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We Need to Talk About the British Empire

By: Afua Hirsch
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  • Summary

  • Making sense of the British Empire's legacy... through the stories of people who lived through it.

    Through six intimate conversations with a new generation of writers and historians - journalist Afua Hirsch tries to break through old cliches, and unpick the true legacy of this complicated and difficult inheritance.

    She speaks to leading figures in British culture today - from poet Benjamin Zephaniah to actress Diana Rigg, broadcaster Anita Rani to novelist Nadifa Mohamed - discovering vivid family stories of the people who made the Empire what it was. And she hears how its ripples continue to shape our lives, and sense of collective identity today: our attitudes and cultural values, the multicultural, multiracial population of the British Isles today, and the relationships that Britain has with other parts of the world.

    A Somethin' Else Production.

    This is an Audible Original Podcast. Free for members. You can download all 6 episodes to your Library now.
    ©2019 Audible, Ltd. (P)2019 Audible, Ltd.
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Episodes
  • Ep. 1: Anita Rani

    Ep. 1: Anita Rani
    Feb 13 2020

    Broadcaster Anita Rani's story is of a long-hidden family secret, one rooted in India’s Partition in 1947. A secret that changed not just everything Anita thought she knew about Britain’s legacy in India... but rocked her own sense of identity.
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    37 mins
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  • Ep. 2: Nadifa Mohamed

    Ep. 2: Nadifa Mohamed
    Feb 13 2020

    When British-Somali writer Nadifa Mohamed sought to draw on her father’s life as a colonial subject for her first novel, she never dreamed he would unravel the tale of a modern-day Odysseus - and lift the lid on parts of the British Empire the history books often forget.
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    40 mins
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  • Ep. 3: Joseph Opala & Emory Campbell

    Ep. 3: Joseph Opala & Emory Campbell
    Feb 13 2020

    The story of a tiny, forgotten island in a West African river delta - and a proud community in the Eastern USA - reveals new and shocking insights into Britain’s involvement in the Transatlantic slave trade.
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    35 mins
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What listeners say about We Need to Talk About the British Empire

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Profile Image for EJR 79

interesting look at British history

I enjoyed this book immensely. I learnt alot about an empire that I didn't know before. It made me think about the world we live in

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24 people found this helpful

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Profile Image for west

truths people need to hear

i am a white british male,poor as far as britain and the north goes.most my family were either miners and military.I found this not eye opening as i always knew that the worlds history was a sad affair in most cases,if not all.But i belive its a subject that all those who call themselves british citizens need to hear...i just hope that there are plans for a second series..maybe touching on lets talk about the british empire again.so much to say and so little time to say it.
Anyway truly enjoyed it great narrative subject and deserves a 5 star for effort well done guys😁

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5 people found this helpful

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Profile Image for Ben

So far so good

I love this, it's genuinely so fascinating and the ambience behind the dialect is perfect!

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4 people found this helpful

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Profile Image for jane lester

essential listening

This series showed my how biased and inadequate my 70's school history lessons were. It is vital that white people are forced to own and admit the evil they have brought on the world and we must all hang our heads and accept that we must give back our stolen privileges. A White Tax to atone for these outrages should be levied by this Government

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Profile Image for BessieRay

important

Tales of our British colonial past both tragic and fascinating.
I have learnt so much that we were never told. I am saddened and humbled by these stories which represent just a fraction of true experience.
They should play these as part of high school education. Definitely worth a listen.

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Profile Image for johann hannesson

You need to listen.

Most interesting thing I have heard recently. You can't go through it without crying at least once.

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Profile Image for Cliente Kindle

very informative

It was important to hear about first-hand experience from people who actually lived it.I reccommend for everyone who wants to create their own opinion on this matter.

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Profile Image for M. Bellamy

A brilliant series

I found this a fascinating series that covered the way that the British Empire impacted on the lives of so many people. It contained a variety of personal stories that reflected the diversity of the Empire. It did not hold back from showing the overt racism, cruelty and stratification of the colonies. It covered the slave trade as well as the tragedy of the chaotic and disastrous partition of India in 1947.
It taught me a lot of history that was never covered in school.
Thoroughly recommended.

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43 people found this helpful

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Profile Image for Arnold Seivwright

no never know

I never thought about the effects of colonialism, I download this series because the way my brother talks about the british empire annoys me, even angers me, but I never understood why, although ignorant myself I knew there was something large and multifaceted about the British empire and its residual effects on current society's around the world, I now feel like I have a foot hold on this long climb up, well worth a listen, worth talking about and sharing.

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Profile Image for Footling

phenomenal

I've read a lot about the British Empire, but this series included detail I had never learned, and more importantly, voices I had never heard from. I can't recommend it too highly.

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5 people found this helpful