Motherland: African culture and identity Luke Pepera
Event details
Join us for a ground-breaking exploration of African culture and identity, told via author Luke Pepera's journey through 500,000 years of history to connect with his extraordinary heritage.
Based on his book Motherland, Luke will tackle the questions many people of African descent ask - Who are we? Where do we come from? What defines us? And how might knowledge of deep history affect our understanding of our identity?
With illuminating examples, Luke will explore aspects of African identity from nomadic culture to matriarchal society. Prepare to meet an array of intriguing characters including Mansa Musa, the wealthiest man who ever lived, and the Kandake Queen Amanirenas, who defeated the Romans in Nubia. You’ll learn how the response to the actor Chadwick Boseman's death demonstrated Yoruba beliefs about ancestral veneration, and how the rap battle evolved from earlier forms of African oral literature.
Come along and meet Luke as he interweaves his own experiences of exploring his Ghanaian family history with an account of the stories that have shaped Africa.
Book sales
You can buy copies of many of our speakers’ books from Fox Lane Books, a local independent bookseller and Festival partner. In some cases, author signed bookplates are available too.
About the speaker
Luke Pepera is a writer, broadcaster, historian and anthropologist dedicated to sharing his passion for African history and cultures. He was born in Ghana and has a degree from St Peter's College, Oxford, where he read Archaeology and Anthropology and studied ancient and medieval African history. Since graduating he has worked at the Pitt Rivers Museum, The Times and Tatler, and has written and presented Africa: Written Out of History, a documentary for Dan Snow's History Hit. His new book is Motherland: A journey through 500,000 Years of African Culture and Identity.
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