‘A wonderful ride through African economic history. Everyone will enjoy this engaging, informative and surprising book.’
- Nicoli Nattrass, Professor of Economics, University of Cape Town

‘Presented in easily accessible language and a pleasant style, this book is a must read for anyone who wishes to understand the forces, processes and trends which shaped the trajectory of the lived human experience in the past 100 000 years. It is highly recommended for both the non-professional reader and undergraduate students in economics and the humanities.’
– Alois Mlambo, Emeritus Professor, Department of Historical and Heritage Studies, University of Pretoria

‘Johan Fourie takes us on an ingenious and entertaining journey through history that teaches us that you don’t win the economic World Cup by appointing an expensive coach but by giving every kid a soccer ball.’
– Johan Norberg, Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, Washington DC, and author of Open: The Story of Human Progress


‘In three dozen short but wide-ranging chapters, Johan Fourie demonstrates that recent research in economic history can be both enlightening and fun. As entertaining as it is instructive, this slim volume provides a perfect introduction for students.’
– Joel Mokyr, author of A Culture of Growth

‘Africa, the Forgotten Continent, comes into its own in Fourie's engaging romp through human history. Good: our ancestors, after all, were all Africans, though most of us are less varied than people in our homeland on the veldt. The future of Africa is therefore bright. Fourie's brilliant account shows why.’
– Deidre McCloskey, author of Beyond Positivism, Behaviorism, and Neo-Institutionalism in Economics

‘Johan Fourie is an extraordinary economic historian. This book allows us to understand our world today by taking the very long run perspective on humanity's struggle against poverty, from the Neolithic to the Information Age. He shows how economic growth is possible and why poverty is not inevitable. This is the book for all those who are willing to learn from humanity's long history to achieve a world in which more and more people can leave the deep poverty of the past behind.’
– Max Roser, founder of Our World in Data

‘Fourie is leading a renaissance of African economic history, and Our Long Walk to Economic Freedom gives every interested person a way to access his scholarship and that of other key scholars. It is destined to become a must-read in higher ed syllabi.’
– Marianne H. Wanamaker, co-Editor at Explorations in Economic History

★Rights sold: World English.
★This is an interesting and fascinating global economic history guide. For the first time, it tells the human history of 100,000 years from the African perspective.
★The book explores the roots and reasons for prosperity, the march of opportunity versus the crushing boot of exploitation, and why the builders of societies – rather than the burglars ­– ultimately win out.
★Written by Join Fourie, president of the Economic History Society of Southern Africa.
★It has been well received by many professors, authors and media. The GOODREADS score is 4.38.
★It was listed in the reading recommendation of courses for Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

　　How did Einstein help create Eskom? Why can an Indonesian volcano explain the Great Trek? What do King Zwelithini and Charlemagne have in common? These are some of the questions Johan Fourie explores in this entertaining, accessible economic history spanning everything from human migration from Africa 100 000 years ago to the pandemic. Join Fourie on this journey through an African-centred economic history and the story of our long walk towards a brighter future.

Johan Fourie is Professor of Economics at Stellenbosch University. He is a founding member of the African Economic History Network and president of the Economic History Society of Southern Africa. He has published award-winning peer-reviewed articles and is a regular columnist for local newspapers. His passion is to equip the next generation of African scholars with the skills to benefit from the data revolution.

How do we thrive? An introduction 17
1. Who are the architects of Wakanda?
African economic historians and the stories we tell 23
2. What happened at Blombos in 70 000 BCE?
The Out-of-Africa hypothesis and the peopling of the world 30
3. Why are the Danes so individualistic?
The Neolithic Revolution and the rise of civilisations 35
4. Why does isiXhosa have clicks?
The Bantu migration 40
...
29. What do Lego and the greatest invention of the twentieth century
have in common?
The second era of globalisation 186
30. What is funny about Moore’s law?
ICT and the Fourth Industrial Revolution 194
31. Who were Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?
The Global Financial Crisis of 2008 201
32. What did The Economist get spectacularly wrong?
Africa after 2000 207
33. Will Madiba’s Long Walk to Freedom ever end?
The first 25 years of democracy and the future of South Africa 215
34. What should no scholar ever do?
Predicting the future 223
Epilogue: How do you win a World Cup? 232