1. Until Lions tell their tale, the story of the hunt will always glorify the hunter - African proverb

2. "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 

3. The Golden Age of Africa

4. 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

5. A market scene in West Africa
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

6. Africa’s main manufactures
Manufacturing
Africa’s main manufactures
Hides and skins
Gold
Metallurgy (iron)
Textile manufacturing and dyeing
Kente cloth from Ghana

7. Religion Each African society had a religious system
We call that religion African Traditional Religion (ATR)

8. ATR Beliefs Supreme God several divinities or lesser gods ancestors
life after death
some reincarnation
spoken word
incantations, sacred songs, proverbs etc.

9. ATR Beliefs (contd.) belief in power of prayers sacrifice
role of priests, holy men?, seers, spirit mediums
Griots

10. Other Religions in Africa
Islam in Northern and Sudanese Africa
Christianity in Northern and Northeastern Africa
Judaism in Northeastern Africa
Mosque in Mali

11. African music music for all occasion
work, naming, marriage, funeral, etc.
dance, drama

12. African Art and Craft
African art inspired by religion, kingship, and personal beautification
made for upper class and royalty
accessible to all
Benin ivory mask

13. Ife Bronze figure of a king
specialized forms:
sculpture in wood, bronze, brass and stone
painting of homes
body adornments
charms, amulets
Ife Bronze figure of a king

14. Ghana, Mali, Songhay Empires

15. Ghana (5th – 13th cent.)
Wangara area b/w upper Niger and Senegal rivers
area produced great quantities of gold for trade across Sahara

16. kola nuts on sale in Djenne, Mali
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

17. 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…

18. Mali (6th – 15th cent.)
Incorporated most of present-day Mali, Senegal, and the Gambia, southern Mauritania, eastern Guinea-Bissau, and eastern Guinea

19. The Grand Mosque of Djenne on a market day
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

20. 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

21. Songhai or Songhay (8th – 17th cent.)
Most expansive kingdom with great trading cities of Gao, Djenne, and Timbuktu

22. Sankore mosque and university, 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

23. 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 …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

24. Other Empires of Western Africa
Kanem
Hausa States
Oyo Empire
Asante Empire
Ife
Benin Empire
Kongo kingdom