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Africa Commons

African History and Culture

Hundreds of thousands of digital artifacts, curated from thousands of collections worldwide, made discoverable in a single search that links users back to the original sites

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African archives and collections are scattered across thousands of websites, difficult to find and search—and the content is at risk of disappearing.

African History and Culture brings unified, cross-searchable access to these materials.

Our aim is to return to Africa control over its archival riches worldwide—and to make it easy for African scholars to find and access expressions of their own heritage in Western collections.

At a glance

620,000+

documents from organizations with significant materials from and about Africa

4,300+

collections, selected for their significant teaching and learning content

With African History and Culture, you can...

1

Support digitization

Subscribing to African History and Culture supports further digitization. We use ten percent of sales for new projects to bring African archives online. We anticipate digitizing 50,000 pages of rare and endangered materials with these funds.

2

Support digital repatriation

Access to African History and Culture is free for African institutions and HBCUs, thanks to the support of non-African subscribers. African scholars worldwide can more easily find and access expressions of their heritage in Western collections.

3

Contribute your own content

Institutions and users around the world are encouraged to upload their own content with the platform’s free and easy tool. It's a simple way to publish and share your historical and cultural treasures in a safe, permanent home.

Sample collections

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Digital Innovation South Africa

Speak Magazine is from DISA, a centre of excellence in South Africa, developing knowledge and expertise in digital imaging technology in the library and archival community through research and training.

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Kwame Nkrumah Information and Resource Site

The authoritative collection on the life and times of Kwame Nkrumah, foremost proponent of Pan-Africanism in the latter half of the twentieth century.

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The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia

The collection contains a range of content including video, images, legislation, witness testimony, and other material about the Liberian Civil Wars.

Curated content

Dive deeper by reading the comprehensive bibliography.

Get in touch

If you are from an African institution or HBCU, connect with our Outreach team to be set up with free access.

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"I have never come across as indispensable and comprehensive a digital resource … a historian's dream archive."

Dr. Siyabonga Njica, Smuts Research Fellow, University of Cambridge

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Want a trial?

  • Free, 30-day trial offered with training

  • Flexible pricing options, tailored to your institution's needs

  • Ask your sales rep about collection packages that offer the best value