Nzinga: Warrior Queen Who Fought Colonialism
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society
History Hit
4.8 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 8 July 2022
⏱️ 35 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Warrior. Diplomat. Queen.
From fighting alongside her father and negotiating with the Portuguese on her brother’s behalf, to campaigning for the freedom of Ndongo and Matamba until her death aged 82, Queen Nzinga’s life was full to the brim with drama.
So who was the Mother of Angola? Why did she have to lead an army for three decades? And what is her legacy?
To get some answers, Kate spoke to Astrid Madimba and Chinny Ukata, the authors of a new book ‘It’s a Continent’
*WARNING There are adult themes and discussion of racism in this episode*
Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Edited & Mixed by Thomas Ntinas.
Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society.
A podcast by History Hit.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello everybody, this is your Fair Doos Warning. On today's episode, not only are we talking |
| 0:05.8 | about smutty rudeness, we are also touching on the subjects of racism, infanticide and |
| 0:10.5 | colonialism. So it's going to be a tough one, this is your Fair Doos Warning. Get out |
| 0:15.2 | now while you still can. If you're still with me, let's do it. |
| 0:22.3 | Imagine leading an army for 30 years. Imagine doing it in the 17th century. Imagine |
| 0:27.9 | doing it as a woman. Now imagine that you've done all that and there are hundreds and |
| 0:32.6 | hundreds of books written about you and several major films about your life. Well, there |
| 0:38.1 | is one incredible woman who fits this bill. Her name was Queen Nizinger and today but |
| 0:42.6 | Twix the Sheets, we're going to find out more. |
| 0:48.6 | Why do you look for a man? Oh, money, of course. You're supposed to rise when an adult speaks to you. |
| 0:53.6 | I make perfect copies of whatever my boss needs. I just turn him a knob and push him a button. |
| 1:06.6 | Yes, social courtesy does make a difference. |
| 1:08.6 | Goodness, I'm careful, Dan. Goodness, I have nothing to do with it, do I? |
| 1:17.6 | Hello and welcome back to Bitwix the Sheets, the history of sex scandal in society with me, |
| 1:22.6 | Kate Lister. In 16th and 17th century, Nidongo in Matamba, modern-day Angola, Queen Nizinger |
| 1:29.6 | came to power, first as the beloved daughter of a king and then as an indispensable intelligence |
| 1:35.6 | diplomat and then as a queen fighting Portuguese colonialists and holding them off for decades |
| 1:41.6 | she was an absolute badass. Of course we want to find out more and today I'm so lucky to be joined |
| 1:48.6 | by Astrid, Madimba and Chinyu Kata, authors of It's A Continent, where they highlight an incredible story |
| 1:54.6 | from each of the countries in Africa. From chair power play to murderous revenge, |
| 1:59.6 | I can't believe I've never heard this story before. Let's get into it. |
| 2:05.6 | So hello and welcome to Bitwix the Sheet. I'm ridiculously excited to be talking to Chinyu |
... |
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