Yeah we had something like that in mind. However we are a far way away from the interactive map. We plan to do mapping videos for all of Africa and use the research for the interactive map as well as an encyclopedia for African states.

We plan to have it cover multiple time periods via layers and sliders. Similar to this one: https://www.timemaps.com/history/world-3500bc/

I can't say with certainty when but evidence of human population in West Africa is relatively recent. It seems that human populations may have even populated Eurasia prior to entering West Africa. The oldest known civilization would be those of Dhar Tichitt (2000 BCE) and Tombouze (1500 BCE). Due to lack of the written record, we don't know whether these civilizations were part of bigger states or empires but there is clear evidence of governmental hierarchy and urbanization.

Actually upon watching it on actual YouTube, the aspect ratio is fine. It just looks widescreen when viewed in the forum plugin. Nice work.

Great video! I see you finally got your aspect ratio down as well despite being slightly widescreen. The resolution is all around clearer too.

This is amazing. I'll be sure to check it out. I noticed you joined the discord earlier but you didn't hit the "-agree" command for the bot to allow you to talk in other channels.

@Sword of Africa Sounds like a plan for another addition of my "Misconceptions" series. You're right.

I've never seen that level or racism or bigotry in something as seemingly harmless as a map before. That's crazy. Where was this from?

@Redwallzyl Wow that's amazing. It's crazy to think of such an obscure and unknown culture reaching Russian nobility. How did that even happen?

The problem is that Africans and Native Americans don't have terms that are equivalent to "Western" or "Eastern." Or more technically "Occidental" and "Oriental." So calling Haiti part of "African" history can create confusion since it's geographically not African.

Very creative topic! I think that it would definitely have a dramatic influence on the development of Africa. However, I think it would be worth nothing that the biggest influence would probably come if this "horizontal Africa" was located in the area that is now the Sahara (let's also say that it was more of a grassland than a desert). Sahlian civilizations grew relatively large and advanced compared to most other parts of sub-Saharan Africa. With that said. I could easily see a "Sahelian Empire" evolving out of this new continent due to the ease of transmission of ideas and technology in addition to no desert barrier.

I had no idea about them. That goes to show how one big civilization can overshadow the smaller ones.

Yes simply because at the time that Haiti declared its independence, it was the first "black" nation to do so. It was a slap in the face to the white supremacists at the time who classified blacks as animals. It showed that they had the ability and self-determination to rise up together and TAKE their freedom. Not to mention at the time, they likely retained alot of their indigenous African cultural traditions (as they still do today). The United States and Australia are also considered a "Western" countries despite the fact that the "West" refers to western Europe specifically. With that said, Haitian history deserves its place in African history from a purely cultural perspective.

A little nitpicky but you put "Shanghai" instead of Songhai. Shanghai would be a city in China :P

By the way, there is a reply option now :D

Very cool stuff. That's one topic that I've always been curious about. I've never been able to find much knowledge on the burial practices of African cultures or whether they had a different concept of "cemetery" than the west. Do they have tombstones?

You just love stirring things up don't you?

I vaguely remember hearing of these before. I think they are nicknamed the "African Stonehenge."

Great scenarios. Gave me a lot to think about. It would be very interesting to see how history would play out if Columbus came to the Americas discovering Black Muslims who knew how to read, write, and sail. Makes me wonder how it would affect the slave trade and the subsequent dehumanization of black people.