I have been surprised at how good this book is.

I have been surprised at how good this book is.

I have been surprised at how good this book is.

I did not expect that a journalist would produce such an incredibly researched book. Zeinab Badawi, the historian and researcher, was clearly on display on every page.

The journalist part of her was also present. She is an absolutely great storyteller.

If you watched the documentaries on BBC, you are halfway there, but I’ve got good news for you. Zeinab was able to transfer the same amount of storytelling into the book. If you are an author, you would know this is very hard to achieve.

I will reference this book many times. Many people will do the same too!

It has become the number one book for anyone interested in African history.

She does not shy away from any topic or controversy. She comes head-on, offers expert views, and then shares her own experience of visiting these places. Can you beat that?

This book is for everyone. Everyone! But especially young Africans read this one! Read it! Read it!

Suspend everything you are reading, go and read this! I beseech you!

Why should you read this? I firmly believe that reading about Africa before colonialism will inspire us to see how much greatness our forefathers left behind. We are not a people without history. We are not a people without civilization. We are not a people without something to hold onto. Our forefathers created the Bronzes of Benin, the Great Walls of Zimbabwe, and the pyramids. Who says we can’t build rockets? We can. We can stand upon the graves of our forebears and begin again.

There is no shame in saying we fell behind. And that we were trampled upon. It happened to Asians too. But they’re rising. The same can happen here.

I hope you read this and when we meet, we gist about it. For now, let me go back to this masterpiece.