History often leaves many vital figures out, and only after a few years does their absence stand out. We meet two anti-colonial fighters, Dedan Kimathi and Ngungunyane, and find out why their legacies were left to fade, and why great efforts have been made to remember them.

Ethiopia's Taytu Betul and Angola's Queen Njinga live large in their countries' historical memory as strong female leaders, and both embody the complicated power dynamics of their times. Just how did Taytu Betul help face down a European invasion? And why were Portuguese colonialists forced to talk with Queen Njinga on equal terms? Cai and Laila bring you their remarkable stories.

Arguably Africa's most influential revolutionary thinker, Amilcar Cabral, never saw his country gain independence. In the 1950s, Louis Rwagasore, briefly, seemed to unite a divided Burundi, but his time was cut short. We find out the tragic fates of these visionary leaders and how their ideas spread beyond their respective nations.

Every generation throws up a maverick - and Africa has had many! Laila introduces Cai to Wangari Maathai, who rewrote the rules for environmentalism in east Africa, and faced down stiff resistance in the process. Cai looks back to Cameroon's colonial era leader Njoya Ibrahim, a man of many talents who could have been anything - but, above all, achieved the status of an African hero.

Season 2 of the African Roots podcast is here! And we start off with two West African icons: Queen Amina of Zazzau and Queen Abla Pokou. Both women are nation builders of almost mythical proportions, so hosts Cai and Laila delve into why these two royals went on to drastically change their society's fate.

What was it like living under the tyranny of slavery? Cai and Laila open a cruel chapter of human history by meeting two figures who felt the consequences of the Transatlantic slave trade very differently: Sengbe Pieh, hero of the Amistad court case, and Afonso the First, whose Kongo Kingdom was decimated by slave raids.

Fatima al-Fihiri's legacy as a supporter of education hold immeasurable cultural and educational value, still being felt today. Meanwhile, further south into the Sahara, Ahmed Baba's teachings became a landmark for Muslims across Africa. Listen to their stories right here on the African Roots podcast!

When the men stood down, the women stood firm. Cai and Laila meet the fearsome warrior Princess Yennenga, whose famous stallion has become a symbol of Burkina Faso. Meanwhile, Yaa Asantewaa caused such problems for British colonialists that an entire war was named after her.

When the winds of freedom from colonialism swept across Africa in the 1960s, new nations were tasked to develop into functioning democracies overnight - most without success. Cai and Laila profile two giants of the African independence era - who took radically different, but in some ways similar, paths.

Some figures transcend all borders - physical, religious or spiritual: Cai goes in search of the legendary Kanku Musa, possibly the richest person who ever lived, and who changed the course of Muslim history forever. Meanwhile, Laila recounts the mythical tale of the Queen of Sheba and her roots in Ethiopia.