Mansa Musa and Islam in Africa: Crash Course World History #16

In which John Green teaches you about Sub-Saharan Africa! So, what exactly was going on there? It turns out, it was a lot of trade, converting to Islam, visits from Ibn Battuta, trade, beautiful women, trade, some impressive architecture, and several empires. John not only covers the West African Malian Empire, which is the one Mansa Musa ruled, but he also discusses the Ghanian Empire and even gets over to East Africa as well to discuss the trade-based city-states of Mogadishu, Mombasa, and Zanzibar. In addition to all this, John considers emigrating to Canada.
Chapters:
Introduction: African History 00:00
King Mansa Musa of Mali 1:22
Mali, the Berbers, and the Islamization of West Africa 3:23
An Open Letter to Ibn Battula 5:29
The End of the Malian Empire 6:17
The Swahili Civilizations of Eastern Africa 6:55
Credits 9:56
Crash Course is on Patreon! You can support us directly by signing up at / crashcourse
Want to find Crash Course elsewhere on the internet?
Facebook - / youtubecrashcourse
Twitter - / thecrashcourse
Instagram - / thecrashcourse
CC Kids: / crashcoursekids

[@SvenniTayivek]

It's quite refreshing to see something about African history that isn't just ancient Egypt, then thousands of years of nothing, then European slave trade and colonization.

[@collinhenry12]

I like what you said that African history is not just about ancient Egypt and many thousands of years until the slave trade. We did have history which is older then European history including written history was around many centuries before the Greeks know how to write.

[@ish562]

That is what happens when your history is controlled by Eurocentrism.

[@sgtjohnson49]

Eastern Africa was a huge trading region in the Islamic World, and West Africa had multiple large Kingdoms. Not to mention the Nubians who harassed and then conquered ancient Egypt and the Ethiopians who are one of the most ancient and continuous Christian nations in world history

[@natemup]

@@sgtjohnson49 The Nubians were also historically Christian, even before the Ethiopians.

[@sgtjohnson49]

@@natemup I did not know that, fascinating

[@morgangardner9035]

Words cannot explain how happy this makes me! In school, very rarely do teachers talk about African history, creating an assumption that Africa is and has always been backwards and not worth studying. African culture and history is fascinating, sophisticated and very deserving of recognition.

[@Bunfire123]

So true!!!

[@tshepomatabane5823]

Bunfire123 morgan in sauth africa we have anciant mapumbupe the pride of ppl

[@morgangardner9035]

Nykola Phillipi and our tradition of circumcising our children is any better? Right.Go troll on someone else's post, please.

[@bookdream]

Nykola Phillipi Wow what a stupid comment... Incredible

[@Freadauk]

Nykola Phillipi So? No one criticizes Jewish when they circumcise so don't criticize us.

[@emilyflores2243]

"You think oral tradition is uncivilized yet here you are listening to me TALK!!" lmao

[@diacsquad1117]

Wait til you learn about maritime exploration

[@wardjones2261]

All of these young people who like history. Great!

[@AlbionSupreme]

Showing you don't have to be history to enjoy it

[@insiadurrani9793]

+goforit666 bruh

[@johnchurchilldizon7508]

Bruh. There are smart people's out there who likes history.

[@derekgreaves165]

DR. JAGER MEISTE

[@crunchypeach]

all of these young people who like good grades

[@KidJapan44]

No racist comments what?! Is this KZbin..... All jokes aside its refreshing to not see racist comments

[@tommytucker5464]

Not the type of channel that attracts "click bait racists"

[@bobbobington3194]

Ok then, I'll start. There are less racist comments than *racial stereotype of black people*

[@fa11234]

That's because this is a channel that attracts smart level headed people, racists people are not those kind of people.

[@gtrue7530]

Yes indeed!

[@ENDOFANAGEMUSIC]

New Pac I heard the Mediterranean looks like a bowl of CocoPops this week :/

[@imaginareality]

Can't believe that we didn't learn any of this in history class. Africa was just completely left out (except for a little bit about colonies) and so was the arab region (I don't know how to call it). German schools should seriously revise their curriculum.

[@13ritalove]

even in America they barely talked about africa in schools if at all

[@umai21]

+13ritalove maybe because the only connection between america and africa is slavery....

[@jamretro1336]

+TuTOk Not really.

[@jamretro1336]

Nah.

[@imaginareality]

***** Thanks :-) In german we usually call it "near east" and I didn't know how to translate that correctly.

[@daewolfo94]

"The King of Mali is so rich that he's going on tour to let everyone know. "Wow that guy's rich" everyone said"

[@neeks7046]

With everyone talking about how they never heard of this, I gotta say, thank you so much Mrs. Smith for teaching AP World and letting us understand that Europe isn’t the center of everything.

[@samatarh5852]

Wow a video with Islam in it and the comments aren't so bad....I'm impressed guys

[@beestonpalani07]

hahhahahha. thank you.

[@EcompGames]

Please, any video that even mentions Christianity gets a thousand times more hate than any video with Islam in it.

[@aaroncow1824]

Because it has a few thousand more people. XD

[@aaroncow1824]

Also , racism is dead.

[@Chuschannel]

EcompGames Yeah right.

[@raspberryalya7496]

I love how self-aware this show is with regards to eurocentrism of history!

[@railz1510]

i think you forgot to mention that mansa musa was the richest man to walk the earth

[@Stevenbfg]

You can't prove he was. Since historical wealth can't be properly measured.

[@343bola4]

Monica Rae False, Bill gates only has $80 billion

[@COCOCHEYENNE01]

i just dont understand why white people refuse to acknowledge anything positive associated with blacks and africans. They stile aftican history and inserted themselves.

[@hasshamhabib2068]

Kelsey C You can't just say *White People are ignorant* I can say that the same about you in regards of the Zhou Dynasty -1/7/16

[@theunclethatdoesnttouchyou]

I don't think it's relevant to say he was the richest man ever. True, he was, but the wealth was mentioned in this video as a means to introduce peoples' interest in him and his land. Stating that he was the wealthiest man ever wouldn't quite contribute to the video overall.

[@larry64161]

Cnt believe I had been brainwashed. This history is more interesting than most of the stuff in high school

[@arberor4597]

@Larry Mandaville More interesting? A guy took a pilgrimage to Mecca? What part was interesting?

[@khephra1]

I agree. Even college level history omits this information.

[@arberor4597]

@Khephra Why would we learn about this?

[@khephra1]

@Arberor to each his own

[@arberor4597]

@Khephra I’m assuming you live in the west so how has the Mali empire influenced history in the west?

[@disarmyouwitha]

Mansa Musa.. making it rain all the way to Mecca. xD

[@kikilicious99]

disarmyouwith a I was thinking the same thing!😊

[@kkngenomesho7744]

Legit

[@michaelbutler5775]

@@cocopus bad words.

[@ameyas7726]

I'll believe it once I see his tax returns, which are probably as elusive as Donald Trump's tax returns..

[@MuslimGentleman1776]

Ameya S we all know Trump is likely bankrupt😂😂

[@JoStylin]

Actually, this story is not a myth, this is very true. His name was Musa Keita. 'Mansa' just means King. Mansa Musa still has descendants that are alive today. Their is a singer called Salif Keita who is a direct descendant. Oh and the gold is still there, mainly in modern day Ghana (which was also part of the Mali Empire) and the Chinese are setting up illegal mines to get it.

[@BigAl1234567AlBig]

Soon we will have to call Ghana New China

[@katiekim6535]

It is true that it's not a myth, but like everything else in history, we can't say for sure what we have learnt about it is 100% true or accurate.

[@parisjej]

Iioiiiiiuu

[@Chuschannel]

Lotta Ghanaian chicks and Chinese guys making some babies with each other there too I have read.

[@lewhossofdoom]

Salif Keita is a phenomenal singer and artist!

[@jzefeirlan8165]

A video about Africa, black with Islam in it and the comments aren't so bad

[@danieldavis162]

Haha I thought the same thing. Weird. Maybe they were deleted.

[@dalitsobanda1032]

Jzef Eirlan hahahahahaha! So true

[@peakjvs4967]

That's because there is too much truth in this video for them to come up with lies.

[@3-Kashmir]

I don't think they've found this side of KZbin yet... .... and I don't think it'd be in there recommendations 😂😂😂

[@ChibiRiku]

I know! I'm Muslim and I am thoroughly surprised Who' da thought Crash Course viewers are kind-hearted lol thx

[@lightningfletch5598]

0:01. RIP guy standing on the world.

[@cortneybolt7074]

LightningFletch dude I didn't even see that!!

[@forzaa867]

I was wondering what that cheering was kma

[@crazymangoz9583]

LightningFletch lol

[@redacted5035]

So racist

[@ismailmustafa5068]

@@redacted5035 🤦‍♂️

[@mrmister1657]

I wish Most of Africa had written the history down, it makes me mad that so much of our stuff had been lost

[@RomeDCarlo]

true but remember Europeans burned all of the Mayan books so there's always a way to remove a culture's history if you are devious and willing enough to pursue it

[@thebridge5483]

RomeDCarlo yep

[@arberor4597]

@RomeDCarlo a large amount of Mayan history is still preserved in the form of monuments. Mexico is home to countless structures such as the the Chichen itza, teotihuacan, Uxmal etc Furthermore written records exist in the form of European written records about the cities and cultures they encountered in the new world.

[@TheLegendSpeaker]

@@RomeDCarlo Same with Mongols and Islamic Civilisation, they burned down books and knowledge. All Lost

[@alsyrriad]

If only we learned this much about Africa in schools. In almost every one I went to, it was all Europe this, Europe that, and I am getting tired of Europe.

[@MsStormcrow]

+Dylan Sepasyar I learned about more than just Europe, but it was mostly about Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, etc.. Never anything from the rest of Africa. Which is a damn shame. India was also left out. Never learned anything about India or Africa outside of Egypt when I was in school. Yet every damn year they taught us about the Inuit. I'm Canadian & for some reason that means you have to learn about the Inuit.. a lot. You'd think they'd teach us about the Inuit, then move on to Africa or India, but no. SMH.

[@alsyrriad]

Lori Burnip For real

[@youthmember9981]

Dylan Sepasyar because in recent history it isn't that important

[@WilliamGarrow]

Youth Member But history isn't just recent history. And certain places in Africa were important during the ancient and middle ages.

[@ProtoStar120]

Do more African based history lessons!!

[@stickmannatiion390]

Plus, no slavery Dude.

[@__-wc5zn]

@@stickmannatiion390 I know this comment is 3 years old, but slavery is part of history and should be told.

[@lolcox1527]

@@joly8997 Mansa Musa was mostly rich because he inherited a very large number of slaves. Africa hasn't even stopped slavery it still goes on there today.

[@anonymousontheinternet4486]

@@lolcox1527 that is bulsshit. Mansa Musa was rich because Mali empire controlled important trade routes between North Africa and the West African interior. The empire also captured areas with gold mines. I agree there was a trade in slaves, but this was a smaller part of a larger trade.

[@lolcox1527]

@@anonymousontheinternet4486 so basically he inherited that wealth, right? right. he was insanely rich because he inherited massive amounts of slaves and natural resources. if anyone else was born in his place they also would have inherited those same things

[@salahuddinashraf9663]

Africa AND Islam Pretty happy there are'nt that many racist comments

[@adnanilyas6368]

Clearly, we need an Assassin's Creed based on Ibn Battuta's travels.

[@njokuizuchukwu1744]

Adnan Ilyas yh do assasims creen mali or assasins creed

[@johnad101]

Maybe after an Assassins Creed based of the ninja and samurai civil war in japan. A ninja assassins creed would be so dope

[@SaddamHussain-gx9nc]

Assassin is a word derived from the word Hashashin in Arabic. Which literally mean: Cannabis Smokers

[@crazedbrazy617bh]

A movie would be cool too

[@TrueRaps]

Greatest Ever there's already a movie on ibn battuta, its called Journey to Mecca (2009)

[@Ayplus]

More Africa please. . .

[@HelloWorld1947]

***** Hi, you should check out a KZbin channel by the name of, HomeTeam History. His entire channel is dedicated to the history of African kingdoms and countries. You can bet on my life, you will totally love him!

[@Ayplus]

Aksum Princess Thanks. Appreciate it. No life-betting though.

[@william97able2]

more asia please!!

[@bog1122]

+Antoine Rashad Its difficult considering most of Africa didn't have written language until the Europeans showed them how to write things down.

[@Ayplus]

+Europa X Silence

[@isabellakuntz8418]

he literally never blinks his eyes

[@flex1481]

As, a descendant of West African people apart of the "lost tribe" in the Western hemisphere...........John the end made me shed a tear. Thank you for your thoughtful research to all involved:)

[@flex1481]

@@diarrakomny7170 "There are no West African people". Okay.SMH!

[@ab-pj2ur]

Oral tradition? What about the libraries of Timbuktu, Mali - which had thousands of books before the transatlantic slave trade?

[@TheWolfgangGrimmer]

+The God of Zeus I've never heard about that. I am now very curious.

[@ab-pj2ur]

Ghost7856 www.understandingslavery.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=378&Itemid=233 this is a good website "understanding slavery" - you can just google "lost libraries timbuktu too"

[@TheWolfgangGrimmer]

The God of Zeus You can post URLs again !? When is YT going to make up their minds on this ? Anyway, thanks a lot.

[@BigHenFor]

Tomas Meehan Access to those libraries wasn't easy because of the distance and the various colonial wars fought for the riches of the Malian people. Some books still survive but they're in exile in Bamako now do to the latest Islamist insurgency.

[@ginoclaves]

Tomas Meehan Those libraries tell a story of Mansa Munsa, a great, rich and enlightened ruler. Oral tradition tells he's a foolish king that wasted the national treasury and preferred Islam to his people's traditions. Multiple sources, right? In that regard, oral tradition is a tad bit older (hence, tradition).

[@LeahMarkum]

Once again, another topic that my high school world history class never covered (Arkansas schools have a tendency to teach 1/2 or 2/3 of the curriculum). Islam and Africa were pretty much left out. I did my year-end project on sub-saharan Africa just because of the class's inability to mention it.

[@daleludtke7803]

That is not just Arkansas, I grew up in Washington and World History was pretty brief unless it was western and even then it was very slanted. Heck, Rome was basically taught as Pre-America lol.

[@misterrex684]

Only important empires which influenced your country the most get to be mentioned, that just makes sense. Rome, greece, france, britain contributed to the evolvement of the modern western world.

[@rileybenedict1804]

@@misterrex684 ok? But they're talking about WORLD history

[@mykey49]

The funny thing is that when the Mali Empire was thriving, Europe was poor, violent and primitive.

[@Palestine4Ever169]

My Key Poor ? Yes Violent? Maybe But primitive ? I don’t think so

[@arberor4597]

@Yasin Abdul The majority of sub Saharan Africa was not advanced. When Europeans arrived in the 1890s African nations like Zimbabwe, Zambia, the Congo, South Africa, Ghana, Angola, Cameroon, central Africa republic, Botswana, Ivory Coast, Madagascar etc all didn't have a written script The dark ages was not so dark. Before mansa musa was born there was already universities all over Europe in England, Italy, France, Constantinople, Spain Portugal etc aswell as long lasting empires like the Byzantine empire, there was the 12th century Renaissance, etc

[@arberor4597]

@Yasin Abdul Firstly the city of Cordoba never reached a population of 1 million. In 1000AD it’s population was 450,000. The population of Constantinople in 1000AD was 500,000. The Umayyad and caliphate attempted to conquer the city twice and was unsuccessful the ottomans laid siege to the city 2 times before and failed before they finally were successful it took the ottomans 200 to conquer conquer just the Balkans. But took the ottomans less than a century to conquer North Africa and the Middle Eastern Constantinople was home to the library of Constantinople and the university of Constantinople which date back to the 5th century AD preserved the works of the classics. And the Hagia Sofia has changed the history of architecture as Islamic architecture were based off Byzantine architecture. In Europe there was the Carolingian Renaissance (8th and 9th centuries), the Ottonian Renaissance (10th century) and the Renaissance of the 12th century before the Italian Renaissance. In Bulgaria There was Preslav Literary School, and the Ohrid Literary School established.

[@SL4US]

@@Palestine4Ever169 why are you under every video that has anything to do with black people lmao. Did some black guy steal your girlfriend

[@Palestine4Ever169]

Long Life No tyrone This video isn’t about just blacks This video also includes (islam) I have the right to speak and call out the racist bigoted afrocentric like yourself if you comment under any video about my ppl religion and history

[@narp3094]

It would truly take an entire Crash Course series to explain the fascinating and complex history of Africa.

[@JordanWindhamBenford]

This video has really made me want to go to Africa. I really am interested to see the remaining historical monuments and ruins and get a feel for my peoples roots.

[@archiij1707]

start with south Africa , the Zimbabwe , then Nigeria , Ghana , Mali and lastly egypt , you won't be disappointed, my folks are nigerian , and trust me africa is rich I. history and culture , hope you go on your voyage , it will empower you and make you know that you're from a lineage / decedent of greats .

[@archiij1707]

Europa X false , lol keep stepping troll

[@bog1122]

Joseph Archibong What is the life expectancy in those countries you listed?

[@archiij1707]

Europa X why don't you look it up.

[@bog1122]

Joseph Archibong They are all in the 50s..

[@scales8768]

Ibn Battûta is for now my true lifegoal. This episode just changed my life.

[@AamirVachku]

John Green. You are the most unbiased TEACHER I have ever seen. Thank you for educating us. Best wishes.

[@ianhowe1449]

Lol, “The Fault in Our Stars” as a visual example of African imports of literature.

[@thedavid00100]

Real proud of you, John. I rarely see Western people reveal African history without the bias of presenting it as a primitive shithole. It's good to know my black brothers in the States realize black people had a history before been sold to slavery and still have a history.

[@drzoidberg844]

Amen brother

[@aboubacaramine8689]

I really love this channel. I have a weird relationship with Islam and your videos help me sort it out. I come from a country that teaches it the wrong way I believe and today I have to battle to find my identtity in the traditions I was teached as a kid, all the pop culuture that came from the West and the atheism and philosophical secularism that I discovered afterwards. I think I'm extremely lucky but I still struggle to find my way. And this stuff really helps. Thanks again.

[@Mm-sd9cz]

Aboubacar Amine you are not alone bro *hug* :'D

[@mediahater]

Aboubacar Amine check out reddit.com/r/islam

[@aboubacaramine8689]

mediahater that's interesting

[@sakurakou2009]

Aboubacar Amine read yourself , don't just believe what people tell you , I had it with fake scholars who tell me that everything is haram haram , they made me hate myself and this world and even drive me away from religion BUT I saw ahmed dedaat and yusuf estes videos in youtube and alhamdellah I came back to the right path , hope people choose their Islamic sources carefully not everyone who say they knowledgeable is knowledgeable most of them tend to be superficial and ignorant .

[@yali6422]

Aboubacer. I have experience with Islam. And I can help u

[@Aezur20]

I don't know if Crash Course still replies to videos this old, but if you are still watching these comments section; How about a video chronicling Africa's history? All the way from their rise to civilisation through to how and why it is what it is today. I think that would be very educational and interesting.

[@kingdra36]

Good luck to all of us taking the APWH exam tomorrow!

[@aidanfarmer2045]

I prefer WHAP as an acronym, good luck

[@samdowns5885]

+RotMG Store yep

[@tBlizzi]

+Chickenfarm I'm gonna get WHAPped :(

[@birberking6999]

+RotMG Store rip in pieces

[@AGentleTree]

+RotMG Store We're gonna need it!

[@TheGiantKiller8]

maybe best channel on youtube

[@ruzefosho]

Nah. Fails to adjust wording and vocab to be relevant to topics. Not exactly a shining example of credibility. One sided approach to history, actually.

[@ruzefosho]

A) Consistent style not = Adjusting wording and vocab to be more relevant to topic. Very Westernized view. B) Supported as fact. This was not questioned. I should, however, have been more specific in what I was assaulting, which in this case was the amount of information presented, and approach to presenting said information. C) Jokes in his videos appear regularly around potentially controversial and political topics. This should never be done in an educational setting. Ever. Doing such implies being partial to one specific end of system, and as an educator/speaker for an educational group, you wield considerable influence over viewers or spectators. It doesn't matter if it occurs evenly throughout topics, or even fairly, but it should simply never be done.

[@hannafitzherbert7722]

Hi

[@user-dz3cy1tx4y]

So Ibn Battuta was the real Most Interesting Man in the World.

[@harishussain7569]

cool fact is antonio banderas plays a character based on inb batutta in the movie the 13th warrior

[@mohanadal-qaesy8169]

@@harishussain7569 Cool Fact my friend the character is Ahmed Ibn Fadhlan Google it please

[@johntaylor9381]

I think it's important to remember that most of the violence and unrest that exists in Africa happened because of European colonial agendas.

[@Treetops27]

Agreed. European colonialism dismantled the indigenous governments, laws, banks and institutions that were put in place centuries earlier to run an orderly society. Most of the instability in today's Africa is because of the absence of these institutions.

[@youtubelover5112]

John Taylor no it's because of the government. The only good sub Saharan African country is Botswana obviously. I mean you should visit it's way better than Haiti, South Africa, and Namibia.

[@dvltang871]

Wrong

[@aught9264]

youtubelover 5 nigeria,kenya and ethiopia are all better than botswana in many ways

[@chillhomie7]

rwanda is becoming great also. Africa and the whole world actually has a very bright future... as the west descends....

[@samuelcameron8215]

Feels so nice of you to mention us John being a canadian I am obliged to send you gifts and money

[@jeffreystevens8042]

you Canadians have it good with your stereotypes... every time John mentions the states I have to eat a cheeseburger and fire my automatic weapons into the air!

[@youtubelover5112]

Samuel Cameron CANADA WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@catherineaguinaga624]

You managed to explain this better in 10 minutes than my professor has all semester.

[@samysaid1989]

wow. i love that theres not any racists comments posted here, considering how much hate other African/African American related videos get..

[@marshymellowmonster]

that's because the people watching this are trying to learn from history rather than mindlessly embracing its prejudices

[@GReid-ol5gk]

marshymellowmonster So true, it's refreshing.

[@lamarmcneil5655]

marshymellowmonster Yay!

[@atefrod680]

not only those, also islamic videos..

[@transporterIII]

I noticed that too, I think this video is credible, rather than the ridiculous "Sub-Saharan Africa is the mother of all civilization" crap that is out there.

[@notdipperpines6626]

I really wish they would teach about africa in schools more, like I graduate next year and the only thing I learned in school about africa was that Egypt is there and that was back in 6th grade and we barely even talked about that :(

[@AsellusPrimus]

Although my grade 12 Comparative Civilizations teacher was kind of a mess, I appreciate one thing she did. She started the first class by having us open the textbook and look at the index. She said "what do you notice?" and pointed out the book's focus on European civilizations and the complete lack of any African culture aside from Egypt. I'm not going to say the writers of the book had an agenda; I think they wrote what they had the most evidence of. But she wanted us to be aware that when you study ancient history, the information available to you is limited by what exactly we can scrounge up out of the ground and any biases the people finding or writing about these things have.

[@AsellusPrimus]

Oh also, what the EXPLETIVE do you have against Celine Dion??

[@turicaederynmab5343]

Damn, I didn't know Africa was such a rich nation back then, would've been awesome to live in one of those Muslim kingdoms.

[@kevinovo6956]

+Tom Jefferies Africa, again, is not a nation. Never has been.

[@adriane6046]

Africa is not a nation; *facepalm*

[@Miyirwaaq]

***** Slavery, especially sex slavery, is happening even in Europe, arguably at a worse rate. Brothels and such institutions are alive and well there.

[@MsStormcrow]

+General Zoland You're obviously a product of the abysmal American education system & propaganda network.

[@Ren-nf4pz]

Islam is a whole package with its laws about everything. it does have its problems in this modern world but can be a basis for a "good' country. just look at the city of Dubai.

[@yahya361rulez]

Well, while everyone hates on Africa and Islam these days. You are truly Outstanding. Thanks Stan and John!

[@abd-al-haqal-haqiqi6981]

not everybody only the white racist jealous of us Africans & muslims

[@abd-al-haqal-haqiqi6981]

Damir Pryce sorry if it offedned you

[@cr3160]

Hiwa, you mean all the hateful atheists with no purpose in life. Your statement is racist.

[@yahya361rulez]

Samin Yasar I don't think his sentence was even grammatically correct. Let's not take it seriously. Good day.

[@sumitstronk3825]

Well, Islam itself is racist towards black people. Prophet Muhammad hated the dark skinned.

[@LoraLoveesCats]

Why have i started cying? Like 3 times through this series... I thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Knowledge brings peace to my mind.

[@michaelbutler5775]

Thanks. I've got a research paper due on this for next friday. Thanks for being one of the sources!

[@shabaanmarijani8447]

YESS!! FINALLY!!! East Africans getting the due respect and recognition we deserve from Western historians. As a Tanzanian; the country where Swahili (we call it Kiswahili) originated, city-states of Kilwa, Bagamoyo and Zanzibar are located (we could've had Mombasa too but we traded it for Mt. Kilimanjaro... Literally... in 1961... with Queen Elizabeth) this is officially my favourite video on youtube right now!

[@beestarjay]

Trying to study for my AP world final

[@savannahmegan1615]

+Bella Jones SAME} IM WATCHING ALL THE VIDS FROM 600ce-1450ce

[@pokefan20001000]

+savannah megan I wish I was studying that... I'm stuck with AP American History. Medieval and Antiquity history is so much more interesting.

[@beestarjay]

Andrew S I feel you, I take AP US History next year and I am not excited for it... it's only like 400 years!!

[@cambam722]

+Bella Jones High school is a joke

[@madslight]

Agree with all of you lol I'm just trying to pass my test tomorrow

[@GoldenChild88888]

It's refreshing to come across people who are informed in the right way about African History. Especially outside of the traditional American lense. Great video!

[@WildBillCox13]

Beautifully well written and masterfully presented. A+ work, John.

[@BassTechnologic]

I wanna live in Ancient West Africa, the history is soo interesting and the culture sounds awesome!

[@akidah]

P luck'd Are you referring to Europe?They were burning witches in Europe just recently and wars were normal then!

[@jarenc2048]

P luck'd It was mentioned.

[@Treetops27]

P luck'd You must be thinking of Europe. Medicinemen discovered and treated diseases with great accuracy. Read up on the yellow fever in 1910 in Uganda and who the colonial officials have to rely on to treat it. Superstition? Are you sure you're talking about the higher ups, or the country folks? Wars hardly affected those living there. Learn to read up on history.

[@Treetops27]

P luck'd I'm guessing you're a Eurocentrist, because you just to conclusions about positive facts about Africa. The pre-colonial times are celebrated for good reason that scholars and early explorers came to Africa and discovered lower crime rates, more security, disease eradication and vaccination that is still revered today by doctors, iron-smelting/production at a "semi-industrial level" to quote one European explore.

[@Treetops27]

I can see why the traditionalists hate you Euro-centrics and refuse to join your mainstream society. Have you ever opened a book or watched a documentary on African history that contains peer-reviewed information? That is why traditionalists don't trust western medicine because their medicine has always been more effective. There are numerous articles written by modern scientists stating so. The Op is justified in what he/she said, only if you knew any thing about history would you understand. At least people in the 1800s didn't have to contend with corrupt leaders, apathetic security, loss of culture, lack of housing availability, lack of clean water, lack of wealth opportunities, lack of education to obtain these opportunities, dirty/disorganized cities, and western plunderers. Please do your research, even jungle tribes live better than the average African today.

[@MisterOrange1]

I love this thanks. It feels awesome learning about african culture, empires and civilizations!

[@sirneffy1160]

Never knew a nerd such this guy can make such an entertaining and informative program with really settling humor - subscribed!

[@SNoringbair]

I’m so glad that I found this section of the channel. I loved the vlog brothers

[@GalaxyGirl08]

I can't believe Mensa Musa had a net worth of $400 BILLION!!!

[@umarali1822]

500 trillion in gold Not electronic or paper currency like now a days

[@GalaxyGirl08]

Wow! That's still very impressive, especially for his time!!

[@user-dx5bn4yk4f]

umar ali what else if oh convert that into currency today, it’d double or triple

[@athinimqolora6523]

As an African I found this video very heart warming.Thanks for defying some of the ridiculous assumptions people make about our history

[@benjaminlamptey1867]

Wow! What a relief! I may have known what was said in this video already but I still learned a lot. I learned that it's possible for even some of the most popular channels to not be Eurocentrically biased towards African history and actually teach people what happened. I've never seen this before. I grew up loving Crash Course vids, but now I have so much more respect for you guys. Time to subscribe lol. Excellent work.

[@graciekurtz3260]

Thank you John Green for being the history class I’ve been missing during COVID

[@toastandplants]

A good one, it is a fresh viewpoint on the continent and I would love to see more history from Africa.

[@zsdfasdfas]

"Without gold we only have to face the universe's depraved indifference to us without the benefit of metallic adornment." One of the wisest phrases I've ever heard!

[@aseretazathehighpriestess6370]

I love your crash courses! they're easy to understand plus you make it fun to watch and listen to

[@miguelbyrd2992]

Love how this guy talks about history, in all places

[@mhogomchungu7168]

From the responses I see in the comments it clearly shows how people are conditioned to hate anything good coming out of Africa or from Islam and Muslims. This video have both of them .

[@mosengteroosss5485]

Mansa Musa, flexin' since 1324

[@averydowell1338]

You and your team are killing it!

[@notava6601]

Wow it takes about 2 weeks in school to complete 1 unit where I learn all of this, but I can just watch this and learn the same stuff in 10 minutes. Love your channel guys!

[@damienlocutus]

So it might be a sticking point that John Green is one of the whitest and Americanest guys out there, but whoever did it, I would *SO* watch a whole series of catchy, well-paced videos about African history.

[@jordanmeier7202]

I like how John Green added his own book (The Fault in Our Stars) in there at 9:03!!!

[@tessdrudy6953]

Thank you for showing Africa and African people around the world the respect they deserve

[@mindthebumpproductions]

Beautiful perspective on African culture. Thank you very much. Keep being awesome!

[@teenageriot123456]

No racists in the comment section? Wow, I'm pleasantly surprised...

[@FinessedAnalyzer]

That album in your profile picture is one of the greatest in all genres of music.

[@chrischampagne9469]

Why would racists be watching this channel?

[@RyanTheDuckGaming]

that's good I'm a muslim

[@itsjustme9459]

They're scared of big words

[@Golkarian]

Chris Champagne Did you see some the comments on other videos?

[@haileyb.n.4133]

AP cramming is only fun when John Green is involved...

[@HistoryHustle]

Amazing episode, very interesting history I did not know much of before!

[@dexterjackson27]

You guys have pulled me out of so many jams. Love what you do please don't stop

[@hometeamhistory806]

I wish they would have talked about the legend of Malian kings and their journey to explore the ocean and find new land. Seems like im the only guy making vids on African History with pictures lol

[@sunshinesc90]

He did mention it, but not in great detail. 6:17

[@urockit2011]

Well this is a crash course :)

[@njokuizuchukwu1744]

Watch ur videos bro uvr got nice contact

[@sjappiyah4071]

Love ur videos man

[@blksheep176]

Just keep doin what you doin bro!

[@CeasiusC]

I keep on hearing Man Samoosa, then again I could just be hungry.

[@CeasiusC]

***** You're no rocket scientist yourself mate.

[@mrpkmnfrk]

+Disko H well ur kinda just being a jerk XD

[@SK-hd1yk]

+Ceasius looooool

[@CeasiusC]

***** Listen Dutchie, you don't know who you're dealing with here. Are you triggered by samoosas or food in general? You are a jerk if you're belligerent for no reason, especially on a non-harmful silly comment that was made in good fun. Either way I should probably ban you, I don't have any obligation taking abuse from a mentally unstable Dutch person.

[@CeasiusC]

***** And you're done here. Like I said I don't have to take abuse from some idiot on the internet for no reason

[@Getbizze6]

awesome job keep up the good work

[@elaztic]

Thank you for all this information!

[@larry64161]

I love African history I'm obsessed with it

[@benjaminlamptey1867]

me too, it was hidden for us for so long, it's become like crack lol

[@therealbs2000]

2:02 one of the great flexes in human history

[@recsporteducation4594]

Hi John, I love you man! Great content, and very entertaining. Thanks for all you do. -Ryan

[@wysesolomon4246]

Awesome video! Extremely tastefully done.

[@davidking6242]

I think it would be very difficult to talk about the entirety of Sub Saharan Africa in a single video. Compared to John referring to Europe in almost all of them having multiple European vids. Just my opinion tho...

[@biffyqueen]

+kwadwo baidoo The problem is that African History is mostly oral or written by Arabs or Europeans. Further complicating things are the effects of colonialism where whole histories would have been erased (see also Mayan writing)

[@davidking6242]

biffyqueen i know but he could have gone into detail about Mali, Songhai or islamic influence in Ghana. He didnt mention, maybe he mentioned Askia the Great i dont remember but he didnt mention the 'Lion King' at all.

[@biffyqueen]

kwadwo baidoo I don't disagree. Maybe he went into again in the second World History course?

[@davidking6242]

biffyqueen yeah i just hope he does individual african kingdoms across Africa. He hasn't touched Carthage yet or the Moors or Nubians (Only Egypt) and this is just northern Africa. What about western, southern, central and eastern Africa? He should talk about Ethiopian kingdoms like Aksum (the first christian african nation-christian before any of Europe was). He could go in-depth on the Swahili, the city of Great Zimbabwe and the various coastal kingdoms of West Africa like the Asante, Yoruba, Benin and Senegal as well as the kingdoms of the Sahel and the kingdom of Kongo. there are sooooo many african kingdoms he could discuss...

[@Monochromicornicopia]

+kwadwo baidoo Eurocentrism runs deeper than we white folks like to admit.

[@kingkusnacht]

what about the Ethiopian empire? I know it was christian but he could have at least mentioned them!

[@lamarmcneil5655]

Yeah.

[@sarban1653]

He was talking about West Africa in this video.

[@VonKrauzer]

Paschtunist well, Ethiopia is one of the most ancient countries in the world and the only African country that actually stayed independent from Europe.

[@sarban1653]

VonKrauzer It was actually occupied by Italy for a while.

[@VonKrauzer]

Paschtunist yes, but in XIX century, when all Africa was divided by European empires, only Ethiopia defended their independence. Italy occupied them much later, only when Mussolini came to power.

[@anthonyvaughan4853]

BRILLIANT INTRODUCTION

[@TWILS02119]

Love this stuff!!

[@therealmissbubbly]

Watching this for an essay for AP World History regarding African trade networks. Definitely what I want to be working on at 3 in the freaking morning.

[@momoa6527]

LOL! Expect more of these nights from hell at uni

[@therealmissbubbly]

Looking forward to it

[@emilykowal9237]

This video helped me qualify for nationals at the History Bee!!!!!!!!! :-D

[@smithmcsmith9218]

Please do history of Africa! All of the original tribes and their modern history! Love your videos! Thank you!

[@poobear2207]

The most objective presentation I have seen on this topic.

[@joeygrl111]

Thank you so much for this video, while my World History course was years and years ago, I still remember basically skipping Africa, Native Americans, and South American cultures (except when referencing colonialism which is really the only time they got spoken of). I always have a respect for all humans, but this helps me connect the pieces that were seen as insignificant and it's so wonderful to finally learn about them.

[@Natalie-zx4pb]

Thanks for helping me pass my WHAP exam :)

[@ikra7749]

7:53 As an East African I thank you for acknowledging this basic fact.

[@belleharo4367]

Thank you, that really really helped!!!

[@LifeLibertyandCronic]

so I've been watching these for a few hours non-stop and I just have to say, man do you talk fast! I love history and learning about all these things but it is hard to keep up. I wish these could have been longer and slower.

[@aydenmcgee3026]

In reality, who ACTUALLY uses KZbin for education outside of school when they aren't told to?

[@colline.3039]

The guy behind u

[@Lee-rn3ql]

+Ayden McGee Me

[@davidmb1595]

+Ayden McGee I do it… I have no friends.

[@EchoL0C0]

+Rarity Sparkle same here

[@LaurenOpara101]

🙋🏽

[@constancebare4558]

Thanks John! Great one