Africa & the World
Was the 1914 Amalgamation of Nigeria a Mistake?
A colonial decision to join two protectorates made one country. A century on, Nigerians still argue about whether it was a gift, a convenience or an error.
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Politics & Power
Did the Berlin Conference Really Carve Up Africa?
The meeting of 1884–85 is blamed for the borders of a continent. The record shows something more interesting, and more uncomfortable.
Africa & the World
Africans and the Atlantic Slave Trade: Complicity, Agency and Demand
It is one of history’s most uncomfortable debates: who sold, who bought, and who made the trade possible.
Africa & the World
The Benin Bronzes: Whose Art Is It?
In 1897 a British force burned Benin City and carried away thousands of works. The question of who should keep them is still being argued.
Science & Medicine
Why Is the 1918 Flu Called “Spanish”?
The deadliest influenza pandemic in modern history was named for the country that talked about it, not the one that started it.