UNESCO launched the elaboration of the General History of Africa in 1964; a work in 8 volumes to remedy the widespread ignorance of Africa’s past.

The General History of Africa is a work published in eight volumes by UNESCO to cover the history of the entire African continent, from the appearance of man to the contemporary issues facing Africans and their Diasporas in the world. This work also covers the pre-colonial period and deeply inserts the destiny of Africa into that of humanity by highlighting the relations with other continents and the contribution of African cultures to the general progress of humanity.

UNESCO launched the development of this work in 1964. It mobilized more than 230 historians and other specialists for more than 35 years to remedy the generalized ignorance of Africa’s past and to reconstruct a history of Africa freed from racial prejudices inherited from the slave trade and colonization and fostering an African perspective.

To find out more, the 8 volumes of the General History of Africa are available in 6 languages on the UNESCO website.