Les 6: Africa Flashcards
Why was there a long-standing assumption that, before the arrival of European colonialism, Africa was without history?
- partly because of the absence of written sources
- bigger part of the explenation is deep rooted and widespread prejudice
- -> obviously mistaken
- -> precolonial history is being rediscovered, and now used as a resource for developing political identity
- -> loss of innocence along the way: first the beautiful things are rediscovered and then the less beautiful things (such as slavery)
Was there a saharan divide?
Recently, research is pushing back against this idea
- north african towns show black african elements, indicating contact between Black African and North African polities/communities/cities
- connection of trade caravans (camels, Arab/Berber merchants to travel across the desert)
- -> when goods are being exchanged, ideas could trael as well!
however, Lyndon: the Saraha was an inhospitable environment; not only a physical but also a fundamental divide
Importance of the Nile river
it floated regularly, and therefore created a very fertile zone around the river which made it possible to develop an agricultural society.
This was extremely important because an agricultural society makes it possible to make a division of labor, which makes it possible to install institutions
Pharaonic Egypt
- +/- 3000 BCE
- built the pyramids + writing system
- “Black Athena”
Black Athena
Pharaonic Egypt was not a world on its own, ut was seen as a center of civilization in a wider world. to that end, in greece, Egypt served as a great source of inspiration. This led to the idea that scholars call Black athena:
Greece as a society was influenced fundamentally by Pharaonic Egypt. If greece is the cradle of civilization, one will come across an African origin in Egypt. So; Ancient Greece was an African civilization
Kingdom of Nubia
- +/- 3500 BCE
- rich & independent (because of the fertile land due to the Nile river)
- Egyptian assaults & Nubian Pharaonic dynasty
- ‘conquered by the desert’ –> process of desertification led to Nubia losing its historical prominence
Aksumite Kingdom
- 100 – 940
- In close contact with Yemen
- -> Judaism
- Trade relations with Arabs & rest of world
- -> Frankincense, Myrrh
- Conversion to Christianity in 325
Empire of Mali
- 1235 – 1670
- Cities: Timbuktu, Gao, Djenné
- Niger river, gold and salt
- Powerful empire funded by taxes on trade
- –> Well-trained army
- -> Kouroukan fouga
Mansa Musa goes on hajj to Mecca
Causes twelve-year inflation in Cairo
Establishes Timbuktu as a center of Islamic learning upon return
Historical significance Mali Empire
Mali empire was connected up in the wider world, and how there was interaction with the wider world. How pre-colonial Africa was very much part of historical developments and had an influence on those historical developments.
Songhai Empire
- successor to Mali empire
- 15th and 16th century
- Earliest European explorers make contact with the African continent (with the West African kingdoms directly and they begin to participate in slave trade and develop it further)
What was one of the main reasons to go to war on the African continent?
not to conquer territory, but to loot cities and to enslave a number of people who lived there. hanging slaves was very common
Yoruba people
- Number (+/- 16) of flourishing city states of roughly 100.000 inhabitants each
- Built like fortresses
- Oba elected from pool of princes
- 15th century: oba’s of Benin grow increasingly powerful
- -> Wall structures (iya)
- -> Bronzes
iya
big wallstructure built by Yoruba people, greater than the wall of China.
its purpose was to communicate the immense power of the benin empire
The Akan people
- Gold deposits
- -> Slaves
- -> Soldiers (Asante Empire)
- Pomp & circumstance
their territory was basically rainforest, had to come up with a solution on how to administer this.
- one way was to make it a confederacy (you need less central administration)
- when you need a central administration, so they developed drumming as a means to communicate
also involvement in slave trade
Summary of Western part of Africa
A number of Kingdoms established themselves there. All of whom benefited of the Niger river, and all of whom benefited of the acces to gold, salt, and to slaves. they used those assets to engage in trade, this way they could become wealthy and raise taxes - they could develop a state structure and develop military means –> and so become powerful
