African Roots: Shadows of German Colonialism

DW.COM | Deutsche Welle

DW’s Shadows of German Colonialism podcast explores how Germany’s imperial ambitions in Africa met fierce resistance, and descended into exploitation and violence. The series follows on from the African Roots podcast, which portrays the men and women who shaped Africa's past, present and future. We meets big names, and tell the story of others who have stayed out of the spotlight. But what binds them together, is their African Roots. read less

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Injected with fear: the legacy of colonial era vaccination programs

Injected with fear: the legacy of colonial era vaccination programs

Tropical medicine boomed as European powers claimed territories in Africa. Germany sent the famed Robert Koch and many others to the colonies to find cures to tropical illnesses - but also to test new medicines. This shadowy practice led to Africans being mistreated, and many died in the process, leaving a legacy of physical and psychological trauma that has never been properly cured.

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Injected with fear: the legacy of colonial era vaccination programs

Injected with fear: the legacy of colonial era vaccination programs

Tropical medicine boomed as European powers claimed territories in Africa. Germany sent the famed Robert Koch and many others to the colonies to find cures to tropical illnesses - but also to test new medicines. This shadowy practice led to Africans being mistreated, and many died in the process, leaving a legacy of physical and psychological trauma that has never been properly cured.

Unsettling continuities – from colonial racism to Nazism

Unsettling continuities – from colonial racism to Nazism

Respected German anthropologists made a career from dividing people by race, a new branch of science that conveniently put Europeans at the top. While eugenics and scientific racism was widely practiced in Western nations in the early 1900s, the ideas developed by Eugen Fischer and others served as the intellectual bedrock for race-based crimes committed by Nazi Germany.

Why African nations still fight over colonial era borders

Why African nations still fight over colonial era borders

Why does Namibia have a bizarre panhandle? Why do some Ghanaians talk of being from "Western Togoland"? Much of this has to do with African borders drawn up in Europe during late 19th century. Borders that to this day are still very much contested, and have had deadly consequences. We explore how treaties designed to prevent war in Europe have caused conflict in Africa.

How German colonization of Namibia resulted in genocide

How German colonization of Namibia resulted in genocide

After the decisive Battle of Waterberg between German and Herero fighters, colonial officers in the colony of South West Africa, today's Namibia, directed a violent, uncompromising persecution of Herero and Nama people. Their policies would result in the 20th century's first genocide.

How German colonists changed power dynamics in Togo forever

How German colonists changed power dynamics in Togo forever

Germany's control over Togoland drastically altered traditional power structures, favoring compliant chiefs and running roughshod over cultural norms. We explore how punitive expeditions and colonial subjugation has shaped Togo to this day.

Why did Germany target colonies in East Africa

Why did Germany target colonies in East Africa

In East Africa and the Great Lakes region, German colonial conquest spurred courageous resistance from many local East African groups against well-armed and violent colonial forces.

The colonial legacy of Africa's place names

The colonial legacy of Africa's place names

In the context of colonial-era injustice, the renaming of landmarks almost seems like a footnote. But in this podcast we discover how renaming mountains, towns, and even people was another form of oppression. We also meet some characters who have outlived the colonialists' names, and why renaming landmarks is a form of reclaiming heritage.

Quane Martin Dibobe: From exhibit to anti-colonial activist

Quane Martin Dibobe: From exhibit to anti-colonial activist

Summer 1896: A Cameroonian man appeared in Treptower Park, Berlin as part of a human exhibition to increase enthusiasm for German colonialism. Little did anyone know this man — Martin Dibobe — would later become a pioneering human rights activist.

How colonialism boosted Germany's merchant fleets

How colonialism boosted Germany's merchant fleets

Running a colonial empire required a reliable merchant fleet. Hamburg-based businessman Adolph Woermann and his shipping line soon exerted considerable influence over Germany's colonial policy. We explore how the Woermann Company became an unofficial instrument of German colonization.

How colonial Germany extended its empire in Africa

How colonial Germany extended its empire in Africa

By 1885, Adolf Lüderitz had acquired vast territories in today's Namibia. But his contracts with local people were so dodgy that even German colonial officials doubted them.

The long road to Liberation: Nelson Mandela and Eduardo Mondlane

The long road to Liberation: Nelson Mandela and Eduardo Mondlane

For our last episode of African Roots, we profile two giants: Mozambique's Eduardo Mondlane and South Africa's Nelson Mandela. We look at how the two men shaped their respective nations' trajectories in different eras, and how their fight against oppression inspired thousands of young people to take up the armed struggle.

Women to the Front: Margaret Ekpo and The Amazons

Women to the Front: Margaret Ekpo and The Amazons

Cai finds out how the legendary warriors, the Dahomey Amazons, have recently gained recognition - to dazzling Hollywood effects. But not all women fought on the battlefield: Laila explores how in neighboring in Nigeria, Margaret Ekpo blazed a trail for female participation in local politics as independence took hold.

Of myths and legends: Sunjata Keita and Bayajida

Of myths and legends: Sunjata Keita and Bayajida

Oral histories are key to shaping nationalities, legends and identities. Cai and Laila explore the role of West African griots in keeping alive the phenomenal stories of Sunjata Keita from Mali and Nigeria's Bayajida.

Legacy unravelled: Usman Dan Fodio and William Tubman

Legacy unravelled: Usman Dan Fodio and William Tubman

The relentless march of time changes histories and, sometimes, tarnishes reputation. Cai and Laila meet two nation builders, Usman Dan Fodio, and Liberia's William Tubman, whose legacies are perceived very differently today than during their lifetimes.

Women lead the liberation: Josina Machel and Bibi Titi Mohammed

Women lead the liberation: Josina Machel and Bibi Titi Mohammed

The role of women in Africa's liberation movements is underrepresented. African Roots meets Josina Machel, a freedom fighter whose efforts reshaped Mozambique's liberation movement in exile, and Bibi Titi Mohammed, who arguably won the grassroots support that drove Julius Nyerere to power in Tanzania.

The Return of Forgotten Warriors: Dedan Kimathi and The Lion of Gaza

The Return of Forgotten Warriors: Dedan Kimathi and The Lion of Gaza

History often leaves many vital figures out, and only after a few years does their absence stand out. We meet two anti-colonial fighters, Dedan Kimathi and Ngungunyane, and find out why their legacies were left to fade, and why great efforts have been made to remember them.

Power players: Taytu Betul and Queen Njinga

Power players: Taytu Betul and Queen Njinga

Ethiopia's Taytu Betul and Angola's Queen Njinga live large in their countries' historical memory as strong female leaders, and both embody the complicated power dynamics of their times. Just how did Taytu Betul help face down a European invasion? And why were Portuguese colonialists forced to talk with Queen Njinga on equal terms? Cai and Laila bring you their remarkable stories.

Viva Independence: Amilcar Cabral and Louis Rwagasore

Viva Independence: Amilcar Cabral and Louis Rwagasore

Arguably Africa's most influential revolutionary thinker, Amilcar Cabral, never saw his country gain independence. In the 1950s, Louis Rwagasore, briefly, seemed to unite a divided Burundi, but his time was cut short. We find out the tragic fates of these visionary leaders and how their ideas spread beyond their respective nations.

African Mavericks: Wangari Maathai and Njoya Ibrahim

African Mavericks: Wangari Maathai and Njoya Ibrahim

Every generation throws up a maverick - and Africa has had many! Laila introduces Cai to Wangari Maathai, who rewrote the rules for environmentalism in east Africa, and faced down stiff resistance in the process. Cai looks back to Cameroon's colonial era leader Njoya Ibrahim, a man of many talents who could have been anything - but, above all, achieved the status of an African hero.

Warrior Queens: Amina of Zazzau and Queen Abla Pokou

Warrior Queens: Amina of Zazzau and Queen Abla Pokou

Season 2 of the African Roots podcast is here! And we start off with two West African icons: Queen Amina of Zazzau and Queen Abla Pokou. Both women are nation builders of almost mythical proportions, so hosts Cai and Laila delve into why these two royals went on to drastically change their society's fate.