Here’s one of those really interesting radio programmes. You don’t have to take notes and you don’t have to remember it all by heart. You just sit back and l-i-s-t-e-n and take with you whatever you feel like.
History - the long and short of it
A group of people trained in the fields of history, journalism, teaching, filmmaking, leadership, broadcasting and more gather in this radio programme to speak about exciting perspectives on history, such as:
How the big history is connected to history on a micro level.
What it means to be ‘on the right side of history’.
How history is not just about written sources, but also very much about objects and oral traditions.
How geography and ecology play a big part in the shaping of history.
How we live in a time today where we experience monumental historical changes.
.
The BBC correspondent in Russia, Steve Rosenberg, joins on a call from Moscow and reveals how citizens in Russia daily are fed with Russian history - a new and updated, ‘Putin-friendly’ version, that is - to help them understand why it was a good idea for their country to invade Ukraine. [P.S. Rosenberg hands out fascinating insider updates on the current situation in Russia every other day on his IG account.]
.
The broadcaster, journalist, filmmaker, and president of SOAS University of London, Zeinab Badawi, speaks about her book An African History of Africa - From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence. Let me dwell on this for a bit because it’s a really interesting piece of work.
.
The book takes you “from the very origins of our species (FYI: all humans origin from Africa!), through ancient civilisations and medieval empires with remarkable queens and kings, to the miseries of conquest and the elation of independence”, as it says in the introduction. Creating the book, Badawi visited more than thirty African countries to interview countless historians, anthropologists, archaeologists and local storytellers (she used all kinds of transport, she reveals, all from fancy sports cars to wagons drawn by a donkey). She has weaved all the information she gathered into the chapters in an interestingly up-close personal manner. “For too long, Africa’s history has been dominated by Western narratives of slavery and colonialism, or simply ignored”, Badawi states, “I hope I have demonstrated that Africa has a history, that it is a fundamental part of our global story and one that is worthy of greater attention and respect than it has so far received.”
.
She has indeed demonstrated that! I’ve listened to the book myself, narrated by Badawi (on Audible). It’s SO interesting, and I highly recommend that you read it, too.
.
History - the long and short of it, BBC. Guests: Professor, historian and writer, Peter Frankopan, author of New Silk Roads and The Earth Transformed: An Untold History. Writer, teacher and independent scholar, Alison Light whose most recent book of essays is called Inside History: From Popular Fiction to Life-Writing. Broadcaster, journalist, filmmaker and president of SOAS University of London, Zeinab Badawi, author of An African History of Africa - From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence. Journalist, director and CEO, Bronwen Maddox. Journalist, Steve Rosenberg. Host: Matthew Sweet. Producer: Lisa Jenkinson.
“Oh God your voice is so annoying. It’s so squeaky. It’s so high.”
Do higher-pitched voices disadvantage women? This animation by US designer Kelli Anderson explores the biology and psychology of the female voice, i.e., the realities of being a high-talker in a low-talker’s world.
Thanks for reading!
Until next time - Majken xx
Need some *feminomenality* in your life? > JOIN the mailinglist HERE
Comments