Until Lions tell their tale, the story of the hunt will always glorify the

hunter - African proverb

"Let's face it – think of Africa, and the first images that come to mind are of war, poverty, famine and flies. How many of us really know anything at all about the truly great ancient African civilizations, which in their day, were just as splendid and glorious as any on the face of the earth?" - Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Wonders of the African World 

The Golden Age of Africa

African Societies 5th – 17th cent.

• In general:– Cluster around great

water bodies of continent (Niger,Senegal, Nile, Congo…)

– 2 central factors: livestock wealth & interregional trade

• Agricultural economies expanded

• Farmers supplied the food needed by the population

• Surplus food was brought to the market for exchange

A market scene in West Africa

• Manufacturing

• Africa’s main manufactures– Hides and skins – Gold– Metallurgy (iron)– Textile

manufacturing and dyeing

Kente cloth from Ghana

• Each African society had a religious system

• We call that religion African Traditional Religion (ATR)

Religion

ATR Beliefs

• Supreme God• several divinities or

lesser gods• ancestors• life after death• some reincarnation• spoken word

– incantations, sacred songs, proverbs etc.

ATR Beliefs (contd.)• belief in power of

prayers

• sacrifice

• role of priests, holy men?, seers, spirit mediums

• Griots

Other Religions in Africa

• Islam in Northern and Sudanese Africa

• Christianity in Northern and Northeastern Africa

• Judaism in Northeastern Africa

Mosque in Mali

African music

• music for all occasion

– work, naming, marriage, funeral, etc.

• dance, drama

African Art and Craft

• African art inspired by religion, kingship, and personal beautification

• made for upper class and royalty

• accessible to allBenin ivory mask

• specialized forms:

– sculpture in wood, bronze, brass and stone

– painting of homes

– body adornments

– charms, amulets

Ife Bronze figure of a king

Ghana, Mali, Songhay Empires

Ghana(5th – 13th cent.)

Wangara area b/w upper Niger and Senegal rivers•area produced great quantities of gold for trade across Sahara

Ghana Empire• established by the Soninke

people

• Tarikh-as-Sudan (book of West African history found in Timbuktu) dates to 1650 A.D.

• its capital was Kumbi Saleh, a market town

• it engaged in the caravan trade in gold, kola nuts, salt, captives kola nuts on sale in

Djenne, Mali

• Tenkamenin – 11th cent.• Al-Bakri…powerful and

wealthy state able to “put 200,000 warriors in the field, more than 40,000 of them being armed with bow and arrow.”

• it was attacked by the Almoravids in 1076

• the defeat weakened the empire and it later fell to…

Mali(6th – 15th cent.)

Incorporated most of present-day Mali, Senegal, and the Gambia, southern Mauritania, eastern Guinea-Bissau, and eastern Guinea

Mali Empire

• Mandinka (Malinke) people

• Sundiata “Lion King” Keita – 1240

• original capital was Niani while most prominent city was Djenne

The Grand Mosque of Djenne on a market day

• like Ghana, it engaged in caravan trade

• Mali’s most known ruler – Mansa Musa

• pilgrimage to Mecca• built Sankore mosque

in Timbuktu• ??????? invaded Mali

in 1542 and while kings fled other small kingdoms absorbed much of Mali

Songhai or Songhay

(8th – 17th cent.)

Most expansive kingdom with great trading cities of Gao, Djenne, and Timbuktu

Songhay Empire• established by Songhay

people• Sonni Ali• Most famous ruler was

Askia Muhammad (Sonni Ali’s general)

• he expanded the empire, performed pilgrimage to Mecca -1497

• made Sankore mosque a university

Sankore mosque and university, Timbuktu

•Death of Askia Muhammad in 1538 (part of mosque where he was buried still exists in Gao, Mali)

•Decline as territory becomes too expansive and successors lead failed military expeditions

•Songhay was defeated by Moroccan invaders in 1590-91…they leave by 1612 b/c they could not locate the rich gold mines or maintain security on roads & in the markets around Songhay.

Tomb of Askia in Gao

Other Empires of Western Africa

• Kanem• Hausa States• Oyo Empire• Asante Empire• Ife• Benin Empire• Kongo kingdom