The Ekpe/Leopard Secret Society: A Lesson on Secret Governance

*Apologies for the reduced quality in this episode. Nonetheless, listen and enjoy as we break down why and how the secret society existed and what the Europeans have to do with it.Follow us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africasuntoldstories/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFuTYzTqseXvH1RkmxV-1XAOutro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403REFERENCES:1. Leib, Elliott, and Renee Romano. "Reign of the Leopard: Ngbe Ritual." African Arts, vol. 18, no. 1, Nov. 1984, pp. 48–57, 94-96.2. Ishemo, Shubi L. "From Africa to Cuba: An Historical Analysis of the Sociedad Secreta Abakuá (Ñañiguismo)." Review of African Political Economy, vol. 29, no. 92, Jun. 2002, pp. 253-272.3. Ottenberg, Simon, and Linda Knudsen. "Leopard Society Masquerades: Symbolism and Diffusion." African Arts, vol. 18, no. 2, Feb. 1985, pp. 37–44, 93-95, 103-104.4. Saint Louis Art Museum. (n.d.). Leopard Society Emblem (nkpa) [Collection object no. 38375]. Saint Louis Art Museum. Retrieved May 1, 2025, from https://www.slam.org/collection/objects/38375/

Join us in Congo for a short story about how an animal whisperer brought the sun back to his homeland!Follow us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africasuntoldstories/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFuTYzTqseXvH1RkmxV-1XAOutro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403REFERENCES:1. Lynch, P. A. (2010). African Mythology A to Z second edition (J. Roberts, Ed.; Second). Cheslea House.2. https://www.robertmellors.notts.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/05/English-Thursday-and-Friday.pdf

A society without war, a kingdom without an army, a place where the shedding of blood or abuse of another human are abominations that will rain curses on you and your household. Sounds fictional, but learn about how the Nri of Igboland in Nigeria did it.Follow us:Twitter: https://twitter.com/Africas_UntoldSInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/africasuntoldstories/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFuTYzTqseXvH1RkmxV-1XAOutro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403REFERENCES:1. Onwuejeogwu, M. A. (1981). An Igbo Civilization: Nri Kingdom & Hegemony. Ethnographica, London; Ethiope Publishing Corporation, Benin City, Nigeria2. El Fasi, M. (Ed.). (1988). General history of Africa, Vol. 3: Africa from the seventh to the eleventh century. UNESCO Publishing3. Ogot, B. A. (Ed.). (1992). General history of Africa, Vol. 4: Africa from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. UNESCO Publishing4. Isichei, E. (1997). A history of African societies to 1870. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.

How did African families avoid unplanned pregnancies before modern science? In this episode we discuss some practices in certain areas of the continent.Follow us:Twitter (apparently now X): https://twitter.com/Africas_UntoldSInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/africasuntoldstories/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFuTYzTqseXvH1RkmxV-1XAOutro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403REFERENCES:• Bansode OM, Sarao MS, Cooper DB. Contraception. [Updated 2023 Jul 24]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536949/• Bertrand, Jane T., W. E. Bertrand and Miatudila Malonga. 1983. "The Use of Traditional and Modern Methods of Fertility Control in Kinshasa, Zaire." Population Studies, Vol. 37, No. 1 (Mar., 1983), pp. 129-136.• Mulaudzi FM, Lebese RT, editors. 2022. Working with indigenous knowledge: Strategies for health professionals [Internet]. Cape Town: AOSIS. doi: 10.4102/aosis.2022.BK296.05. (Specifically drawing from Chapter 5: "Child spacing and prevention of pregnancy among African indigenous people" by Rachel T. Lebese, Tebogo M. Mothiba, Mercy T. Mulaudzi, Ntsieni S. Mashau, and Lufuno Makhado).• Jinadu, Musa K. and Bade Ajuwon. 1997. "Traditional Fertility Regulation Methods Among the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria: II. A Prospective Study of UseEffectiveness." African Journal of Reproductive Health / La Revue Africaine de la Santé Reproductive, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Mar., 1997), pp. 65-73.• Moroole, Molelekwa A, Simeon A Materechera, Wilfred Otang-Mbeng and Adeyemi O Aremu. 2020. "African indigenous contraception: A review." African Journal of Reproductive Health / La Revue Africaine de la Santé Reproductive, Vol. 24, No. 4 (December 2020), pp. 173-184.• Rossier, Clémentine and Jamaica Corker. 2017. "Contemporary Use of Traditional Contraception in sub-Saharan Africa." Population and Development Review, Vol. 43, Fertility Transition in sub-Saharan Africa (2017), pp. 192-215

In this episode we focus mainly on the Arab Slave Trade in Africa. This was a hard episode to make. Hope it leaves an impact on all who listens. We would love to hear your thoughts on the episode.Follow us:Twitter (apparently now X): https://twitter.com/Africas_UntoldSInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/africasuntoldstories/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFuTYzTqseXvH1RkmxV-1XAOutro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403REFERENCES:1. Lovejoy, P. E. (2000). Transformations in slavery: A history of slavery in Africa. Cambridge University Press.2. Rowlandson, J. L., Bagnall, R. S., & Thompson, D. J. (Eds.). (2024). Slavery and dependence in ancient Egypt: Sources in translation. Cambridge University Press.3. Bennett, N. R. (1960). Christian and Negro slavery in eighteenth-century North Africa. The Journal of African History, 1(1), 65-82.4. Prince-Eichner, E. (n.d.). Embodying the Empire: Singing Slave Girls in Medieval Islamicate [Unpublished master's thesis]. Claremont Colleges.5. Kehinde, M. (2018). Trans-Saharan Slave Trade. In F. D. Bean & S. K. Brown (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Migration (pp. 1-4). Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6179-7_29-16. Kloss, M. M. (2023). Slavery in Medieval Arabia. In D. A. Fargues & J. Schiel (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Global Slavery Throughout History (pp. 139-108). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15260-5_87. Marmon S. Intersections of Gender, Sex, and Slavery: Female Sexual Slavery. In: Perry C, Eltis D, Engerman SL, Richardson D, eds. The Cambridge World History of Slavery. The Cambridge World History of Slavery. Cambridge University Press; 2021:185-213.8. Alexander, J. (2001). Islam, archaeology and slavery in Africa. World Archaeology, 33(1), 44–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/004382401200476279. Clarence-Smith, W. G. (2006). Islam and the abolition of slavery. Oxford University Press.​10. Miran, J. (2022, April 20). Red Sea Slave Trade. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.86811. Savage, E. (1992). Berbers and Blacks: Ibāḍī Slave Traffic in Eighth-Century North Africa. The Journal of African History, 33(3), 351-368.12. Uzoigwe, G. N. (1973). THE SLAVE TRADE AND AFRICAN SOCIETIES. Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana, 14(2), 187–212. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41406525

Your favourite storytellers are back ! Upcoming topics this season:Arab slave trade*, African climate history, Nri kingdom, Lesser known diaspora, pre-modern communications: drums, secret societies, etc.Remember to reach out in the comments or any of the social media platforms to provide your suggestions or questions.*Too late to take suggestions on the Arab slave trade episodeFollow us:Twitter (apparently now X): https://twitter.com/Africas_UntoldSInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/africasuntoldstories/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFuTYzTqseXvH1RkmxV-1XAOutro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403

Hi guys ! This is a late episode but also the final one this season. Prepare to be amazed by a unique and fascinating story of a young boy from Ethiopia who tormented the dreams of one of the most powerful empires ever, the Mughal Empire. Follow us: Twitter (apparently now X): https://twitter.com/Africas_UntoldS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africasuntoldstories/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFuTYzTqseXvH1RkmxV-1XA Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403 REFERENCES: Eaton, R. M. (2005). A Social History of the Deccan, 1300–1761: Eight Indian Lives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Let's go to Southern Nigeria to hear the story of Aruan, the misguided hero of Udo and his connection to the famous city and empire of Benin. He is a semi-legendary figure so prepare for some fact and fiction. Follow us: Twitter (apparently now X): https://twitter.com/Africas_UntoldS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africasuntoldstories/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFuTYzTqseXvH1RkmxV-1XA Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403 REFERENCES: Uyiedos (2018) Aruan of Udo, the giant of Benin Kingdom., Steemit. Available at: https://steemit.com/history/@uyiedos/aruan-of-udo-the-giant-of-benin-kingdom (Accessed: 10 June 2024). Zainab, O.N. et al. (2022) ‘User perceptions on intangible cultural heritage of the ancient Bini Kingdom and the acceptance of extended reality (XR) in its recreation and representation’, Art and Design Review, 10(02), pp. 280–295. doi:10.4236/adr.2022.102021. Lynch, P. A. (2010). African Mythology A to Z second edition (J. Roberts, Ed.; Second). Cheslea House.

Next up on the road of discomfort...Central & Southern Africa. Here we focus on a few examples and zoom in on the unique impacts of European arrival on African societies. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFuTYzTqseXvH1RkmxV-1XA Follow us: Twitter (apparently now X): https://twitter.com/Africas_UntoldS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africasuntoldstories/ Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403 REFERENCES: Lovejoy, P. E. (2011). Transformations in Slavery: A History of Slavery in Africa (3rd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Niekerk, V., & Gardiol, J.M. (2004). Slavery in pre-contact Africa. Fundamina: a Journal of Legal History, 2004, 210-223. General History of Africa, Volume 5. Africa from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century-UNESCO (1992) Kalle Gustafsson. (2005). The Trade in Slaves in Ovamboland, ca.1850-1910. African Economic History, 33, 31–68. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4617604

Hi guys! We're back with a banger from Zimbabwe! An unusual love story between the Moon and Venus. One of the best stories we've told so far, with several layers of meaning. Shout out to the Makoni people for this gem. Follow us: Twitter (apparently now X): https://twitter.com/Africas_UntoldS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africasuntoldstories/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFuTYzTqseXvH1RkmxV-1XA Outro music provided by DCQ BEATZ: https://player.beatstars.com/?storeId=97074&trackId=2559403 REFERENCES: 1. Lynch, P. A. (2010). African Mythology A to Z second edition (J. Roberts, Ed.; Second). Cheslea House. 2. Mwuetsi. Oxford Reference. Retrieved 20 May. 2024, from https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100219394.