Review of Black History Walks in London Volume 1 by Tony Warner

If you think you know Black history, you may need to have a re-think. There is always more for us to learn.  Brother Tony Warner’s talks are always jam-packed full of information, and he updates them so that each time he gives any given  presentation, it’s never the same.  Like his talks, this book is loaded with information and fascinating facts.  

I have attended these talks for many years and I was very excited to learn that Black History Walks in London Volume I had been published. Holding it is like holding history in my hand. This is a very strong experience. 

If you are a parent, a teacher or educator, a Black history buff or just someone who wants to increase your knowledge about Black history, you need this book. And Brother Tony’s work makes it clear that Black history is world history.

Go here to buy it on Amazon.co.uk

Go here to buy it on Amazon.com

 

If you buy it from one of these links, I will gain a small commission.

In addition to the many Black history talks by Brother Tony Warner which I have attended   over the years, I have also attended many of the African Odysseys films he helps to curate at London’s Southbank Centre. I have thoroughly enjoyed loads of them, although some were very challenging because of the subject matter.

Brother Tony's presentations are always packed full of useful and intriguing factual information.  He is making Black history accessible to us through his detailed research and his presentations, which are always very engaging.  His work, although London-based, gives a global perspective on Black history.

Go here for my recent conversation with Brother Tony Warner.

Like his talks, Black History Walks in London Volume I very much reflects Brother Tony’s ongoing commitment to seeking out, researching and sharing detailed Black history information. In other words, he is a griot.

Brother Tony’s work deals with slavery, pre-slavery and post-slavery issues in Africa, the Caribbean, and all of the Americas, as well as London, Britain and Europe.

Of particular interest is his section on the Second World War, which he covers from several angles. Again, it contains loads of useful and fascinating factual information.

For example, did you know that.during the Second World War, German submarines targeted the waters around the Caribbean?   Or that Trinidad was home to the largest oil refinery in the British Empire? 

Or that, during the First World War, Black troops from the Caribbean were put into cold accommodation and made to stack boxes, while German POWs - the enemy - were housed in heated rooms?  

Or that, in 1919, Black troops in Washington, D.C. fought against mobs of racist white sailors who were attacking Black people?  

If you want to know more, buy the book today. It will also make a great present for the holidays or anytime. As we know, every month is Black History Month. Bring your copy along to the next Black history walk or talk and get it signed by the author (he has already signed mine).  

Go here to buy it on Amazon.co.uk

Go here to buy it on Amazon.com

Go here for my blog post about Black soldiers in the First World War. 

Go here for lots more Black history blog posts.  

What interests you the most about Black history? Please comment below and please share this blog post with your networks. Thanks for your help.  

Black History: Malians and Moors in America before Columbus

The Columbus Map from 1490

We all know and understand that Columbus DID NOT discover America, despite what we were taught in school.  As my Dad would say, there were people already living there.  

Columbus had maps which some people say he bought from the Moors, others say he bought them from the Vikings.  He was NOT searching for a route to the East via the West; he knew exactly where he was going.  He landed first in the Bahamas, and subsequently in Hispaniola, which is now Haiti and the Dominican Republic.  On his third voyage, Columbus landed in what is now Trinidad. 

It would have been easy for Columbus to obtain maps, hanging around the ports, in particular Bristol, while waiting for Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain to finance his venture.  He would have met many other sailors and heard tales of their adventures. 

The Columbus Map was drawn in Columbus's studio in 1490.  See above.  By Bartolomeo and Christopher Colombus - This image comes from Gallica Digital Library and is available under the digital ID btv1b59062629/f1 Public Domain.    

It is said that his sailors were required to keep quiet about the maps on pain of having their tongues cut out.  

There is a great deal of evidence that many peoples had visited the Americas prior to Columbus's "discovery" of them. 

Malians/Mandinkas from West Africa were among the peoples who travelled to the Americas.  The Moors from North Africa are also said to have sailed to the Americas.  Africans had sailed there from 100,000 BC and stayed for tens of thousands of years. 

The Carthiginians from the country now called Tunisia, in North Africa, also travelled and produced a gold coin which showed the Americas on the reverse. 

The Chinese, Japanese and Vikings are also said to have travelled there, as are other Europeans. 

The Malians brought elephants with them, and a Malian inscription found in Arizona states that "the elephants are sick and angry".   

Go here for more Black history blogs and African history blogs.  

Please leave your comments below and please share this with your networks.  Thanks.  

 

 

Lest We Forget: The Haitian Revolution

Toussaint L'Ouverture

Lest we forget, the 23rd of August is African Remembrance Day, marking the day when enslaved Africans on the island of Haiti rose up against their oppressors and freed themselves.  

The Haitian people, under leaders including Toussaint L'Ouverture and Jean Jacques Dessalines, fought off the French, British and Spanish armies, and then fought off the French again under Napoleon.  The Haitians were never defeated.  

The use of traditional African spirituality was a significant factor in the victory of the Haitian people and their emancipation from slavery.  Click here to read more about the use of African spirituality. 

However, a treaty signed by Haiti required them to pay reparations to their former masters, which has led to the impoverishment of people in what was once the most prosperous island in the Caribbean.  The devastation of the Haiti earthquake in early 2010 was greatly compounded by the impoverishment of the population and the lack of resources in Haiti. 

Click here to read more about the Haitian Revolution.  

Click here to read more about modern Haiti. 

Women in Caribbean History

This informative and inspirational presentation tells the story of the hidden contribution of women to the development of Caribbean.

The invisibility of women in the early books on the history of the Caribbean is linked to the fact that some historians felt that women's issues did not merit inclusion and their contributions were ignored.

It is important to recognise that the study of Black Women's History makes for a much more inclusive, richer, fuller and more importantly, truthful account of World History.

Click here for details of this and more forthcoming Black history events with Black History Studies and Black History Walks, plus reviews of previous events.