Amat Levin: Black History – The Forgotten History of Africa

For a long time, Africa was considered a continent without its own history in the field of historiography. Even today, for many people the continent’s history begins only with colonialism. Anthropologists, too, were primarily interested in Africa because they believed they could identify supposedly “primitive” stages of civilization there. While such views are rarely expressed openly today, they persist in the ongoing focus on written historical sources.

With Black History, Amat Levin presents a counter-narrative. He puts the history of African peoples and societies at the center, telling their stories - also drawing on the work of African scholars - across four millennia and three continents: from the great civilizations of Nubia and Aksum to the kingdoms of Ethiopia, Mali, and Great Zimbabwe, and on to the eras of subjugation and enslavement, as well as the freedom struggles in the Caribbean, the resistance of Angela Davis, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the godmother of rock and roll.

Tracing lost cultures and forgotten events, the book moves beyond Africa to the places where countless enslaved people were taken. In doing so, it creates a fascinating mosaic of interconnected Black histories.

Welcome: Elisabeth Massute, Senior Programme Advisor Africa, Heinrich Böll Foundation

With:

• Amat Levin, author and journalist
• Karla Kutzner, publisher at InterKontinental Verlag

Book link: Black History – The Forgotten History of Africa. From the Black Pharaohs to the Present

The reading takes place in cooperation with InterKontinental e.V. in the lead-up to the African Book Festival, which will showcase contemporary literature and current literary debates from the African continent from May 29–31. 

Please note that the event will be held in English without translation.

Contact:
Louisa Reeh
Heinrich Böll Foundation
E: louisa.reeh@boell.de

As part of our Books that Matter series, we present works that engage with pressing international debates and offer new perspectives. Together with the authors, we discuss democracy and human rights, international relations, environmental and social justice, diversity, and feminism. Whether through literary storytelling or academic analysis, the featured books invite us to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and explore new ways of thinking.