It's a Continent

Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was a divisive figure, as he represented very different things to different people. We begin the first episode of season two by discussing what motivated Gaddafi's Pan-Africanist ideas, as well as the impact of Arab colonisation in Northern Africa and the idea behind the term "sub-Saharan Africa".

Western Sahara is often described as Africa’s last colony. Since 1884 the people of Western Sahara, the Sahrawis, have been fighting to regain access and ownership of their country from their former coloniser Spain, and most recently Morocco. The United Nations describes Western Sahara’s current situation as an ‘incomplete process of decolonisation,’ however, their ability to bring it to an end has yet to yield positive results.

Following Germany's defeat in WW1, Cameroon was split and handed over to France and Britain - with the majority of the country under French rule alongside a small British minority. Upon reunification, this uneven split has lead to the country facing a socio-political issue involving minority English speakers and the declaration of the self-declared state Ambazonia.

Steve Biko was a revolutionary and activist often regarded as the father of the Black Consciousness Movement, empowering black South Africans in the fight against apartheid. Biko was viewed as one of the first prolific anti-apartheid icons, and is viewed as a political martyr. In this episode we'll look at Biko's story, his impact and his legacy.

South Sudan gained independence from the Republic of Sudan in 2011. In this episode, we discuss South Sudan’s arduous road having struggled through two civil wars spanning over 20 years. South Sudan’s current state of affairs has very much been influenced by its relationship with the Republic of Sudan, in particular, conflict over regional borders and oil revenue.

Queen Nzinga was one of the greatest female rulers of the continent, ruling over the Kingdoms of Ndongo and Matamba (modern day Angola). She was made famous by fighting against the slave trade and European influence. In this episode, we're taking it back to pre-colonial times and discuss how Queen Nzinga fought off Portuguese invasions and slave raids for more than 30 years.

In this episode we're in Madagascar, one of Africa’s island countries and the fourth largest island in the world. We explore the Malagasy Uprising which took place between 1947-1948. The uprising saw thousands of Malagasy people fight the French to regain ownership of their country.

We're back with an early Christmas present - a bonus episode with Lape Banjo! Lape is a British Nigerian broadcast journalist who has worked across both UK and African networks and is currently a reporter with Sky News. She has a passion for African culture and politics and has previously worked at political organisations, including The Economic Community of West African States, and UNICEF.