Stamped from the Beginning

Stamped from the Beginning

by

Ibram X. Kendi

Al-Hasan Ibn Muhammad al-Wazzan al-Fasi/Leo Africanus Character Analysis

Al-Hasann Ibn Muhammad al-Wazzan al-Fasi was a highly educated Moroccan who was captured, enslaved, and presented as a gift to Pope Leo X, who freed him and christened him Johannes Leo, although he came to be known as Leo Africanus. He wrote the first “scholarly survey” of Africa, Description of Africa (1526), which is filled with racist ideas about Black inferiority.
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Al-Hasan Ibn Muhammad al-Wazzan al-Fasi/Leo Africanus Character Timeline in Stamped from the Beginning

The timeline below shows where the character Al-Hasan Ibn Muhammad al-Wazzan al-Fasi/Leo Africanus appears in Stamped from the Beginning. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2: Origins of Racist Ideas
Discrimination, Racist Ideas, and Ignorance Theme Icon
Segregationists and Assimilationists vs. Antiracists  Theme Icon
Media, Institutions, and the Transmission of Knowledge Theme Icon
The Invention of Blackness and Whiteness Theme Icon
The Illogic of Racism Theme Icon
In 1510, a highly educated Moroccan named Al-Hasan Ibn Muhammad al-Wazzan al-Fasi was captured and enslaved during a diplomatic mission. He was brought to Pope Leo X,... (full context)
Chapter 3: Coming to America
Discrimination, Racist Ideas, and Ignorance Theme Icon
Segregationists and Assimilationists vs. Antiracists  Theme Icon
Media, Institutions, and the Transmission of Knowledge Theme Icon
The Invention of Blackness and Whiteness Theme Icon
The Illogic of Racism Theme Icon
It is into this assimilationist climate that Richard Mather is born in 1596. In 1600, Leo Africanus ’ Geographical Histories of Africa is published in English translation for the first time, giving... (full context)
Discrimination, Racist Ideas, and Ignorance Theme Icon
Media, Institutions, and the Transmission of Knowledge Theme Icon
The Invention of Blackness and Whiteness Theme Icon
...colonial America docks in Jamestown in 1619. That same year, John Pory—the English translator of Leo Africanus ’ Geographical Histories of Africa—leads a meeting of Jamestown’s first group of elected officials. During... (full context)