Zeinab Badawi

“When an Egyptian committed a crime it was not the custom of Shabaka to punish him with death; but instead of the death penalty he compelled the offender, according to the seriousness of the offence, to raise the level of the soil in the neighbourhood of his native town. In this way the cities came to stand very high indeed.”
― Zeinab Badawi, An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence

“Africa is the birthplace of humankind itself, yet little of its ancient and modern history is widely known. It has an extraordinary past: engrossing narratives of warrior queens, kings, chiefs, priests and priestesses; of mighty civilisations blooming on the banks of rivers or in the shade of sacred mountains; of lavish buildings hewn out of rock, exquisite libraries bursting with discovery, bustling caravan routes and market squares thick with the voices of traders, travellers, farmers and entertainers.”
― Zeinab Badawi, An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence – An International Bestseller Told Through the Voices of Africans