In Africa, the past goes to the very origins of humanity. It continues until just before the scramble for Africa in the late 19th century.
Africa and Africans deserve to be known on their own terms, and to achieve this goal, we need to improve our understanding of what took place before colonialism rewrote many of life's rules.
We can do this best by studying how Africa was peopled; how different African population varieties developed; how the over 1400 languages spoken in Africa evolved; why occupation has been an important aspect of African perceptions of identity; why certain places were attractive, and how trade routes altered comparative value of places; and how in turn, trade fostered the development of more complex societies.