In spite of these growing capital imbalances, longstanding contacts ensured remarkable connections between the Age of Revolution in Europe and America and the birth of a revolutionary nineteenth century in Africa.Ī Fistful of Shells draws not just on written histories, but on archival research in nine countries, on art, praise-singers, oral history, archaeology, letters, and the authors personal experience to create a new perspective on the history of one of the worlds most important regions. Over time, the relationship between Africa and Europe revolved ever more around the trade in slaves, damaging Africas relative political and economic power as the terms of monetary exchange shifted drastically in Europes favour. It reconstructs the world of kingdoms whose existence (like those of Europe) revolved around warfare, taxation, trade, diplomacy, complex religious beliefs, royal display and extravagance, and the production of art. Toby Greens groundbreaking new book transforms our view of West and West-Central Africa.

Until at least 1650, this was a trade of equals, using a variety of currencies - most importantly shells: the cowrie shells imported from the Maldives, and the nzimbu shells imported from Brazil. Its gold had fuelled the economies of Europe and Islamic world since around 1000, and its sophisticated kingdoms had traded with Europeans along the coasts from Senegal down to Angola since the fifteenth century. Shortlisted for the Cundill History Prize and the Pius Adesanmi Memorial AwardĪstonishing, staggering Ben Okri, Daily TelegraphĪ groundbreaking new history that will transform our view of West Africaīy the time of the Scramble for Africa in the late nineteenth century, Africa had already been globally connected for many centuries. Winner of the Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize for Global Cultural Understanding 2019

A fistfull of shells