In this first episode, Zeinab Badawi travels across the continent examining the origins of humankind; how and why we evolved in Africa - Africa is the greatest exporter of all time: every human being originated in Africa.

During her journey Zeinab is granted rare access to the actual bones of one of the most iconic discoveries in the field of palaeontology, ‘Lucy' in Ethiopia, or as she is known in Amharic, ‘Dinkenesh’, which means ‘you are marvellous’.

Zeinab also spends time in Tanzania with a tribe that is unique in the world because they live in the way our ancestors did, as hunters of big animals and gatherers. This community who have rarely been filmed provide a fascinating insight into how we have lived for most of our history.

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Domestic workers play a key role in many households across the continent.

They are often invisible yet indispensable. Lynette is a Zimbabwean mother of three, she gave the BBC's Focus on Africa radio a rare insight into the inner life of a domestic worker.

Illustrations: George Wafula

Producers: Kim Chakanetsa and Gloria Achieng

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There have been numerous attacks in Mali in recent months, some ethnically driven, some carried out by jihadist groups.

Clashes between Dogon hunters and semi-nomadic Fulani herders are frequent.

This week, the UN and aid groups said there are five times more Malians displaced in the first half of 2019 compared to the same period last year.

But how did this conflict come about, and what is being done to resolve it?

The BBC's West Africa Correspondent Louise Dewast explains.

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Chioma Ajunwa won Nigeria's first ever Olympic gold in the long jump in 1996. She is also a police officer in Lagos, and she thinks more needs to be done to bring Olympic success to her country.
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Zeinab Badawi travels to the rarely visited country of Eritrea and neighbouring Ethiopia to chart the rise of the kingdom of Aksum.

Described as one of the four greatest civilisations of the ancient world Zeinab examines archaeological remains in both countries dating back many hundreds of years before our common era.

She explains how the kings of Aksum grew rich and powerful from their control of Red Sea trade and how they were one of the first civilisations in the world that officially embraced Christianity in the fourth century. Also find out why the Queen of Sheba and the secret of the Ark of the Covenant are so fundamental to Ethiopia’s history.

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Some African economies have continued to grow rapidly even during the global downturn. But long before then,Nigerians have been known for their love for glamour and big spending. It's not unheard of for a champagne bottle to cost an unbelievable amount. So just what is it about Nigerians and luxury brands?

Caleb Mutombo doesn’t fit the stereotype of a bodybuilder. He was born severely disabled and weighs less than 40kg. Despite that, he now competes in South Africa and hopes to inspire other people to follow him into the sport.

Video Journalists: Christian Parkinson and Late Lawson

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Coronavirus infections in Africa are rising fast and the number of deaths is increasing daily.

But African governments are fighting back by enforcing various preventative measures, including lockdowns.

But how are they being implemented and how will they affect African economies in the long run?

Georgie Ndirangu from BBC Africa's Money Daily explains.

Video produced by Anthony Irungu and Marko Zoric.

Illustrations by Millicent Wachira and George Wafula.

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In this episode, we see how city states and kingdoms gave rise to rich and diverse civilisations, including some of the most iconic works of art on the continent: the Benin bronzes, dating back to the 13th century.

Zeinab Badawi travels to Nigeria where she is granted a rare interview with the King of the Benin kingdom in southern Nigeria. She meets the Queen Mother of Lagos, at her ancestral palace on Lagos Island where she relates the history of the Yoruba people.

And Zeinab also has an audience with the former governor of Nigeria’s central bank who became the Emir of Kano, one of northern Nigeria’s Muslim city states.

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When Danielle, aka Ebonixsims, wanted to make a computer game character in her image, she found that she couldn't.

London-based Danielle realised there was something missing, and that black gamers were underrepresented in character creation - so she started making custom video game content.

After Grammy award-winning rapper T-Pain used her creations, Danielle wants to help gaming companies improve their diversity and representation.

Video journalist: Maisie Smith-Walters.

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In this episode, Zeinab Badawi travels to Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire to find out about the Asante people and their kingdom. We examine the history, myths and legends of the Asante people. We attend the Akwasidae, a colourful festival where the King of the kings of the Asante - known as the Asantehene - has his gold regalia on full display as a way of projecting wealth and prestige. And we hear about the great Asante queen who led the resistance against the invading British and hid the Asante’s most valued and sacred possession: the Golden Stool. The Asante serve as an example of how despite decades of colonial rule, Africans maintained their traditions and continue to revel in and perpetuate their heritage and customs.

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In February 1952, Princess Elizabeth was enjoying a short break in Kenya with Prince Philip, her husband of five years. It was a brief respite from their royal duties.
And it was here on 6 February, that the princess became Queen, after George VI passed away in his sleep.
Now Queen Elizabeth II is the UK's longest-reining monarch.

Former Burundian intelligence agents say that the country’s security services are running secret torture and detention sites to silence dissent. Using cutting edge reconstruction techniques BBC Africa Eye examines one house in particular, which was filmed in a video posted on social media in 2016. A red liquid, which looked like blood, was seen pouring from its gutter. We ask if Burundi’s repression of opponents has now gone underground? The government has always denied any human rights violations, and declined to comment for this report.

A BBC Africa Eye investigation - produced and directed by Charlotte Attwood and Maud Jullien.
Edited by Suzanne Vanhooymissen
Spatial reconstruction and Situated Testimony: Forensic Architecture
Motion Graphics: Tom Flannery

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Alongside the vast gold fields of Ghana are thousands of illegal mines or galamsey, where unskilled miners dream of hitting the big time. These mines rely mainly on children who abandon an education in an attempt to support their families.

Galamsey is a dangerous game – can anyone get rich quick? BBC Africa Eye investigates.

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Oliver Mutukudzi with a song called Kupokana - a warning to be careful about the words that come out of your mouth.

As the BBC's Connected Africa Day focuses on Africa's new broadband connectivity, Network Africa sessions step in to provide you with the opportunity to really test the new technology by watching the great Zimbabwean singer and guitarist, Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi performing two tracks live in our Bush House studios.

These are images Sudan’s government does not want you to see: teams of masked, plainclothes agents chasing down protesters, beating them, and dragging them off to secret detention centres in Khartoum.

Who are these hit squads? Where are these detention centres? And what happens inside their walls?

BBC Africa Eye has analysed dozens of dramatic videos filmed during the recent uprising, and spoken with witnesses who have survived torture at the hands of the Bashir regime. Some of these protesters tell us about a secret and widely feared holding facility – The Fridge – where the cold is used an instrument of torture.

Investigation led by:
Benjamin Strick
Abdulmoniem Suleiman
Klaas Van Dijken
Aliaume Leroy

Produced and Edited by:
Suzanne Vanhooymissen
Tom Flannery
Daniel Adamson

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Nigeria is Africa's largest producer of oil and natural gas - yet about half of the country’s population has no access to electricity, and those that do face daily power cuts that can last for hours on end.

Meet the men and women on the front line of Nigeria’s energy crisis as they battle public anger and a decaying infrastructure in Port Harcourt, Nigeria’s oil hub.

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Through a tradition called "money marriage", some young girls are used as currency in a type of modern slavery among the Becheve people in southern Nigeria. Children are sold to men as old as 90 to settle debts or as a form of payment. BBC Africa hears from the girls themselves, an elderly husband and the man fighting against the custom.

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When Tosin Oshinowo left for the UK, she had one goal in mind - to become one of Nigeria's most successful architects, in a profession historically dominated by men.

Today, she's not only smashed that glass ceiling, she's made her name for works which celebrate African beauty. Let's Check Her Out!

About Gist Nigeria:
Gist Nigeria is a 30-minute current affairs programme, co-produced by the BBC and Channels Television for viewers in Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The program offers in-depth reporting, focusing on stories behind the news and their impact on its audience.

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Growing up, Wendy Okolo always dreamed of being an engineer, and she worked HARD to make that dream a reality.

Today she is an aerospace engineer at the at the Intelligent Systems Division, NASA. Yes, that NASA.

About Gist Nigeria:
Gist Nigeria is a 30-minute current affairs programme, co-produced by the BBC and Channels Television for viewers in Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The program offers in-depth reporting, focusing on stories behind the news and their impact on its audience.

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