The General History of Africa (GHA) is a two-phase project launched by UNESCO in 1964, producing a volume history of Africa first published in 1981 up to the present.
The 1964 General Conference of UNESCO, during its 13th Session, instructed the Organization to undertake this initiative after the newly independent African member states expressed a strong desire to reclaim their cultural identity, to rectify widespread ignorance about their continent's history, and to break free of discriminatory prejudices.
Phase One, which began in 1964 and was completed in 1999, consisted of writing and publishing volumes 18 which highlight the shared heritage of the peoples of Africa.
Phase Two, which began in 2009, focuses on the elaboration of history curricula and pedagogical materials for primary and secondary schools on the basis of the eight volumes of the GHA. Phase Two also focuses on the promotion of the use and harmonization of the teaching of this collection in higher education institutions throughout the continent. Phase Two also concerns the implementation of these materials in schools in Africa and the diaspora. Volumes 9, 10, and 11 were released in 2025.
The objective of both Phase One and Phase Two of the project is to re-appropriate the interpretation and writing of African histories and to demonstrate the contribution of African cultures past and present to the history of humanity at large.
Volumes and contributors Editors are shown by (E), and assistant editors by (aE).
Volume 1: Methodology and African Historiography (1981) Internet Archive link Chapter No.Chapter TitleAuthor (and Nationality)– General Introduction Joseph Ki-Zerbo (E) (Burkina Faso)1 The development of African historiography John Donnelly Fage (UK)2 The place of history in African society Boubou Hama (Niger) and Joseph Ki-Zerbo (Burkina Faso)3 Recent trends in African historiography and their contribution to history in general Philip Dearmond Curtin (US)4 Sources and specific techniques used in African history: general outline Théophile Obenga (Republic of the Congo)5 Written sources before the fifteenth century Hichem Djait (Tunisia)6 Written sources from the fifteenth century onwards (Czech Republic)7 Oral tradition and its methodology Jan Vansina (Belgium)8 The living tradition Amadou Hampâté Bâ (Mali)9 African archeology and its techniques including dating techniques Zaky Iskander (Egypt)10 History and linguistics Pathé Diagne (Senegal)– Editorial Note: Theories on the 'races' and history of Africa Joseph Ki-Zerbo (E) (Burkina Faso)11 Migrations and ethnic and linguistic differentiations (Russia)12 African linguistic classification Joseph Harold Greenberg (U.S.A.)– Appendix to Chapter 12: The language map of Africa David Dalby (U.K.)13 Historical geography: physical aspects Sékouba Diarra (Mali)14 Historical geography: economic aspects Akin Ladipo Mabogunje (Nigeria)15 The interdisciplinary methods adopted in this study Joseph Ki-Zerbo (E) (Burkina Faso)16 Chronological framework: African pluvial and glacial epochs Rushdi Said (Egypt) and Hugues Faure (France)17 Homonization: General problems Yves Coppens (France) and (France)18 African fossil man Richard Leakey (Kenya)19 The prehistory of East Africa John Edward Giles Sutton (U.K.)20 The prehistory of Southern Africa John Desmond Clark (U.S.A.)21 The prehistory of Central Africa Roger de Bayle des Hermens (France) and Francis Van Noten (Belgium) with Pierre de Maret (Belgium), Jan Moeyersons (Belgium), K. Muya and Emile Roche (France)22 The prehistory of North Africa (France)23 The prehistory of the Sahara Henri Jean Hougot (France)24 The prehistory of West Africa Charles Thurstan Shaw (U.K.)25 The prehistory of the Nile Valley Fernand Debono (U.K.)26 African prehistoric art Joseph Ki-Zerbo (E) (Burkina Faso)27 The origins, development and expansion of agricultural techniques (France) and (France)28 Discovery and diffusion of metals and the development of social systems until the fifth century before the Christian era Jean Vercoutter (France)– Conclusion: From nature in the raw to liberated humanity Joseph Ki-Zerbo (E) (Burkina Faso)
Volume 2: Ancient Civilizations of Africa (1981) Internet Archive link Chapter No.Chapter TitleAuthor (and Nationality)– Introduction Gamal Eddin Mokhtar (E) (Egypt) with Jean Vercoutter (France)1 Origin of the Ancient Egyptians Cheikh Anta Diop (Senegal)– Annex to Chapter 1: Report on the symposium on 'The Peopling of Ancient Egypt and the Deciphering of the Meroitic Script' (Cairo, 28 January-3 February 1974)2 Pharaonic Egypt Abdel Moneim Abu Bakr (Egypt)3 Pharaonic Egypt: society, economy and culture Jean Yoyotte (France)4 Egypt's relations with the rest of Africa Abd el Hamid Zayid (Egypt) with (France)5 The legacy of Pharaonic Egypt Rashid El Nadoury (Egypt) with Jean Vercoutter (France)6 Egypt in the Hellenistic era Henry Riad (Egypt) with (France)7 Egypt under Roman domination Sergio Donadoni (Italy)8 The importance of Nubia: a link between Central Africa and the Mediterranean S. Adam (Egypt) with Jean Vercoutter (France)9 Nubia before Napata (−3100 to −750) Negm-el-Din Mohammed Sherif (Sudan)10 The Empire of Kush: Napata and Meroë Jean Leclant (France)11 The civilization of Napata and Meroë Ahmed Ali Hakem (Sudan) with (Czech Republic) and Jean Vercoutter (France)12 The spreading of Christianity in Nubia Kazimierz Michałowski (Poland)13 Pre-Axumite culture H. de Contension (France)14 The civilization of Axum from the first to the seventh century (France)15 Axum: political system, economics and culture, first to fourth century Yuri Mikhailovich Kobishanov (Russia)16 Christian Axum Tekle Tsadik Mekouria (Ethiopia)17 The proto-Berbers Jehan Desanges (France)18 The Carthaginian period Brian Herbert Warmington (U.K.)19 The Roman and post-Roman period in North Africa (Tunisia) and Pierre Salama (France)20 The Sahara in classical antiquity Pierre Salama (France)21 Introduction to the later prehistory of Sub-Saharan Africa Merrick Posnansky (U.K.)22 The East African coast and its role in maritime trade Abdul Sheriff (Tanzania)23 East Africa before the seventh century John Edward Giles Sutton (U.K.)24 West Africa before the seventh century Bassey Wai-Andah (Nigeria)25 Central Africa Francis Van Noten (Belgium) with Daniel Cahen (Belgium) and Pierre de Maret (Belgium)26 Southern Africa: hunters and food-gatherers John Parkington (U.K.)27 The beginnings of the Iron Age in Southern Africa David Walter Phillipson (U.K.)28 Madagascar (France)29 The societies of Africa south of the Sahara in the Early Iron Age Merrick Posnansky (U.K.)– Conclusion Gamal Eddin Mokhtar (Egypt)
Volume 3: Africa from the Seventh to the Eleventh Century (1988) Internet Archive link Chapter No.Chapter TitleAuthor (and Nationality)1 Africa in the context of world history (aE) (Czech Republic)2 The coming of Islam and the expansion of the Muslim empire Muhammad al-Fasi (E) (Morocco) and (aE) (Czech Republic)3 Stages in the development of Islam and its dissemination in Africa4 Islam as a social system in Africa since the seventh century Zakari Dramani-Issifou (Benin)5 The peoples of the Sudan: Population movements Francois de Medeiros (Benin)6 The Bantu-speaking peoples and their expansion Samwiri Lwanga-Lunyiigo (Uganda) and Jan Vansina (Belgium)7 Egypt from the Arab conquest until the end of the Fatimid state (1171) Thierry Bianquis (France)8 Christian Nubia at the height of its civilization Stefan Jakobielski (Poland)9 The conquest of North Africa and the Berber resistance H. Mones (Egypt)10 The independence of the Maghrib Mohamed Talbi (Tunisia)11 The role of the Sahara and Saharians in relationships between North and South Tadeusz Lewicki (Poland)12 The emergence of the Fatimids (aE) (Czech Republic)13 The Almovarids (aE) (Czech Republic) and (France)14 Trade and trade routes in West Africa (France)15 The Chad region as a crossroads (Germany) and Bawuro Barkindo (Nigeria)16 The Guinea zone: General situation Thurston Shaw (U.K.)17 The Guinean belt: The peoples between Mount Cameroon and the Ivory Coast Bassey Wai Andah (Nigeria) with James Anquandah (Ghana)18 The peoples of Upper Guinea (between Ivory Coast and the Casamance) Bassey Wai Andah (Nigeria)19 The Horn of Africa Tekle-Tsadik Mekouria (Ethiopia)20 Ethiopia's relations with the Muslim world Enrico Cerulli (Italy)21 The East African coast and the Comoro Islands Fidelis T. Masao (Tanzania) and Henry W. Mutoro (Kenya)22 The East African interior Christopher Ehret (U.S.A.)23 Central Africa to the north of the Zambezi David Walter Phillipson (U.K.)24 Southern Africa to the south of the Zambezi Thomas N. Huffman (U.S.A.)25 Madagascar Madame Bakoly Domenichini-Ramiaramanana (Madagascar)26 The African diaspora in Asia Yusof Talib (Singapore) with F. El-Samir (Iraq)27 Relations between different regions of Africa Abdoulaye Bathily (Senegal) with Claude Meillassoux (France)28 Africa from the seventh to the eleventh century: Five formative centuries (France) and Jan Vansina (Belgium)
Volume 4: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century (1984) Internet Archive link Chapter No.Chapter TitleAuthor (and Nationality)1 Introduction Djibril Tamsir Niane (E) (Guinea)2 The unification of the Maghreb under the Alhomads O. Saidi (Tunisia)3 The spread of civilization in the Maghreb and its impact on Western civilization Mohamed Talbi (Tunisia)4 The disintegration of the political unity of the Maghreb (Czech Republic)5 Society in the Maghrib after the disappearance of the Alhomads R. Idris (France)6 Mali and the second Mandingo expansion Djibril Tamsir Niane (E) (Guinea)7 The decline of the Mali empire Madina Ly-Tall (Mali)8 The Songhay from the 12th to the 16th century (Senegal)9 The peoples and kingdoms of the Niger Bend and the Volta basin from the 12th to 16th century (France)10 The kingdoms and peoples of Chad (Germany)11 The Hausa and their neighbours in central Sudan Mahdi Adamu (Nigeria) with André Salifou (Niger)12 The coastal peoples: From Casamance to the Ivory Coast lagoons Yves Person (France)13 From the Ivory Coast lagoons to the Volta Pierre Kipré (Ivory Coast)14 From the Volta to the Cameroon Alan Frederick Charles Ryder (U.K.)15 Egypt and the Muslim world (France)16 Nubia from the late 12th century to the Funj conquest in the early 15th century (Czech Republic)17 The Horn of Africa: The Solomonids in Ethiopia and the states of the Horn of Africa Taddesse Tamrat (Ethiopia)18 The development of Swahili civilization Victor V. Matveiev (U.S.S.R.)19 Between the coast and the great lakes Christopher Ehret (U.S.A.)20 The Great Lakes region Bethwell Allan Ogot (Kenya)21 The Zambezi and Limpopo basins: 1100–1500 Brian Murray Fagan (U.K.)22 Equatorial Africa and Angola: Migrations and the emergence of the first states Jan Vansina (Belgium)23 Southern Africa: Its peoples and social structures Leonard Diniso Ngcongco (Botswana) with Jan Vansina (Belgium)24 Madagascar and the neighbouring islands from the 12th to the 16th century Faranirina Esoavelomandroso (Madagascar)25 Relationships and exchanges among the different groups Djibril Tamsir Niane (E) (Guinea)26 Africa in inter-continental relations (France) with S. Labib (Egypt)27 Conclusion Djibril Tamsir Niane (E) (Guinea)
Volume 5: Africa from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century (1992) Internet Archive link