Original version

BBC Four

BBC 4

Lost Kingdoms of Africa

Documentaries

Factual: History

Gus Casely-Hayford explores the pre-colonial history of Africa's most important kingdoms

British art historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores the pre-colonial history of some of Africa's most important kingdoms

BBC HD

Lost Kingdoms of Africa: Series 2

Gus Casely-Hayford

Ross Harper

Rachel Bell

Mark Bates

Lost Kingdoms of Africa: Series 2: Episode 1: The Kingdom of Asante

Factual

The Kingdom of Asante

Episode 1

Episode 1: The Kingdom of Asante

Series 2

BBC Four - Lost Kingdoms of Africa, Series 2, The Kingdom of Asante

Asante was a kingdom that was built on gold and slaves, which made it an important place.

Asante in West Africa was a kingdom that was built on gold and slaves, which ensured its important place in an economy that linked three continents.

We know less about Africa's distant past than almost anywhere else on Earth. But the scarcity of written records doesn't mean that Africa lacks history - it is found instead in the culture, artefacts and traditions of the people. In this series, art historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores some of the richest and most vibrant histories in the world, revealing fascinating stories of four complex and sophisticated civilisations: the Kingdom of Asante, the Zulu Kingdom, the Berber Kingdom of Morocco and the Kingdoms of Bunyoro & Buganda.

In this episode, Dr Casely-Hayford travels to Ghana in West Africa, where a powerful kingdom once dominated the region. Asante was built on gold and slaves, which ensured its important place in an economy that linked three continents. He reveals how this sophisticated kingdom emerged from the unlikely environment of dense tropical forest and how it was held together by a shared sense of tradition and history - one deliberately moulded by the kingdom's rulers.

Knowledge, arts, music and culture from the UK and the world.

BBC Four reflects arts, music and culture with an ambitious range of intellectually and culturally enriching programmes, taking an expert and in-depth approach to its subjects.

Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores the pre-colonial history of some of Africa's kingdoms

Series in which British art historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores the pre-colonial history of some of Africa's most important kingdoms

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Lost Kingdoms of Africa

Series 2

Episode 1: The Kingdom of Asante

Contributors

Genres

Formats

Brand

Series

BBC Four

About BBC Four