A new look at Africa

Our wealth grew on slave plantations

Author Howard French is a historian at Columbia University in New York. In this interview, he describes the true significance of Africa in world history.

(Bild: Klett Cotta, Stuart Isett, Michael Hafner, Krone KREATIV)

The historian Howard French presents a new thesis: Africa's importance in world history is underestimated. This is still causing problems today - for Europe.

One of the oldest prefabricated buildings in the world is located in Ghana, West Africa. In the race for African gold, Portuguese soldiers were in such a hurry that they brought ready-hewn beams and stone blocks by ship from Portugal to build the fortress of Elmina within a few weeks in 1482. The castle with its slave dungeon became a notorious symbol of slavery and human trafficking. And it bears witness to a competition for raw materials in Africa that began even before the departure for America.

Slavery is more important than the steam engine
Africa is actually the New World, says historian and journalist Howard French in a new book that aims to turn world history on its head. Prosperity in Europe and Africa came about at the expense of Africa, primarily on the backs of slaves. Slavery and plantation labor are more important foundations of our economy than technology. What responsibility does this mean for Europe and America?