Episode 4: Disassembling

Into the Depths

National Geographic

Science, History

4.6 • 803 Ratings

🗓️ 17 February 2022

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

National Geographic Explorer Tara Roberts heads to Africa, her ancestral homeland. She visits Doors of No Return, walks the slave trail in Benin, and learns about the long legacy of African free divers who excavated ships all over the world as far back as the 16th century. After an initial burst of Afro-joy, Tara soon realizes she’s viewed largely as American rather than Black on the continent. Her understanding of self, Blackness, and Africa are turned upside down. But later, while dancing to South African house music under the stars, she finds a connection once again. Want more? Check out our Into the Depths hub to learn more about Tara’s journey following Black scuba divers, find previous Nat Geo coverage on the search for slave shipwrecks, and read the March cover story. And download a tool kit for hosting an Into the Depths listening party to spark conversation and journey deeper into the material. Also explore: If you’re interested in the history of Black aquatic culture, historian Kevin Dawson lays out the connections between African people and the water in his book Undercurrents of Power: Aquatic Cultures in the African Diaspora. Read the powerful account of Kossola, also known by the name Cudjo Lewis, in author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston’s book, Barracoon: The Story of the Last ‘Black Cargo.’ Find out more about the many “doors of no return” that dot Africa’s west coast, including the sites at Ouidah and Elmina Castle, which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Turning an idea into a small business doesn't happen by accident. You need to be all in.
0:05.5	At constant contact, we have the digital marketing tools you need to get the word out, close the sale,
0:10.3	raise the funds and gather a community around this thing you've built. So let's do this together.
0:15.2	Let's send this, share this and shout this from the rooftops. Let's segment this, automate this,
0:20.3	and AI this for real results fast. Let's get out of this what we put rooftops. Let's segment this, automate this, and AI this for real
0:21.6	results fast. Let's get out of this what we put into this. Let's build this. Let's grow this. Let's
0:26.6	win this. Get started today at constantcontact.com.
0:31.4	It was time to head back to Africa, the land of my ancestors. I needed to go to the continent to remember a time before
0:40.2	the ships that carry captive Africans had even set sail. Part of a long legacy of Africans in the
0:47.0	Americas returning home. We are the universal liberal and organizations are raising the prize of Africa
0:53.3	for the Africans, those at home and those abroad. Marcus Garvey Negro
1:02.4	and the National Negroes Association are raising the prize of Africa for the Africa, those at home, and those abroad.
1:10.6	Marcus Garvey, activist and co-founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association. He's the one who championed, a people without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.
1:16.6	It seems like African descendants around the world are having their subconscious memories
1:22.6	reactivated.
1:23.6	I wanted to experience life on the continent of my ancestors. I've been following diving with the purpose for a while now,
1:31.3	and the search for Rex had opened a larger desire to connect with Africa
1:35.3	and its people in a more real and tangible way.
1:38.3	Your history didn't start on the shores of the United States.
1:42.3	They didn't start with slavery. It didn't start on that
1:45.5	ship coming over here. Your history started on the east coast of Africa. Now it was my turn.
1:52.7	I'm Tara Roberts and this is Into the Deps, Part 4. In this episode, I introduce you to 15th and 16th century African divers who excavated ships all over the world, including one owned by an English king.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from National Geographic, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of National Geographic and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.