A History of the World in 100 Objects

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Factual: History

Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, retells humanity's history through objects

Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, narrates 100 programmes that retell humanity's history through the objects we have made.

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A History of the World in 100 Objects: Exploration, Exploitation and Enlightenment (AD 1680-1820): Akan Drum

Akan drum

Akan Drum

Exploration, Exploitation and Enlightenment (AD 1680-1820)

A History of the World in 100 Objects Omnibus

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Neil MacGregor with an African drum taken to America during the slave trade

Neil MacGregor explores the often troubled relationship between Europeans and the rest of the world during the 18th century. Today, he is with an African drum taken to America.

Neil MacGregor's history of the world as told through things that time has left behind. Throughout this week, he is examining the often troubled relationship between Europe and the rest of the world during the 18th century. 

Today he tells the extraordinary story of a now fragile African drum. It was taken to America during the years of the slave trade and where it came into contact with Native Americans. The drum was brought to England by Sir Hans Sloane, whose collection became the British Museum in 1753. This drum, the earliest African-American object in the Museum, is a rare surviving example of an instrument whose music was to profoundly influence American culture - bought to America on a slave ship and transported to Britain by a slave owner.  The historian Anthony Appiah and the writer Bonnie Greer consider the impact of this drum.

Producer: Anthony Denselow
Music research specifically for the Akan drum: Michael Doran

A History of the World in 100 Objects: Exploration, Exploitation and Enlightenment (AD 1680-1820)

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Neil MacGregor on the misunderstandings that can happen when different worlds collide.

Neil MacGregor goes back to the 18th century to look at the Age of the European Enlightenment, through five objects from different cultures around the world.

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A History of the World in 100 Objects

Exploration, Exploitation and Enlightenment (AD 1680-1820)

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