First Contact/The Cult of Progress cover art

First Contact/The Cult of Progress

Civilisations

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First Contact/The Cult of Progress

By: David Olusoga
Narrated by: Ben Onwukwe
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About this listen

 Oscar Wilde said 'Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life.' Was he right? In Civilisations, David Olusoga travels the world to piece together the shared histories that link nations.

In Part One, First Contact, we discover what happened to art in the great Age of Discovery, when civilisations encountered each other for the first time. Although undoubtedly a period of conquest and destruction, it was also one of mutual curiosity, global trade and the exchange of ideas.

In Part Two, The Cult of Progress, we see how the Industrial Revolution transformed the world, impacting every corner, and every civilisation, from the cotton mills of the Midlands through Napoleon's conquest of Egypt to the decimation of both Native American and Maori populations and the advent of photography in Paris in 1839.

Incredible art - both looted and created - relays the key events and their outcomes throughout the world.©2018 David Olusoga (P)2018 Hachette Audio Africa Ancient Art Civilization Europe Great Britain World England Ancient History Ancient Greece

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Excellent short insights into first contacts between civilisations and the role art played in documenting such events.

Excellent short insights

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Amazingly told allegory, of the truth, of the history of yesteryear. this brought to light the many lies of the colonisers. Their barbaric and uncivilized ways in which they took over the world.

Real truth brought to bear...

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Olussoga writes about important subjects, namely the close, frequent and often surprising interactions of cultures, from Japan to Benin. The book reads as a series of vignettes, loosely connected but distinct enough that it can feel overly methodical at parts. The narrator is impassioned, emotive.Overall definitely worth a read, especially as a survay-text for greater study in the field of history of art or global relations.

Methodical

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I have no idea why narrators take on the cliched accent of the subject in a non-fiction book - I cringed at the brash American and effete French accents (but strangely not the German accent for Otto Dix). It’s a distraction and ridiculous. Otherwise, thoroughly enjoyed.

Enjoyed the book very much, but

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A longtime fan of David Olusoga’s work, I expected this to be a worthwhile ‘read’. I was not disappointed. It demonstrates the power and importance of all cultures in civilizations whilst leaving you feeling frustrated that European colonialism allowed such a narrow view of the world to shine through.

Interesting and informative

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