The aid industry didn't just respond to poverty in Africa. It built a system around it. In this episode, we break down how foreign aid became an industry, how that industry shaped the global narrative around an entire continent, and what that framing has cost Africa in capital, sovereignty, and power. This isn't about whether aid helps. It's about what gets built when crisis becomes the dominant story.

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African countries are called “independent” — but independence isn’t just political.In this episode, we break down who really controls African money, why currency matters for development, and how systems created during colonial rule still shape African economies today.Using the CFA franc as a case study, this video essay explains:- What it means to control a currency- Why “stability” is often framed as help- and how economic power outlasts formal independenceThis isn’t conspiracy.It’s structure.If you’ve ever wondered why independence hasn’t meant economic freedom, this episode explains what most conversations leave out.Follow They Lied About Africa on Socials for more:Instagram: @theyliedaboutafricaTikTok: @theyliedaboutafrica

Many people assume Islam is an Arab religion, that Africa encountered it late, borrowed it, or reshaped it incorrectly. In this episode of They Lied About Africa, we challenge that assumption by tracing how Islam actually came to the African continent and why Africa was never on the margins of its history. From the first Hijra to the Kingdom of Axum, to the growth of Islamic scholarship, institutions, and societies across Africa, this episode explores how African Muslims helped protect, shape, and spread Islam from its earliest days. We also confront the uncomfortable realities of power, Arabization, slavery, and colonialism, and how these forces distorted how African Islam is understood today. If you've ever wondered why African Muslims are treated like outsiders in their own faith, this episode provides the historical context behind that question. This is not a simplified or romanticized story - it's the one most people were never taught.

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Instagram: @theyliedaboutafrica

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Many people assume Islam is an Arab religion, that Africa encountered it late, borrowed it, or reshaped it incorrectly. In this episode of They Lied About Africa, we challenge that assumption by tracing how Islam actually came to the African continent and why Africa was never on the margins of its history. From the first Hijra to the Kingdom of Axum, to the growth of Islamic scholarship, institutions, and societies across Africa, this episode explores how African Muslims helped protect, shape, and spread Islam from its earliest days. We also confront the uncomfortable realities of power, Arabization, slavery, and colonialism, and how these forces distorted how African Islam is understood today. If you’ve ever wondered why African Muslims are treated like outsiders in their own faith, this episode provides the historical context behind that question. This is not a simplified or romanticized story — it’s the one most people were never taught.

In this episode, we sit down with the founders of Kayrafet, a young African-owned jewellery brand handmade in Dakar and built with intention. We talk about their journey into entrepreneurship, why African craftsmanship has never been “primitive,” and what it really means to build a brand rooted in culture, ownership, and real economic impact. This conversation is for anyone in the diaspora who wants to unlearn the narratives we were taught about Africa and see what’s possible when we reinvest back home the right way.

Support African craftsmanship by shopping Kayrafet at [www.kayrafet.com] and follow their journey on Instagram [@kayrafet].

Thomas Sankara became president of Burkina Faso at 33 and transformed his country in just four years — before being assassinated and erased from history. This episode unpacks why one of Africa's most visionary leaders never made it into your textbooks. We explore the colonial context that shaped Burkina Faso, Sankara's radical reforms that threatened Western interests, and the forces that led to his murder. From selling government luxury cars to rejecting IMF debt, from championing women's rights to achieving food sovereignty — Sankara proved what African leadership could look like when it prioritized people over profit. His story was deliberately buried. We're digging it back up.

In this episode of They Lied About Africa, I sit down with Isha, the visionary behind Afrique Noire Magazine, to unpack what it really means to build an intentional space for African storytelling. We talk about the experiences that shaped her eye, the moment she realized our stories deserved a different kind of care, and how she turned that conviction into a platform seen by thousands. Isha opens up about the behind-the-scenes realities of creating for a continent and a diaspora— the doubt, the breakthroughs, and the responsibility that comes with representing a culture. We also explore the impact Afrique Noire is having on creatives and how it’s carving out a new visual language for African identity. This episode is about vision, voice, and the power of reclaiming the narrative on our own terms.Afrique Noire Magazain: https://afriquenoirmagazine.com/Afrique Noire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afriquenoiremagazine/

Sudan is facing one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time, and most of the world still isn’t paying attention. In this episode, I sit down with DarAid — a grassroots initiative working directly with Sudanese refugees on the Chad–Sudan border — to break down what’s happening on the ground, why it matters, and how ordinary people are stepping up to protect lives, rebuild communities, and restore dignity. This conversation goes beyond headlines and gives you the truth from those doing the work every day.

DarAid Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dar_aid01?DarAid Email: [email protected] TikTok: tiktok.com/@DarAid01

This episode breaks down the uncomfortable truth behind why so many of us grew up believing Africa was poor, struggling, or in need of saving. These ideas didn’t come from nowhere—they were taught to us through school, media, nonprofits, and the Western lens that shaped our identity long before we understood it. I share how these narratives shaped my own guilt, my desire to “fix” a continent I barely knew, and the moment I realized the story I learned was incomplete.

If you want to understand where these beliefs come from, how they impact the diaspora, and what it actually means to reconnect with Africa in an honest and grounded way, this is the episode you need to hear.

Eighty years ago, hundreds of African soldiers who fought for France in World War II were massacred at Camp Thiaroye in Senegal — unarmed, unpaid, and betrayed by the very country they defended. For decades, France called it a “mutiny,” erasing the truth from textbooks and archives. But a new investigation has finally uncovered what really happened , and why it was planned all along.In this episode, I dive deep into the Thiaroye Massacre — France’s hidden WWII crime — connecting it to global patterns of Black betrayal, from African American veterans after WWI to the colonial troops France exploited across West Africa. Through history, truth, and reflection, this story challenges the myths we were taught about “liberation” and reminds the diaspora that reclaiming the African story means reclaiming power.