How Edward Blyden Found His African Personality

In this lecture and conversation, we explore the life of Dr Edward Blyden, pioneering educator, diplomat, and politician.

In 1888, Dr Blyden, the Caribbean-Liberian “father of pan-Africanism”, published a seminal collection of essays advocating for the wholesale colonisation of Africa – politically, intellectually and religiously. By 1908 he had changed his mind – but why?

We explore the life and work of Dr Blyden, charting his advocacy for African development, and the evolution of his ideas from a veneration of all things western to a genuine reverence for what he called the “African Personality”.