They were many. Not just rulers, but households, elders, children—lives lived inside systems of memory, labor, belief, and power that did not require a single name. So, to say “Africa is a country” is not a cartographic error. It is the residue of training—what remains after empire leaves but its grammar stays.

Africa moved as many worlds. It still does.

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Image: Map of the ethnic diversity of Africa, overlaid with country borders. Source: National Geographic.

A satellite-style map of Africa overlaid with modern national borders and filled with hundreds of irregular, multicolored regions. The dense patchwork of colors subdivides the continent far beyond state boundaries, suggesting ethnic, linguistic, or cultural groupings rather than countries. Surrounding oceans are dark blue, emphasizing the contrast between Africa’s political borders and its complex internal diversity. From National Geographic.
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