Africa, Slavery and Empire

Africa, Slavery and Empire

A collection of documentaries, podcasts and interviews on the topics of Slavery, Abolition, Africa and Empire.

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Africa, Slavery and Empire
  • 1833: The Year Britain Abolished Slavery (Part 1)

    Documentary series exploring the abolition of Slavery in the British Dominions in 1833.

    In Episode 1 of this two-part documentary series, Luke Tomes explores the rebirth of an abolition movement in Britain with the formation of the Anti-Slavery Society in 1823, driven by the ambitious goal of e...

  • 1833: The Year Britain Abolished Slavery (Part 2)

    Documentary series exploring the abolition of Slavery in the British Dominions in 1833. In Episode 2 of this documentary series, we see the gradual deterioration of the West India Interest, its power base weakened by political reform in the United Kingdom, a decline in the value of sugar and an i...

  • Africa: Written out of History

    Historian Luke Pepera looks at how and why the history of Africa was written out of world history. He also explores how and why, as a consequence of this, the history of Africans in Britain was written out of British history.

  • The Transatlantic Slave Trade

    Olivette Otele, Professor of History and Vice-President of the Royal Historical Society, answers key questions about the slave trade. From its origins to its abolishment.

  • Who Owns History?

    In the late 1960s, when many in the UK viewed colour television as tacky, art historian Kenneth Clarke was asked to produce a series all about Western Art. Clarke duly delivered on this assignment, creating the series β€˜Civilisation’. At a time when there was a genuine belief that the world stood ...

  • 1807: The Year Britain Abolished its Slave Trade (Part 1)

    Documentary, using the academic expertise of Professor Christer Petley at the University of Southampton, exploring the rise of the Abolition movement in Britain in the late 18th century and its ultimate success in passing a bill (1807 Abolition Act) that outlawed the trade in Africans across the ...

  • 1807: The Year Britain Abolished its Slave Trade (Part 2)

    Documentary, using the academic expertise of Professor Christer Petley at the University of Southampton, exploring the rise of the Abolition movement in Britain in the late 18th century and its ultimate success in passing a bill (1807 Abolition Act) that outlawed the trade in Africans across the ...

  • Africa: The Unknown History of Humankind

    Africa is the second largest continent in the world and is home to the second largest population; but it is second-to-none regarding its ethnic diversity. Throughout history Africa has been the home of many thousands of ethnological groups; the historic sites, places, cultures, kingdoms and civil...

  • Independence or Death: The Haitian Revolution

    The Haitian Revolution caused a seismic shift in global politics. When a mixture of different groups on the French colony of Saint Domingue rose against the colonists, few expected the rebellion to succeed. However, under the leadership of figures such as Toussaint L'Ouverture, Henry Christophe a...

  • 🎧 Nelson and the Slave Trade

    Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson died at Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. Recently there has been considerable interest in Nelson's views on the slave trade and the plantation economy of the West Indies. A letter of Nelson's written months before his death in 1805 to the infamous Jamaican slave owne...

  • 🎧 How the Establishment Resisted the Abolition of Slavery

    Historian Michael Taylor joined me on the podcast to discuss the resistance of the British establishment to the ending of the slave trade.

  • 🎧 How Slavery Built Modern Britain

    Padraic Scanlan joined me on the podcast to talk about how Britain rose to global power on the backs of enslaved workers. Modern Britain has inherited the legacies and contradictions of a liberal empire built on slavery. Modern capitalism and liberalism emphasise 'freedom' - for individuals and f...

  • A Story of Slavery and Restitution

    I was delighted to be joined by Caleb McDaniel, History professor and author of the Pulitzer prizewinning book, β€œSweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America”. He told me the remarkable story of Henrietta Wood. Born into slavery in Kentucky, she was freed as an adult...

  • 🎧 Akala on Imperialism

    Rapper and intellectual Akala talks to Dan about the way historical narratives are created, maintained and then broken down. He discusses slavery and abolitionism, the need for Britain to do more to acknowledge its imperial history, and how his own experiences growing up were shaped by these narr...

  • 🎧 A Story of Slavery and Restitution

    I was delighted to be joined by Caleb McDaniel, History professor and author of the Pulitzer prizewinning book, β€œSweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America”. He told me the remarkable story of Henrietta Wood. Born into slavery in Kentucky, she was freed as an adult...

  • 🎧 Slavery with Professor Christer Petley

    Dan chats to Christer Petley about slavery, focusing on one particularly virulent slave-owner called Simon Taylor, one of the most powerful men in Jamaica in the 18th century.

  • 🎧 Windrush, Empire and the Legacy of Slavery with David Lammy

    David Lammy, whose urgent question to Amber Rudd in the House of Commons provoked an international response, talks to Dan about how British history is colonial history, and what histories currently aren't told in our national story.

  • 🎧 Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution

    Sudhir Hazareesingh joined me to discuss the life of Toussaint Louverture, a revolutionary leader who confronted the forces of slavery, settler colonialism, imperialism and racial hierarchy. The Haitian Revolution began in the French Caribbean colony of Saint-Domingue with a slave revolt in Augus...

  • 🎧 History's Most Successful Slave Revolt with Dr Nicole Willson

    The Haitian Revolution caused a seismic shift in global politics. When a mixture of different groups on the French colony of Saint Domingue rose against the colonists, few expected the rebellion to succeed. However, under the leadership of Toussaint L'Ouverture, the Haitians became one of the few...