Today's episode is about a place where some people believed valuable minerals grew in the ground and were picked as plants. An immense empire serving as a center of trade and religion, supplying Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East with much-coveted gold. 

But it was also a place that may have inspired Europeans to venture further out into the seas than ever before, with consequences no one could have imagined. This is the story of Mansa Musa and the Mali Empire.

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After ordering the assassination of Thomas Sankara, his close friend and right-hand man Blaise Compaoré seized power in Burkina Faso. He ruled the country for 27 years before widespread protests forced him into exile in 2014. Two democratic elections followed as Burkina Faso was drawn deeper into the jihadist violence that has spread across the Sahel belt over the past decade.

In 2022, the country suffered two military coups. The latest brought the young and enigmatic Ibrahim Traoré to power. Since then, he has advocated for self-sufficiency, distanced himself from the old colonial power France, and fostered closer ties with Russia. 

Can Traoré finally defeat the militias? And if so, will he return power to the people?

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The premiere episode of Black History Unveiled is about a country where corruption was rampant, where a small elite lived well at the expense of the majority, and where international aid was essential for survival. It is also a story about a person who wanted to change all that and who genuinely seemed to want the population's best. The methods have been questioned, but the result spoke for itself.

This is the story of Thomas Sankara and his struggle to make Burkina Faso stand on its own two feet. A fight that cost him his life

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Welcome to Black History Unveiled, the new podcast where we spotlight pivotal moments, influential figures, and groundbreaking movements from Black History across the globe.

In this episode, I tell you a little about myself and what drove me to start this podcast. I also talk about how Black history, up until relatively recently, was considered insignificant and trivial. Until the 1960s, a typical Western view was that Black Africa was devoid of history. That's why that narrative is so important to change. 

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Black History Unveiled: From the Continent to the Diaspora is a podcast by Swedish-Gambian journalist and author Amat Levin. It focuses on the part of world history that has received shockingly little attention. The podcast highlights gripping historical events, fascinating places, and exciting people that have been conspicuous by their absence in our history books.

Some episodes are about things that happened hundreds, even thousands of years ago. Others take place more recently and touch on scenes many of us may have witnessed. The stories are inspiring, illuminating, startling, and sometimes upsetting.

By listening, you'll learn why Black history has traditionally been suppressed, why it's essential to change that, and what learning about it can teach us about today.

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