Liberia’s hidden history is revealed in this fascinating conversation; Octavius Obey sits down with renowned Liberian historian Dr. Carl Patrick Burrowes to discuss his groundbreaking new book, Sea Salt, Kola and Grains of Paradise. The conversation explores the deeper history of Liberia and West Africa, challenging inherited interpretations of African history and examining how Africans can understand their past through their own perspectives. Dr. Burrowes discusses the “way of the ancestors,” oral tradition, archaeology, linguistics, migration, African spirituality, traditional institutions such as Poro and Sande, and the development of societies across West Africa. He also explains how the ancestors of many of Liberia’s peoples migrated into the region and how their languages, cultures, institutions, knowledge, and traditions developed over centuries.

A major theme of Sea Salt, Kola and Grains of Paradise is the often-overlooked role of Liberians and other West Africans in regional and international trade. Dr. Burrowes examines the history of sea salt, kola, grains of paradise (melegueta), gold, coastal trade, Bopulu, the Sahel, Ghana, Mali, Mansa Musa, Sumanguru Konte, African maritime knowledge, European contact, and the transformation of West African trade. He challenges the portrayal of West African societies as merely isolated or marginal, pointing instead to evidence of agriculture, commerce, technological knowledge, and long-distance trade. This conversation is essential viewing for anyone interested in Liberian history, African history, West African civilization, the history of Liberia before 1822, African diaspora history, indigenous African cultures, African trade networks, oral history and the historical contributions of African peoples to world history.