Early History of Africa, South of the Sahara

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Early History of Africa, South of the Sahara

• Ch. 21.2

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Basic Run-down

1. Nomadic Groups (Berber, Bushmen)
2. Southern Nile River civilization
3. Trans-Saharan Trade (Ghana, Mali, Songhai)
4. East African Trade (Swahili)
5. Exploration of Africa
6. Slave Trade Expands
7. European Colonialism
8. Independence
9. Present-Day Problems Successes

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http//exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/curriculum/e
xploreafricapics/africapromaps/Africa20kingdoms.j
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• Ghana The Kingdom of Gold
• 1st great W. Afn trading empires
• Practiced trad. Afn religions, but very tolerant
  of Muslim traders

CAMEL CARAVANS!
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• Power came from ability to use iron weapons to
  control gold and salt trade
• Taxed all trade
• Collected harvest portions
• Weakened w/ Berber attacks ? enter Islam

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• The Kingdom of Mali
• Rose to power after Ghana (about twice the size)
• Most powerful under rule of Mansa Musa
• Encouraged Islam (officials had to read/write in
  Arabic)
• Made the hajj

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• Songhai Empire
• Replaced Mali gradually
• Islam became official religion
• Built university in Timbuktu (keeping city _at_
  center)

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• Bantu Migrations
• Absorbed other ppl into their society
• 60 to 150 million ppl speak a Bantu lang.
• Iron tools allowed more efficient work
• Est. colony-like states
• CULTURAL DIFFUSION

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• Swahili Trading States
• Swahili is a Bantu lang.
• Traded gold, slaves, ivory, leopard skins, etc.
  with Persia, India, China
• City development

Another Bantu grp. (Shona)
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Triangular Trade
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The Atlantic Slave Trade
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Berlin Conference- 1884

• How did the Industrial Rev. impact colonialism in
  Africa?
• Need cheap labor, raw materials, new markets, and
  competition b/w countries
• Why was the Berlin Conf. called?
• Settle territorial disputes, controlling slave
  trade, humanitarian work promotion
• Really just to divvy up continent
• What was the doctrine of effective occupation?
• To own coastal land, had to prove you were
  capable of protecting freedom of trade transit
  (wealthy and powerful enough to handle it).
  Sphere of Influence

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• Berlin Conference Summary
• -14 powers divided up Africa without
  consideration of cultures
• -Result of boundaries
• 1. African peoples divided
• 2. Hostile societies thrown together
• 3. Migration routes cut off

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• Which two
• European
• powers ruled
• much of
• Africa south
• of the Sahara?

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• African Independence
• Really took off after WWII weakening of
  Europeans
• Used Africans for military- How might have
  African participation in this war have aided
  freedom movements?
• Larger grp. of educated Afns

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• Colonial Legacy- Set Up for Failure
• Weakened African traditions imposed own culture
  (civilizing)
• Antagonism between tribes
• Low level of development
• most rely on a single crop or mineral
  plantations, mines, etc.
• Authoritarian governments
• Europeans did not allow opportunities for
  Africans to participate in government, never
  knew democratic rule.
• - political corruption, lack of respect for
  rule of law

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List 3 examples in which political boundaries
divide an ethnic group. What problems might
result from the political divisions created by
colonial powers?
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Colonial Economies
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Present Day
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Ethnic Groups in Nigeria
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• In what ways did colonialism affect the regions
  development and set the stage for current
  conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa?

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• List some major migrations that occurred in Sub
  Saharan Africa. Then choose one migration, and
  write a paragraph about the motivation for and
  the effects of the migration.