Medieval Africa: Kingdoms, Trade, and Colonialism (600-1600)

Bantu Migrations

Originated in Cameroon and migrated/populated most of southern Africa (500 BC - 1500 AD)

Spread of Islam

The Almoravids - spread mostly across North Africa (650-1000) by merchants and traders, enhanced by the Gold Road and Mansa Musa

West African Trading Empires

The Kingdoms Ghana, Mali, Songhai (800-1600) that built trade with gold-salt

Swahili Trading States

East African coast, traded with the Middle East (1200-1500), established the Swahili religion and language, Islam mixed with traditional and Bantu, used monsoons over the Indian Ocean to go to and from India

Slave Trade

West Africans were sent to the Americas by the millions (1500-1800's), making room for European Colonization

Independence of African Nations

Most African nations gained independence after WWII (1954), european powers could no longer maintian their empires, the Africans used this weakness and took advantage of it to gain control

Sahara Desert

Largest hot desert in the world, trade took place through the desert using Camels

Sahel

Transition from desert where most large civilizations were established in Northern Africa

Dense Rainforest

Africa was refered to as "The Dark Continent" - lack of education, lack of civilizations, lack of knowledge on the region, fear of the dense jungle

Gold-Salt Trade

Trade between gold and salt, Africans needed salt for survival and prosperity and had a surplus of gold in west Africa, they were traded as equal, connected Africa with the Middle East, allowed for prosperity in the empires

Kingdom of Ghana (Wagadu)

(400-1050) - farmers and traders near Niger river, the Almoravids brought Islam, some converted right away, located between Saharan salt mines and tropical gold mines, Caravans of arab/muslim merchants brought goods, which were exchanged for gold ("silent trade")

Kingdom of Ghana decline

lost control of trade as new gold mines were found farther east, competition from rival states, drought, civil war from religious devisions

Kingdom of Mali

Gained power as Ghana declined, centered around new salt mines in Taghaza (1300-1500) - controlled gold and salt trade, profited from slave trade, traded with Egypt and eastern copper mines

Sundiata Keita

Founder and first leader of Mali after avenging his mother (lion king) (1210-1260 AD), muslim, traditional Malinka, Th Manden Charter (oldest constitution giving principles on social peace, human rights, and environmental preservation, passed down by Griots)

Mansa Musa

Ruler of Mali after Abu Bakr (1312-1337 AD) - devoutly Muslim, bases government on the Qur'an, greatly extended territory and power of Mali, participated in Haj (gave gold to poor, converted people to Islam, brought back scholars and texts to enhance Islam in society), The Catalan Atlas (map that highlights his influence)

Timbuktu

Established as a center for trade and learning in Mali, center of Muslim culture and religion, mosques, universities, built with "heavenly clay", today it was attacked and burned by Muslims

Kingdom of Songhai

Largest empire in West Africa, based also on gold-salt trade (1500-1600 AD) - emerged from Gao, inherited Mali's blend of Islamic and animist traditions, spread trade to Europe and Asia ("cultural diffusion")

Askia Muhammad

Established a strict Islamic state and high functioning bureaucracy in Songhai (1493-1529) - overthrew Sonni Ali for not being a devout Muslim, establishes 5 provinces each with a governor, tax collector, judges, trade inspectors, Songhai reached it's height under him

Kingdom of Benin

1500-1900 - a wealthy forest kingdom in present-day Nigeria, ruled by the Oba, known for production of bronze (plaques and heads), began trade with Europeans and became successful, joined the slave trade (caused them to lose support), never established a written script so history was recorded on bronze

The Punitive Expedition

An event where 1200 British troops conquered Benin and burned the city after raiding it of all it's bronze artifacts

Swahili

A term meaning 'coastal', categorizing the language and culture of the coastal people in East Africa.

Great Zimbabwe

An empire founded on the trade of gold and taxation of merchants, located in fertile plateau between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers, "stone enclosure" in city, linked gold fields to coastal trading cities, disappeared by 1450 (mystery)

Imperialism

A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force, used by Europeans to control all of Africa through exploitation of people in 1878 all of Africa is independent, but by 1913, all but two countries are colonized

European Motives

Industrial revolution (advanced technology and motivation), development of the car (rubber was found in trees in Africa), European Nationalism (wanted biggest colonial empire), social Darwinism, missionary activity (Christianity), Military and Naval bases, places to dump unwanted/excess population, took advantage of weak governments

Social Darwinism

The belief that survival of the fittest applies to human societies, used by Europeans to justify imperialism, they believed they were superior and therefore had to teach all others

Immediate Effects of Imperialism

Exploitation of colonial resources, collapse of local economies, spread of Christianity, brutal treatments if local populations, breakdown of traditional cultures, new transportation and communication system in colonies (not very good), improved health care and education in colonies (attempted to but never implied), growth of nationalism amongst the African colonies (get independence in 1945-65)

The Berlin Conference

"the scramble for Africa", A meeting from 1884-1885 where European nations decided how to divide Africa among themselves

The White Man's Burden

A concept suggesting that it was the duty of Europeans to civilize 'savages' around the world.

Cecil Rhodes

A British imperialist, "the Rhodes Colossus", most related to colonialism, explorer, investor and champion of British imperialism

Became wealthy from diamond mining at the expense of south africans

The Belgian Congo

"Heart of Darkness" - personally colonized by King Leopold II of Belgium, people were brutal exploited, created a private army who enslaved the entire population for rubber harvesting, had to meet a quota, if not shot or hands were cut off

David Livingstone

A missionary and humanitarian who worked in central Africa and sought to spread modern medicine, spiked interest in the Congo

Henry Stanley

The explorer hired to find David Livingstone after he stopped writing back to Europe, spiked interest in the Congo

Immediate effects of imperialism

Included exploitation of resources, collapse of local economies, and spread of Christianity, multiple cultures were forced to live amongst each other (disagreements)

Trade Routes

Paths established by traders for the exchange of goods, crucial for economic interactions. spread Islam across Africa, involved many countries wanting in on African trade

Exploitation of Colonial Resources

The practice of extracting resources from colonized regions for the benefit of the colonizers.

Growth of Nationalism

A movement among the African colonies that led to independence between 1945 and 1965.

Apartheid

it further segregated the people by color, leaving the majority black population facing restrictions and driven to poverty and the white man to have further, protected control over South Africa

Afrikaners

a southern african ethnic group of white europeans, won control of South African government after losing independence to the British (Boer war)

Nelson Mandela

a nonviolent protestor of the ANC before being imprisoned, let lose after apartheid was abolished and became first president of democratic state, welcomed old political foes (white men) into government and healed countries wounds

F.W. de Klerk

South African president who ended apartheid, lifted ban on ANC, and freed Mandela

Genocide in Sudan

Arab-led government enacted Islamic law on non-Islamic regions of Sudan leading to millions of death by war drought and famine. In Darfur, arab militias bruned towns and drove hundreds of thousands out and to refugee camps

European Colonialism

Europeans took over much of African land (1880's - 1960's), used their more advanced weapons. (Age of Imperialism), conquered very country except Liberia and Ethiopia

Liberia and Ethiopia

The only two countries to not get colonized

Savanna

Grasslands found in central and eastern Africa

Griots

Important people who recorded history in West Africa

Abu Bakr II

second leader of the Mali, said to have sailed across the Atlantic and landed in Brazil, ships disappeared, no one saw them again

Sonni Ali

Leader of Songhai who took control of Timbuktu and Jenne (1461-1492), mixed Islamic and traditional African beliefs (gave more rights to woman), fought and won 32 wars

Decline of Songhai

Defeated by Moroccans who raided Taghaza with gunpowder and superior weapons against spears and arrows (1591), empire never recovered, ended 1000 years of West African Kingdoms

Kingdom of Benin decline

Obas began losing control of people, invaded by the British Army in 1897 becoming part of the British Empire, The Punitive Exhibition

Oba

The powerful ruler of the Kingdom of Benin.

East African Kingdoms

established by the Bantu, 35 total cities including, Mombasa, Kilwa, Sofala, Malindi, Mogadishu, Zanzibar, grew through trade with Muslim, Persian, and India, utilized monsoons, manufactured goods came from Asia and raw materials came from Africa

Bantu

The ethnic group that settled East Africa and established farming and fishing villages that later grew into the East African Kingdoms

Islamic Influence in East African Kingdoms

Introduced by Muslim traders, growth in trade = spread of religion, most converted to Islam, mosques, adopted the sails and boats of other cultures to be successful in trade, majority also maintained traditional beliefs

Enslavement in East African Kingdoms

Muslim merchants traded luxury goods & slaves with East Africa, slaves sent to Europe, Middle East, North Africa & India (millions)

Arabia: Domestic chores

India: Soldiers

China: Servants

Ports: Dock & Ship workers

Portuguese Conquest

1488- Portuguese (Dias) round the tip of Africa, 1498 - Vasca Da Gama made it around southern coast and began seeking control of trade routes, used modern technology

Wanted to profit from spice & silk trade of Asia, big profits from East African states, establish forts to protect trade routes

Sample Native Treaty

Carried by Europeans groups as they conquered land, they forced the Africans to sign it, ceding their land to Europeans "forever", the Europeans backed their actions by saying it was for the better of civilization

Players in the Colonialism of Africa

France - biggest land conqured, Britain - second biggest, Germany - Nambia experienced genocide, Italians - lost to Ethiopia, Belgium - only colonized the Congo,

Independence in Africa after WWII

WWII gave rise to African nationalist movements that had much success against the Europeans who were weakened by the cold war and the rise of the UN

Sharpsville massacre

69 people killed by police in black township during a peaceful demonstration against apartheid

Soweto Massacre

a series of protests led by tens of thousands of Black school children in South Africa, in 1976 to protest the apartheid government's policy mandating the use of the Afrikaans language in Black schools. Police responded with tear gas and live ammunition, killing hundreds of protesters and sparking nationwide unrest.

Genocide in Rwanda

a state-sponsored mass slaughter of ethnic Tutsi and moderate Hutu in Rwanda by Hutu extremists where an estimated 800,000 people were killed and France had to intervene

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