Isaac Samuel
@rhaplord.bsky.social
Finance | History | Trance
Patreon http://patreon.com/isaacsamuel64
Substack https://www.africanhistoryextra.com/
Patreon http://patreon.com/isaacsamuel64
Substack https://www.africanhistoryextra.com/
Pinned
Early Christianity in the religious history of West Africa (ca. 1500-1820)
www.patreon.com/posts/146362...
www.patreon.com/posts/146362...
There are no pure cultures
“All of our religions, stories, languages, and norms were muddled and mixed through mobility and exchange throughout history.”
aeon.co/essays/there...
“All of our religions, stories, languages, and norms were muddled and mixed through mobility and exchange throughout history.”
aeon.co/essays/there...
January 6, 2026 at 10:44 AM
There are no pure cultures
“All of our religions, stories, languages, and norms were muddled and mixed through mobility and exchange throughout history.”
aeon.co/essays/there...
“All of our religions, stories, languages, and norms were muddled and mixed through mobility and exchange throughout history.”
aeon.co/essays/there...
January 4, 2026 at 8:04 PM
St. Paul de Loanda, Angola ca. 1854.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-intell...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-intell...
January 4, 2026 at 7:57 PM
St. Paul de Loanda, Angola ca. 1854.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-intell...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-intell...
January 4, 2026 at 7:49 PM
The Yoruba town of Ese Ado, Nigeria, ca. 1892
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-intell...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-intell...
January 4, 2026 at 7:40 PM
The Yoruba town of Ese Ado, Nigeria, ca. 1892
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-intell...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-intell...
“Africa was of God given to the race of Ham.
I find the Negro from the days of the old Assyrians downwards, keeping his ‘individuality’ and his ‘distinctiveness’, amid the wreck of empires, and the revolution of ages.”
Tiyo Soga, 1865
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-intell...
I find the Negro from the days of the old Assyrians downwards, keeping his ‘individuality’ and his ‘distinctiveness’, amid the wreck of empires, and the revolution of ages.”
Tiyo Soga, 1865
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-intell...
The Intellectual Foundations of African Proto-Nationalism and the “invention” of Nations in the 19th Century
“What led to this production was not a burning desire of the author to appear in print, but a purely patriotic motive, that the history of our fatherland might not be lost in oblivion.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com
January 4, 2026 at 7:13 PM
“Africa was of God given to the race of Ham.
I find the Negro from the days of the old Assyrians downwards, keeping his ‘individuality’ and his ‘distinctiveness’, amid the wreck of empires, and the revolution of ages.”
Tiyo Soga, 1865
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-intell...
I find the Negro from the days of the old Assyrians downwards, keeping his ‘individuality’ and his ‘distinctiveness’, amid the wreck of empires, and the revolution of ages.”
Tiyo Soga, 1865
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-intell...
The Angolan journalist Pereira represented a radical strain of African proto-nationalism in 1882:
“How has Angola benefited under Portuguese rule? The darkest slavery, scorn, and the most complete ignorance!
. . . What a civilizer, and how Portuguese!”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-intell...
“How has Angola benefited under Portuguese rule? The darkest slavery, scorn, and the most complete ignorance!
. . . What a civilizer, and how Portuguese!”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-intell...
The Intellectual Foundations of African Proto-Nationalism and the “invention” of Nations in the 19th Century
“What led to this production was not a burning desire of the author to appear in print, but a purely patriotic motive, that the history of our fatherland might not be lost in oblivion.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com
January 4, 2026 at 6:31 PM
The Angolan journalist Pereira represented a radical strain of African proto-nationalism in 1882:
“How has Angola benefited under Portuguese rule? The darkest slavery, scorn, and the most complete ignorance!
. . . What a civilizer, and how Portuguese!”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-intell...
“How has Angola benefited under Portuguese rule? The darkest slavery, scorn, and the most complete ignorance!
. . . What a civilizer, and how Portuguese!”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-intell...
The Intellectual Foundations of African Proto-Nationalism and the “invention” of Nations in the 19th Century
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-intell...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-intell...
The Intellectual Foundations of African Proto-Nationalism and the “invention” of Nations in the 19th Century
“What led to this production was not a burning desire of the author to appear in print, but a purely patriotic motive, that the history of our fatherland might not be lost in oblivion.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com
January 4, 2026 at 5:46 PM
The Intellectual Foundations of African Proto-Nationalism and the “invention” of Nations in the 19th Century
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-intell...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-intell...
The proto-nationalist philosophy of Tiyo Soga (1829-1871): Modernization and nationalism in 19th-century Africa.
www.patreon.com/posts/147382...
www.patreon.com/posts/147382...
January 4, 2026 at 4:54 PM
The proto-nationalist philosophy of Tiyo Soga (1829-1871): Modernization and nationalism in 19th-century Africa.
www.patreon.com/posts/147382...
www.patreon.com/posts/147382...
Tomorrow's Patreon article is about proto-nationalists in African history
January 3, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Tomorrow's Patreon article is about proto-nationalists in African history
January 2, 2026 at 5:15 PM
-Kassala in Sudan, ca. 1880.
-The Taka Mountains and the town of Kassala, Sudan, ca. 1861.
-Mountainous Landscape near Kassala, Sudan, ca. 1896.
-Typical National Dress & Costume in the 1920's, Eastern Sudan.
#archivesxt
#ethnographxt
-The Taka Mountains and the town of Kassala, Sudan, ca. 1861.
-Mountainous Landscape near Kassala, Sudan, ca. 1896.
-Typical National Dress & Costume in the 1920's, Eastern Sudan.
#archivesxt
#ethnographxt
January 2, 2026 at 4:15 PM
-Kassala in Sudan, ca. 1880.
-The Taka Mountains and the town of Kassala, Sudan, ca. 1861.
-Mountainous Landscape near Kassala, Sudan, ca. 1896.
-Typical National Dress & Costume in the 1920's, Eastern Sudan.
#archivesxt
#ethnographxt
-The Taka Mountains and the town of Kassala, Sudan, ca. 1861.
-Mountainous Landscape near Kassala, Sudan, ca. 1896.
-Typical National Dress & Costume in the 1920's, Eastern Sudan.
#archivesxt
#ethnographxt
-Costumes of the King of the Kongo, and a nobleman. they wear hats with brims, and carry scimitars. ca. 1843
-Pagazis people of Catumbela, province of Benguela. Angola. ca. 1877
-Loanda. Panorama of the port. ca. 1890
-Caconda in Angola, 1881
#archivesxt
#ethnographxt
-Pagazis people of Catumbela, province of Benguela. Angola. ca. 1877
-Loanda. Panorama of the port. ca. 1890
-Caconda in Angola, 1881
#archivesxt
#ethnographxt
January 2, 2026 at 4:04 PM
-Costumes of the King of the Kongo, and a nobleman. they wear hats with brims, and carry scimitars. ca. 1843
-Pagazis people of Catumbela, province of Benguela. Angola. ca. 1877
-Loanda. Panorama of the port. ca. 1890
-Caconda in Angola, 1881
#archivesxt
#ethnographxt
-Pagazis people of Catumbela, province of Benguela. Angola. ca. 1877
-Loanda. Panorama of the port. ca. 1890
-Caconda in Angola, 1881
#archivesxt
#ethnographxt
January 1, 2026 at 5:44 PM
A street in Zanzibar City, Tanzania. ca. 1860
Zanzibar, Tanzania. View of the town, ca. 1911
#archivesxt
Zanzibar, Tanzania. View of the town, ca. 1911
#archivesxt
January 1, 2026 at 5:12 PM
A street in Zanzibar City, Tanzania. ca. 1860
Zanzibar, Tanzania. View of the town, ca. 1911
#archivesxt
Zanzibar, Tanzania. View of the town, ca. 1911
#archivesxt
-Portrait of Hadji Moktar Bou el Mogdad in traditional white clothes and necklace, Saint-Louis Cadi, Senegal. ca. 1861
-Senegalese family of St. Louis, ca. 1872
#ethnographxt
-Senegalese family of St. Louis, ca. 1872
#ethnographxt
January 1, 2026 at 5:03 PM
-Portrait of Hadji Moktar Bou el Mogdad in traditional white clothes and necklace, Saint-Louis Cadi, Senegal. ca. 1861
-Senegalese family of St. Louis, ca. 1872
#ethnographxt
-Senegalese family of St. Louis, ca. 1872
#ethnographxt
Happy new year everyone!
gold-plated time piece,
20th cent.
Baule, Cote D'ivoire
-British Museum
gold-plated time piece,
20th cent.
Baule, Cote D'ivoire
-British Museum
December 31, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Happy new year everyone!
gold-plated time piece,
20th cent.
Baule, Cote D'ivoire
-British Museum
gold-plated time piece,
20th cent.
Baule, Cote D'ivoire
-British Museum
The West African scholar al-Wālī (fl. 1688) was a rationalist whose writings combined classical/Greek philosophy and local oral traditions to challenge the ‘blind acceptance’ of religious authority
www.patreon.com/posts/17th-c...
www.patreon.com/posts/17th-c...
December 31, 2025 at 5:28 PM
The West African scholar al-Wālī (fl. 1688) was a rationalist whose writings combined classical/Greek philosophy and local oral traditions to challenge the ‘blind acceptance’ of religious authority
www.patreon.com/posts/17th-c...
www.patreon.com/posts/17th-c...
Manuscript cultures in West Africa's frontier regions.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/texts-from...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/texts-from...
December 31, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Manuscript cultures in West Africa's frontier regions.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/texts-from...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/texts-from...
It wasn't Malaria that defended Africans against colonialism
Portugal colonised Mombasa and the East African coast for 105 years in the 17th century; that was 37 years longer than the British lasted in 19th-20th cent. Kenya
The disease barrier is a myth
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/guns-germs...
Portugal colonised Mombasa and the East African coast for 105 years in the 17th century; that was 37 years longer than the British lasted in 19th-20th cent. Kenya
The disease barrier is a myth
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/guns-germs...
December 29, 2025 at 7:01 PM
It wasn't Malaria that defended Africans against colonialism
Portugal colonised Mombasa and the East African coast for 105 years in the 17th century; that was 37 years longer than the British lasted in 19th-20th cent. Kenya
The disease barrier is a myth
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/guns-germs...
Portugal colonised Mombasa and the East African coast for 105 years in the 17th century; that was 37 years longer than the British lasted in 19th-20th cent. Kenya
The disease barrier is a myth
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/guns-germs...
Reposted by Isaac Samuel
Can’t trust anyone who uses the Mercator projection to talk about geography
Map of continental orientations according to Diamond.
In reality, Africa is almost as wide as Eurasia. The red line from Dakar (Senegal) to Ras Hafun ( Somalia) is 7,458 km, which is about is about 94% the distance between Brussels and Beijing at 7,958.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/guns-germs...
In reality, Africa is almost as wide as Eurasia. The red line from Dakar (Senegal) to Ras Hafun ( Somalia) is 7,458 km, which is about is about 94% the distance between Brussels and Beijing at 7,958.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/guns-germs...
December 29, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Can’t trust anyone who uses the Mercator projection to talk about geography
I published this late, so here's a quick summary⤵️
-Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel is not anti-racist;
The chapter on "How Africa became Black" and the focus on South Africa, just 3 years after the end of apartheid, should have made this fact clear to any reader
-Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel is not anti-racist;
The chapter on "How Africa became Black" and the focus on South Africa, just 3 years after the end of apartheid, should have made this fact clear to any reader
Guns, Germs, and Steel in Africa: Jared Diamond and the Limits of Geographic Determinism
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/guns-germs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/guns-germs...
Guns, Germs and Steel in Africa: Jared Diamond and the limits of Geographic Determinism
“African prehistory is a puzzle on a grand scale, still only partly solved.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com
December 29, 2025 at 5:36 PM
I published this late, so here's a quick summary⤵️
-Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel is not anti-racist;
The chapter on "How Africa became Black" and the focus on South Africa, just 3 years after the end of apartheid, should have made this fact clear to any reader
-Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel is not anti-racist;
The chapter on "How Africa became Black" and the focus on South Africa, just 3 years after the end of apartheid, should have made this fact clear to any reader
Reposted by Isaac Samuel
This was a remarkable read. Pretty telling that Jared's book is popping up in bookstore in South Africa again. Read this rather.
Guns, Germs, and Steel in Africa: Jared Diamond and the Limits of Geographic Determinism
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/guns-germs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/guns-germs...
Guns, Germs and Steel in Africa: Jared Diamond and the limits of Geographic Determinism
“African prehistory is a puzzle on a grand scale, still only partly solved.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com
December 29, 2025 at 6:24 AM
This was a remarkable read. Pretty telling that Jared's book is popping up in bookstore in South Africa again. Read this rather.
Reposted by Isaac Samuel
This is an incredible read.
Guns, Germs, and Steel in Africa: Jared Diamond and the Limits of Geographic Determinism
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/guns-germs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/guns-germs...
Guns, Germs and Steel in Africa: Jared Diamond and the limits of Geographic Determinism
“African prehistory is a puzzle on a grand scale, still only partly solved.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com
December 29, 2025 at 3:12 AM
This is an incredible read.
The dispersion of domesticated animals across Africa was relatively "rapid", at a rate of about 1.2-1.3km/yr
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/guns-germs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/guns-germs...
December 28, 2025 at 11:19 PM
The dispersion of domesticated animals across Africa was relatively "rapid", at a rate of about 1.2-1.3km/yr
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/guns-germs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/guns-germs...