The Pan-African History of Basil Davidson - 03.10.14

Opening on the West Coast of Africa, this episode of Basil Davidson’s “AFRICA: A Voyage of Discovery” film series, traces major developments of African history from the 1880s to the end of World War II.

At the beginning of this period, contact between Africans and Europeans was minimal. Less than 30 years later the whole continent was under European colonial rule, with the exception of Liberia and Ethiopia. The ‘Scramble for Africa’ was to dramatically and permanently change the face of the continent.

This episode looks at the different ways colonial rule was established, focusing on Senegal, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Mozambique. Basil Davidson takes us through extracts from early colonial films illustrating the attitudes and ideas that were prevalent at the time and examines the impact of economic policies from the colonial era.

The 1930s saw the beginning of the modern nationalist period of African history when nationalists were preparing for direct opposition to the European powers. Davidson ends this episode at the end of World War II, with a continent poised for change and the struggles for independence.  

During the Q&A, our panel will lead a discussion on Basil Davidson’s seminal documentary series, the carving up of the ‘magnificent African cake’ and its impact on the continent today. 

Speakers: Mick Csaky, Series Executive Producer; Gus Casely-Hayford, presenter, Lost Kingdoms of Africa; others (TBC)

About the series:

The series was produced in collaboration between Channel 4, The Nigeria Television Authority MBTV and RM Arts. It first aired 30 years ago in 1984 and won many awards, including the International Film & TV Festival of New York Gold Award. It has since been distributed, free of charge to many schools and colleges in the UK and Africa.

About Basil Davidson:

Basil Davidson was a distinguished author and historian, having written more than 30 books on Africa. Prior to this he was a soldier working in Churchill’s Special Operations Executive during World War II. 

4 October 2014 at 3:00am - 4 October 2014 at 5:00am

Khalili Lecture Theatre SOAS, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG

Price: FREE | RSVP