The History of Africa with Zeinab Badawi is series based on a unique project, overseen by UNESCO known as the GHA: the General History of Africa – Africa’s history, culture and heritage told by Africans themselves. In the the series Zeinab visits many countries in west, east, central and southern Africa, capturing key chapters in Africa’s history, from the 8th to the 20th century.
In this episode, Zeinab Badawi examines religion in Africa. First the enduring presence of Africa’s indigenous ancestral religions, which millions of people on the continent still adhere to. She travels to Zimbabwe to find out more about a remote community that follows traditional African religion. In Senegal she meets a Muslim man who blends Islamic beliefs with his ancestral ones. She also charts the impact of Judaism and early Christianity in Africa and how Africans in particular made significant contributions to Christian thinking and practice.