A Geographical Historie of Africa. by Leo Africanus
This month’s featured text is A Geographical Historie of Africa, Written in Arabicke and Italian by Iohn Leo a More, Borne in Granada, and Brought vp in Barbarie... by al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Fasi, better known as Leo Africanus. Africanus was born in Granada sometime around 1494. As a teenager and adult, Africanus traveled frequently. On a return trip from Egypt, he was captured by pirates and given as a slave to Pope Leo X. Because of Africanus’s intelligence, however, Pope Leo set him free. It was during his time with Pope Leo that Africanus converted to Christianity and was christened Johannis Leo. While in Italy he taught Arabic and published an Arabic grammar book and a medical dictionary. It is believed that Africanus returned to North Africa and died a Muslim around 1552.

The first published edition of Africanus’s work appeared in 1550. A Geographical Historie of Africa became very popular with the Europeans, as it was the first book to recount any information that extended beyond the coast of Africa. The work relates the geography, topographical features, agricultural practices, religious observances, governmental systems, and living habits of the residents in Africa. The manuscript is believed to have been written in Arabic prior to Africanus’s capture; once in Italy, Africanus translated it into Italian. Though there is question as to whether Africanus actually ever traveled to the Sudan, A Geographical Historie of Africa remained the key resource for information on the Sudan for over 400 years. The influence of Africanus’s writing may also extend beyond geographical interest. It has been suggested that Shakespeare read the English translation of A Geographical Historie by John Pory and based the character Othello on that of Africanus.

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