From some disturbing ones to ones with pure hearts and one somewhere in-between. We guarantee you will be shaken and awed. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africas-untold-stories/message

This second and final part of the Epic of Sundiata brings to a close the story about the founder of the Mali Empire's rise to power. It covers his rivalry with Saomaoro Kante, ruler of the Sosso Kingdom and his battles with Sundiata and how he was overcome in Sundiata's quest to unite the various Mande speaking people to create the Empire of Mali. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ:...

Welcome to season 3 of AUS! In out first episode back, we narrate part of a retelling of the Epic of Sundiata, a historical account of the life of the founder of the Mali Empire, passed down through generations of Mande speaking Griots in West Africa. We cover his mother's backstory, his birth, difficult childhood and exile from his native kingdom of Niani. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ:...

'Aminatu, a woman as capable as a man'. Our final episode for the second season covers a woman whose character elevated her to heights that will forever entrench her in the history of the Hausa people. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africas-untold-stories/message

Swahili Samson or Swahili Achilles? You decide for yourself when you join us for a new episode about the (partially mythologized) story of Liyongo, a folk hero of the Swahili people. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africas-untold-stories/message

Another episode about a large but overlooked ethnic group on the continent! Join us to learn about the Malagasy people of Madagascar and how the merger of two worlds birthed their unusual origin which has given rise to one of Africa's most unique languages and culture. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403 --- Send in a voice message:...

Join us and a guest from Algeria (!) to talk about the Amazigh (Berber) queen Dihya (AKA Al-Kahina) who fought against the early Arab expansion into Northern Africa. We discuss what little information there is about her life outside war and why she was so much of a bother to the Arabs that they gave her the title, 'Seer'. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ:...

The child with the face of a man. Today's episode is a narration of stories of Hlakanyana of the Xhosa people of Southern Africa, a more evil trickster than others we have spoken of. The lessons from his stories as told to children were a twofold warning. And of course, it starts with an unusual birth... Link to Bryan's short stories: https://medium.com/@yinsakya Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ:...

In today's episode, we welcome a guest speaker to take charge of a discussion on the renowned queen mother of the precolonial Ashanti Empire - Nana Yaa Asantewaa. We learn about her motivations, her life and what led her to take charge and lead her people to war against the British Empire (War of the Golden Stool) at 60 years old! Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ:...

For our first episode back, we examine one of Africa's finest medieval cities known to its locals are Edo and foreigners as Benin. We examine the city and kingdom's origin, its structure, what made it so great and just why every visitor to the city was stunned by what they saw. We also examine one of the most revered Edo traditions - the Benin Bronzes and of course how it declined and the role of the British in that. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro...

This episode is a retelling of the story of two divine brothers from the Ambundu people of Angola. It is a sort of origin story for the thunder and its echo. Like the other epics we have covered on this show, it starts with someone born wielding a weapon... Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403

We carry on from where we left off in the previous episode of the Songhai Empire. A new dynasty (the Askiya dynasty) comes to power and ushers Songhai into a period of erratic highs and lows before the eventual collapse of the last great West African medieval empires. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403

The final of the three mighty medieval West African empires – Songhai ! In today’s episode we discuss largely its origins, how it morphed from a simple city state to the largest West African empire and how at the helm of all this was one of Africa’s greatest conquerors – Sonni Ali Ber. We discuss his influence on the region and why he was a divisive figure, even today. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ:...

Ready for a story by the fireside? This episodes serves just that - Anansesɛm! Follow stories about the trickster god of the Akan people of Ghana and Ivory Coast, a mischievous character so influential, he traveled across the Atlantic with enslaved Akans. We discuss his origin, stories and relevance even in today's Ghana and beyond. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ:...

Our second North African episode! We talk about Ibn Battuta, the most travelled man before the invention of the steam engine, and highlight a few significant trips on his journey as well as his reactions. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403

In this episode we have talk about the concept of death in some indigenous African cultures and its influence on the beliefs and lifestyle of Africans. We look at the ancient Egyptians, Dogon and some others to get a perspective on how our view of death influenced our culture. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403

In the second episode of the new season, we talk about Kanem! And Borno! And Kanem-Borno because they are the same thing...or are they? Join us to learn about one of the longest lasting empires in the world (about 1000 years) with one of the greatest comeback stories. Follow us: Twitter: @AfricasUntold_S Instagram: @africasuntoldstories Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403