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  • The Kalakuta Republic: Fela Kuti's Musical Rebellion

    The Kalakuta Republic: Fela Kuti's Musical Rebellion
    2026/06/14
    Episode 100 of The History of Nigeria turns to a figure who challenged military rule with rhythm and rage: Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. Lucas and Luna explore how Fela's Afrobeat sound fused Yoruba traditional music with jazz and funk, and how his political activism led to the creation of the Kalakuta Republic, a commune in Lagos that became a symbol of resistance. They cover Fela's early life in Abeokuta and London, his mother Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti's activism, the 1974 raid on Kalakuta by Nigerian soldiers that left his mother injured and the commune burned, and Fela's defiant response in songs like 'Zombie' and 'Sorrow, Tears and Blood'. The episode also touches on Fela's run for president in 1979 under his Movement of the People, and his legacy as a voice for the oppressed. For listeners who have followed the series through kingdoms, colonies, and independence, this episode examines how one man's music became a historical force. #FelaKuti #KalakutaRepublic #Afrobeat #Lagos #Nigeria #MilitaryRule #FunmilayoRansomeKuti #Zombie #MovementOfThePeople #Abeokuta #JamesBrown #Ghana #1970s #Highlife #Obasanjo #Resistance #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 分
  • The Aba Women's War of 1929: Nigeria's Igbo Women's Revolt

    The Aba Women's War of 1929: Nigeria's Igbo Women's Revolt
    2026/06/14
    In late 1929, thousands of Igbo and Ibibio women in southeastern Nigeria launched a massive protest against British colonial taxation and local warrant chiefs. This episode digs into the Women's War — known as Ogu Umunwanyi in Igbo — focusing on the specific grievances, the spark at Oloko, the spread across Calabar and Owerri provinces, and the brutal British response that left over 50 women dead. We follow figures like Nwanyeruwa, the woman whose confrontation with a warrant chief ignited the revolt, and examine how the women used traditional practices like sitting on a man to enforce their demands. The episode also explores the aftermath: how the protests forced the British to rethink indirect rule, yet how colonial historiography long dismissed the event as a riot. With context drawn from earlier episodes on Igbo society and colonial conquest, this is a story of women's political agency, economic justice, and anticolonial resistance that still resonates in Nigeria today. #AbaWomenWar #OguUmunwanyi #IgboWomen #NigeriaHistory #1929WomenRevolt #BritishColonialism #Nwanyeruwa #SittingOnAMan #WarrantChiefs #Calabar #Owerri #IndirectRule #AnticolonialResistance #WomenRights #ColonialTaxation #FexingoHistory #WestAfrica #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 分
  • Nigeria's First University: The Yaba College Struggle

    Nigeria's First University: The Yaba College Struggle
    2026/06/13
    In 1934, the British colonial government in Nigeria opened Yaba Higher College, a second-tier institution that offered sub-degree diplomas but not full university degrees. This episode explores the politics behind Yaba's creation, the Nigerian elite's fury at being denied a real university, and the decades-long struggle that culminated in the founding of University College Ibadan in 1948 and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1960. We discuss figures like Dr. James Aggrey, Sir Hugh Clifford, Eyo Ita, Nnamdi Azikiwe, and the Asquith and Elliot Commissions. We also examine how Yaba fit into the broader colonial policy of indirect rule and educational restriction — and why the fight for a university became a central plank of Nigerian nationalism. #YabaHigherCollege #NigerianEducation #ColonialNigeria #NnamdiAzikiwe #UniversityCollegeIbadan #AsquithCommission #ElliotCommission #JamesAggrey #EyoIta #HughClifford #Lagos #Ibadan #Nsukka #WestAfrica #HistoryOfNigeria #HigherEducation #Decolonization #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 分
  • The 1897 Punitive Expedition: Benin's Sacking and the Bronzes

    The 1897 Punitive Expedition: Benin's Sacking and the Bronzes
    2026/06/13
    In February 1897, a British military force known as the Punitive Expedition sacked the ancient kingdom of Benin, looting thousands of bronze plaques, ivory carvings, and ritual objects from the royal compound and the palace of Oba Ovonramwen. This episode tells the story of that expedition — the diplomatic crisis that triggered it, the ambush of British consul James Phillips, the march on Benin City, the oathing rituals of the Oba's commanders, and the complex aftermath that left the Oba in exile and the kingdom's patrimony scattered across European museums. We explore the political context of the mid-1890s: the scramble among British, French, and German interests in the Niger Delta, the end of the slave trade, and the pressure on Benin's trade in palm oil and ivory. We also discuss the resistance led by General Asoro, the destruction of the Uzama quarter, and the lingering question of how many bronzes were melted down. This is the foundational episode for any discussion of the Benin Bronzes, the restitution movement, and the legacy of colonial violence in Nigeria. #PunitiveExpedition #BeninEmpire #BeninBronzes #ObaOvonramwen #GeneralAsoro #BritishEmpire #ColonialNigeria #JamesPhillips #BeninCity #Uzama #IvoryCarving #Looting #Restitution #NigerDelta #PalmOilTrade #History #FexingoHistory #NigeriaHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    10 分
  • The Nri Kingdom: Igbo God-Kings and the Invention of Peace

    The Nri Kingdom: Igbo God-Kings and the Invention of Peace
    2026/06/12
    Before the slave trade and colonialism, the Nri people of the Igbo heartland built a unique civilization around ritual power, not military might. Their priest-king, the Eze Nri, was seen as a living deity who could grant and revoke titles across vast territories. This episode traces Nri's origins to the 9th century, its influence on Igbo cosmology, and the famous 'Nri taboo' that banned bloodshed within its borders. We meet the first known Eze Nri, Eri, explore the sacred city of Aguleri, and examine how Nri's oracular authority rivaled the Aro Confederacy's. Discover how Nri's peaceful hegemony shaped Igbo identity for centuries — and why it finally crumbled under British rule. #NriKingdom #EzeNri #IgboHistory #Aguleri #Eri #NriTaboo #OracularAuthority #IgboCosmology #AroConfederacy #Palestine #PrecolonialNigeria #WestAfrica #9thCentury #PeacefulEmpire #RitualPower #Colonialism #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 分
  • The Lagos Colony Bombardment of 1851: Britain's First Invasion

    The Lagos Colony Bombardment of 1851: Britain's First Invasion
    2026/06/12
    In 1851, Britain bombarded Lagos, deposed its Oba, and installed a puppet ruler — all under the banner of ending the slave trade. This episode unpacks the real motives behind the attack, the role of the Saro returnees from Brazil, the diplomacy of Oba Akitoye and his rival Kosoko, and how a single naval action set the stage for Lagos becoming a British colony a decade later. We explore why Britain chose Lagos over other slave ports, how the Saro community shaped the city's politics, and the lasting irony of a 'humanitarian' intervention that led directly to colonial rule. Featuring the Battle of Lagos, the role of Commodore Henry William Bruce, and the complex legacy of the Saro elite who both resisted and collaborated with British power. #Lagos #BombardmentOfLagos1851 #ObaAkitoye #ObaKosoko #Saro #BritishColonialism #SlaveTrade #WestAfrica #NigeriaHistory #RoyalNavy #CommodoreBruce #LagosColony #BattleOfLagos #Abolition #HumanitarianIntervention #ColonialHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 分
  • Saro and Aguda: Nigeria's Returnee Communities from Brazil

    Saro and Aguda: Nigeria's Returnee Communities from Brazil
    2026/06/12
    This episode of The History of Nigeria explores the fascinating story of the Saro and Aguda — formerly enslaved Africans who returned to West Africa from Brazil, Cuba, and Sierra Leone in the 19th century. We follow figures like Francisco Félix de Sousa, the slave trader turned chacha of Ouidah, and the returnees who built churches, schools, and newspapers in Lagos and Abeokuta. Learn how they shaped Nigerian nationalism, introduced new architectural styles like Brazilian baroque, and influenced figures like Herbert Macaulay. We also discuss the returnees' complex role in the colonial economy and their legacy in modern Nigeria. #Saro #Aguda #BrazilianReturnees #LagosHistory #FranciscoFelixdeSousa #Chacha #Ouidah #SierraLeoneReturnees #HerbertMacaulay #NigerianNationalism #Abeokuta #BrazilianArchitecture #Slavery #Diaspora #19thCentury #WestAfrica #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 分
  • The Great Benin Walls: Earthworks That Rivaled the Great Wall of China

    The Great Benin Walls: Earthworks That Rivaled the Great Wall of China
    2026/06/11
    Most people have never heard of the Benin City walls — a series of earthen ramparts and moats that, at their height, enclosed over 6,000 square kilometers of the Edo kingdom. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the engineering, purpose, and eventual destruction of what one European visitor called 'a work of giants.' They dig into the oral traditions of Oba Oguola, who expanded the walls in the 13th century, and the accounts of Portuguese traders who saw them intact in the 1500s. They also discuss the 1897 British Punitive Expedition that not only looted the famous Benin Bronzes but also breached the walls, leading to their gradual decay. Along the way, they touch on the symbolism of the 'iya' — the deep ditch — as a spiritual and defensive boundary, and the ongoing efforts by Edo communities to preserve what remains. This episode offers a fresh look at one of Africa's largest pre-colonial architectural achievements. #BeninWalls #BeninCity #EdoKingdom #GreatBeninWalls #ObaOguola #PunitiveExpedition #BeninBronzes #Iya #Earthworks #AfricanArchitecture #PreColonialAfrica #WestAfrica #NigeriaHistory #FexingoHistory #History #AncientEngineering #ColonialLooting #CulturalHeritage Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    9 分