African Civilization and Spread of Islam
 In 1324 Mansa Musa leads a caravan of camels and slaves
through the Sahara on his hajj
 He gives away so much gold that the metal itself loses
value; this symbolizes the wealth in Africa
 Islam reaches Mali through route of trading routes
(Mediterranean to Middle East to Africa)
 During the Roman Empire, smaller civilizations aren’t
very relevant in worldly trading; during the Byzantine
and Islamic expansion smaller kingdoms become
included
1. Social Changes
2. Technological Changes
3. Religious Changes
African Societies: Diversity and Similiarities
 Share language and beliefs
 “State” societies and “stateless” societies
Stateless Societies:
 societies based around kinship and local families rather
than strong, centralized political power
 governments were made up of “council of elders”  local
families rule rather than a king  no need to tax to
support a king, a bureaucracy, and a military
 stateless societies work in Africa because dissidence
merely leads to formation of new societies
 problems with stateless societies are:
1. lack of organization for building projects
2. lack of a military to resist external pressures
3. lack of a substantial trading network  long distance
trade
Common Elements within African Societies
 language and religion (even though Africa speaks
different languages, they share a linguistic base; animism)
 linguistic base is provided by the Bantu peoples
 animistic beliefs are central to African people  worship
natural forces as “gods” who need to be worshipped
 Africans believe in a diety whose power is expressed
through “lesser gods”
 Natural disaster and illness are forms of evil which is
produced by witchcraft
 Overall, religions produced a “cosmology”  an
understanding of how the universe works that guides
ethics and behaviors
 Northern African economy is different than Sub-Sahara
because of trading on the Mediterranean
 In SS Africa, the staple of their economy lies on trading
(local) agriculture
Arrival of Islam in North Africa
 In between 640-700 Muhammad’s followers sweep
across North Africa  “Ifriqiya”
 Muslims conquer Spain and move into France but are
stopped short of Pyrenees by Charles Martel
 After the Abbasid dissolution, the “Almohadis” and the
“Almoravids” move south into Africa and back into Spain
 Islam is accepted in Africa there is an idea of all Muslims
being equal in the eyes of Allah  egalitarianist religion
 @ the local level, ethnic distinctions divide believers. The
fine for killing a man is 2X that of killing a woman.
 Disparity between Quranic preaching and practical
application  leads to reformist groups that emphasize
Muhammad’s original preachings
The Christian Kingdoms: Nubia and Ethiopia (Axum)
 Christianity has a pretty strong root in Africa as well;
Ethiopia and Egypt (coptics)
 When the Muslim armies conquer Egypt, many Christians
keep their faith and establish new kingdoms
Kingdoms of the Grasslands:
 As Islam enters North Africa, it sends merchants
throughout the Sahara
 Merchants spread influences on 3 coasts:
1. Atlantic Ocean
2. Indian Ocean
3. Sahel
 Sahel is necessary for livelihood of camels; need an arid
environment to prevent disease
 Ghana emerges around 200 CE  rise to prominence
through trading gold and salt
 Around 900 Ghana reaches its economic and military
height; it falls because 1076 the Almoravids invade and
indirectly cause its decline
Sudanic States:
 Sudanic states typically have a patriarch as their leader
 Have a “core” area ppl with same linguistic or ethnic
makeup
 Most were conquest states; meaning they rely on military
support, on taxes, and on tribute
 Majority of the Sudanic rulers convert to Islam in 900’s
Empire of Mali and Sundiata “Lion Prince”
 Geographically between Senegal and Niger Rivers
 Mali breaks away from Ghana
 Mali rulers support Islam through building mosques,
attending public prayer, and supporting Islamic
preachers
 Mali’s economic base trade and agriculture
 Malinke expansion is credited to Sundiata “Lion Prince”
revered because he overcomes a bad childhood and
unifies N.W. Africa
 Divides Mali into 16 “clans”
 Creates loyalty and creates security on trading routes
through garrisons  important because allows Malinke
trading to survive
 Sundiata’s most famous is successor is Mansa Musa 
famous for his 1324 hajj which brings Muslim attention to
Africa
Songhay Kingdom: ?????????