by Zeinab Badawi
Mariner Books
1/14/2026, hardcover
SKU: 9780063335417
Already a major international bestseller, Zeinab Badawi's sweeping and much-needed survey of African history traces the continent's extraordinary legacy from prehistory to the present from the African perspective.
Everyone is originally from Africa, and this book is therefore for everyone.
For too long, Africa's history has been dominated by western narratives of slavery and colonialism, or simply ignored. Now, in this work of decolonized history, Zeinab Badawi sets the record straight.
In this fascinating nonfiction history book, Badawi guides us through Africa's spectacular history--from the very origins of our species, through ancient civilizations and medieval empires with remarkable queens and kings, to the miseries of conquest and the elation of independence. Visiting more than thirty African countries to interview countless historians, anthropologists, archaeologists and local storytellers, she unearths buried histories from across the continent and gives Africa its rightful place in our shared world history.
The result is a gripping new account of Africa: an epic, sweeping history of the oldest inhabited continent on the planet, told through the voices of Africans themselves.
What happens when Africa's history is finally told from an African perspective?
- Pre-Colonial Africa: Journey through the dazzling civilizations and remarkable medieval empires of a continent, based on research across more than thirty countries.
- Ancient Civilizations: Go beyond the Nile to discover the magnificent and often overlooked histories of the Kingdom of Kush, Aksum, and more.
- The Origins of Humankind: Explore our shared beginnings on the African continent and understand why this story is for everyone.
- An African Perspective: Experience the continent's epic, sweeping history not as a Western narrative, but as a story told by African historians, archaeologists, and storytellers.
Reviews:
"As Badawi adroitly proves, Africa's story is far richer than the West chooses to believe.... An African History of Africa is a long overdue corrective that should be studied in every school and available in every library across the West." - BookPage, starred review
"Invaluable... Badawi illuminates swathes of history that have gone under-researched and under-recognized in a book that is sure to become essential." - Booklist (starred review)
"Both a tour d'horizon and a tour de force, marvelously readable and beautifully written. This is a book that should be read by anyone who is interested in Africa, by anyone who thinks they know all they need to know about Africa, and above all by anyone who has no interest in Africa at all. It will transform their views of the continent, its peoples and its histories. I cannot recommend it too strongly or praise it too highly." - Sir David Cannadine, Dodge Professor of History, Emeritus, at Princeton University, and author of Ornamentalism: How the British Saw Their Empire
About the Author:
Zeinab Badawi is President of the University of London's SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) and an award-winning broadcaster, journalist, and filmmaker. She was previously Chair of the Royal African Society. Badawi is a recipient of the President's Medal of the British Academy; an honorary fellow of her alma mater, St Hilda's College, University of Oxford; a Patron of the United Nations Association UK; and is on the boards of the Mandela Institute for Development Studies, the International Crisis Group, and Afrobarometer. An African History of Africa is her first book.