Africa

1. Africa

2. Geography • Second Largest continent • 4,600 miles east-west • 5,000 miles north-south • 1/5 of the earth’s land surface • Coastline • Narrow • Few harbors or inlets • Actually shorter than Europe • Europe is only 1/3 the size of Africa

3. Major Land Areas • Desert • 40 % of continent • Sahara • Size of US. • Sahel • The coastline of the Sahara Desert • Grassland on southern edge of Sahara Desert • Point of exchange between forests of south and North Africa

4. Rainforest • 5% of land • Middle half of continent • Trees form canopy • Block sun from rainforest floor

5. Major Land Areas • Savanna • Grassy plain • Where largest number of Africans live • 40% of population • Concern about Desertification • Drying out of the soil • Great Rift Valley • Deep Gash in Earth’s crust • Runs from Red Sea across East Africa

6. Agriculture • Likely result of contact with Near East • Livestock- • cattle, goats, sheep, horse and camels from Asia

7. Iron making • Asia or some say Phoenicians • First known makers of Iron were Nok culture • Africa unusual because it appears that they skip the bronze age. • Progress from the stone age to the iron age • Migrations of Bantu people help the spread of iron making across the African continent

8. People • Earliest People • Nomadic, hunters and gathers • Pastoralist • Some tribes today still measure wealth by number of animal own

9. Family • Central to African societies • Organize into groups called lineage • Descendants of common ancestors • Lineages included past and future generations • Strong Loyalties

10. Tracing Family Descent • Way the society traces lineage decides • Inheritances rights and what group individual belongs to • Patrilineal • Trace ancestors through father • Inheritance passes from father to sun • Sons remain with father extended family • Matrilineal • Trace ancestors through mother • Young men inherit land and wealth from mother’s family • Men usually hold the position of authority even though group membership and inheritance comes from mother

11. Common Elements in African Societies • Language • Thought • Religion • Animistic • Power of natural forces personified as deities • Ritual and worship • Dancing, drumming, sacrifice • Witchcraft

12. Bantu • Bantu • Lived south of Sahara- Nigeria • Spoke over 800 Languages • Important in History of Africa because • Introduced the smelting of iron & use of iron tools • Spread of agriculture

13. Important in History of Africa because • Spread of language • Swahili- mixture of Bantu and Arab • Result of interaction between Bantu and Arab traders • Result is over 60 million Africans speak one of the Bantu languages • Still major African language • Helps experts trace movement of people • If two languages have similar words, it is likely the people who spoke them were in close contact

14. Bantu Migration • Around 1500 BCE start to migrate to the south and east • One of greatest migration in history • Migrations will last for 2000 years • Generally believe that migrations caused by • Climatic changes • Sahara area • Increase population • Adoption of agriculture- more food- more people • Using Congo and later Zambezi rivers

15. Why do people migrate? • Food • Climatic changes • Overpopulation • Being displace by migrations of others • Disease • Crop failures • Avoid natural disasters • Destructive farming methods

16. Bantu • Stateless societies • Organized around kinship groups or other forms of obligation • Control by lineages and age set • Lack the concentration of political power and authority • Delayed ability to respond to outside pressures, mobilize for war, undertake large building projects or create stability for long-distance trade • Age Set • Center of Bantu society • Cohort group that included tribal members of the same age who share life experiences and responsibilities

17. Early Bantu did not have written language • Oral traditions preserved by storytellers called griots • Excellent advisors to kings because they knew the past

18. African Economies • African economies were extremely diversified • North Africa will be fully involved with the economic worlds of Arab and Mediterranean • Sub-Saharan regions had varying • International trade increase in regions near the Islamic world

19. Drawbacks to African Trade • Trade will be handed by professional merchants • Kinship groups • Africa will exchange raw materials for manufactured products • Will fail to develop the industrial technology to use their own raw materials to make manufactured products

20. Trade in West Africa • Infrequent and irregular because of harsh conditions • Change in 3rd Century when Berbers used camels • Camels could cover 60 miles a day • Travel 10 days without water • Trade routes developed and trade increased

21. West Africa was rich in gold but lack salt • Arabs and Berbers will trade salt for gold • African trade routes will shift to the east several times as gold deposits were found further east

23. Islamic Influence • Between 800-15000 Islam will have significant impact on the political history of Africa • Muslims first came to North Africa after the death of Muhammad • Convert many African rulers • Like the Muslim concept of a ruler who united religious and civil authority • Reinforced traditional ideas of kingship • Rulers will base government on Islamic law • Believed God’s law is a higher authority than human law • Rulers will rely on religious scholars as government advisors

24. Islamic Law • Law of obligation • Does not separate personal life from religious life • Regulates almost all areas of human life • Provides a set of values that shaped a common identify • Will help to unify Muslim world, despite ethnic or culturally differences

25. African Slave Trade • Muslim view of slavery • Saw it as a stage in the process of conversion of pagans to slavery • African slave trade • developed rapidly • widely diffused

26. Key result of Islamic conquest of large portion of Africa was the establishment of vast trading network • Gold trade

27. Introduction of written Arabic language, laws • Allowed local rulers to improve their administration

28. Berbers • Convert to Islam • Will maintain their Berber identities and loyalties • Conversion will be rapidly • At first be unifying but later will divide North Africa into competing Muslim states • Two major groups • Almoravid and Almohads

29. Almoravid Dynasty • Began after a devout Berber made a hajj • Convince Muslim scholar Abd Allah Ibn Yasin to return to Africa to teach Islam • Found strict religious brotherhood • In 1050 AD will attempt to spread Islam through conquest • Conquer large parts of North Africa • Will move into Spain, where they will become know as Moors

30. Almohads • Will begin as a militant religious movement • Will wrestle power away from Almoravid • Follow teachings of Ibn Turmart • Who after a pilgrimage to Mecca denounced the Almoravid rulers • Claim they had moved away from traditional practice of Islam • Urged followers to strictly obey teaching of Quran and Islamic law • Will rule for 100 years

31. Nok • First West African people to smelt iron. • Elephant played a major role in people’s daily life • West Africa’s earliest known culture

32. Kush • Path through which trade went from North Africa to Middle East and Europe • Capital city Meroe • Iron smelting center

33. Axum • Known today as Ethiopia • Main port was Adulis • Major center of trade in Mediterranean and for trade with east • Slaves, ivory and salt ship via Indian Ocean routes • Will trade with Egypt, Romans, Byzantine & India • Muslims will settle in Adulis after fleeing persecution in the Mecca

34. King Ezana • Convert to Christianity in 250 BC • Most important Christian kingdom in Africa

35. Only African nation to develop a written language • Stelae • Stone pillars that celebrate the kings’ conquest and demonstrates the greatness of Aksum

36. Created new method of agriculture- terrace farming • Axum will remain one of the few non-Muslims states in northern and eastern Africa • Axum had provide refuge for Muslims during their early history • Out of respect the Muslims never attempt to conquer Axum

37. West Africa • Kingdoms in west Africa grew as a result of being intermediaries in the trans-Sahara trade • Located in savanna region traded salt to forest settlements in exchange for gold, which they then traded with Africa north of the Sahara

38. Ghana, Mali & Songhai • Located west Africa – south of Sahara • Area called sub-Saharan • Not easy access to other cultures • 7th & 8th century -Islamic traders penetrate the Sahara desert while African traders push northward • At first west Africans in search of salt but will start to trade Gold • Found in abundance in Ghana and Mali

39. Ghana • Rulers grew rich from taxing goods that traders carried through their territory • To keep the price of gold from falling, the king will limited the supply of gold • The constant trade also brought Islam to the area • For Ghana the results was devastating • Subject to a holy war led by an Islamic group intent on converting (or killing) them • Ghana was able to defeat Islamic forces but empire fell into decline • Its decline in 1076 will make way for new political organizations in West Africa

40. Mali • Malinke people create Mali out of Ghana • Sundiata • Monarch given credit for the unified state of Mali Lion Prince • Mali will become a model for Islamic Sudan kingdoms

41. Urbanization within Mali Empire • Port cities along Niger river • Commercial and cultural centers • Trade • Dependent upon access to gold producing areas • Juula • African traders– partnerships • Agricultural economy • Barely able to provide basic foods • Poor soil • Periodic droughts • Limitations of technology

42. Mansa Musa • One of the greatest Mali ruler • Built a capital city at Timbuktu • 1307 made a pilgrimage to Mecca • Entourage of 100’s gold-carrying servants and camels • So extravagant – everyone saw him as an overnight international sensation • Will devalue the currency of Egypt because of inflation caused by the gold • Brought scholars and artists to Africa • Timbuktu will become a center of Islamic learning and trade

43. Timbuktu will become a major cultural center • University that attracted scholars around Islamic world • Lacked modern weapons despite wealth and high level of learning • Will cause downfall when invaded by Moroccan Muslims who had firearms

45. Songhay • Largest empire in Africa in 15th century • created by Ruler Sunni Ali • Originally apart of Mali • Rulers will later take title of Askia • Daily life was a mixture of Islam, native, & pagan rituals • Example- men and women intermingle in the marketplace, which upset Muslim travelers

46. Benin • Strong centralized city-state • Significant military and economic power • Rulers controlled trade so effectively that Europeans could never manage to dominate Benin • Same dynasty ruling today • Bronze casting • Especially plaques

47. The Great Zimbabwe • Massive walls are most important monuments in Africa south of Nile Valley • Built by Bantu • Covered 60 acres • Shows the strength of the economy- • based on gold trade • Controlled the export of gold to coastal cities of East Africa

48. Zimbabwe • Actually refers to stone building • Great Zimbabwe • Capital and religious center • Centralized state by the 15th century • Sofala was entry port for Zimbabwean goods • MweneMutapa • Title given to the ruler of Great Zimbabwe

49. Later abandon when gold trade decline • No one is sure why city of abandon. • Historian believe that the area was worn out and could not support a large population • Falling world prices of gold

50. Islam did not experience much success in finding converts in the interior of Africa • East Africa and in West Africa rulers convert first follow by masses • More difficult in the East Africa because women had more freedom than Muslim counterparts and were resistant to the new faith