Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism Professor, Howard French, was awarded 2022’s Museum of African American History (MAAH) Stone Book Award as well as The Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, for his latest book, BORN IN BLACKNESS: AFRICA, AFRICANS, and the MAKING of the MODERN WORLD, 1471 to the SECOND WORLD WAR, published by Liveright.

Before returning to academia, he was a New York Times foreign correspondent in West and Central Africa, as well as the Times’ bureau chief in the Caribbean and Central America, before becoming their Tokyo bureau chief and then their bureau chief in Shanghai, China. In addition to the New York Times, he has contributed to the New York Review of Books, The Atlantic, The Guardian Longreads and Foreign Policy.

His earlier books include A Continent for the Taking: The Tragedy and Hope of Africa; China’s Second Continent: How a Million Migrants are Building a New Empire in Africa; and Everything Under the Heavens: How the Past Helps Shape China’s Push for Global Power.

We spoke with Howard French on December 20, 2022 via Skype, overcoming numerous technical difficulties.

Articles pertinent to this interview:

World Politics Review Articles written by Howard W. French https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/author/howard-w-french/

How Africa Can Avoid Getting Scrambled https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/12/19/us-africa-leaders-summit-china-russia-competition-scramble/

Abu Bakr II: Did the King of Ancient Mali go to America? https://www.historicmysteries.com/abu-bakr-ii-america/

The Songhai Empire – Africa’s Age of Gold https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfUT6LhBBYs

African leaders gather in US as Joe Biden aims to reboot rocky relations https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/13/african-leaders-gather-in-us-as-joe-biden-aims-to-reboot-rocky-relations

Archbishop of Canterbury apologises over Church fund’s link to slavery https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61834511

Netherlands slavery: Saying sorry leaves Dutch divided https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63993283

US House to remove bust of judge who wrote Dred Scott decision defending slavery https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/dec/15/house-votes-remove-bust-roger-taney-dred-scott-us-capitol

For U.S. Museums With Looted Art, the Indiana Jones Era Is Over https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/13/arts/museums-looted-art-repatriation.html

We ended the 12/23/22 broadcast version of this program with the Ukrainian folk song, Shchedryk, from a recording by Helena Androsova singing all of the voices first with English then Ukrainian Lyrics. It is known in the U. S. as Carol of the Bells. You can hear/view her performance here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqeJ38DThVc

‘Carol of the Bells,’ a Christmas Staple from Ukraine, a Century Later https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/20/arts/music/carol-of-the-bells-shchedryk-ukraine.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=Music