AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDIES
AFRICAN BEGINNINGS
Jamal A. Campbell
Red Springs High
FOCUS
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When you think of Africa, what
images come to your mind?
How is Africa and the people
portrayed in the media?
Who is a African?
BACKGROUND
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Africa is the second largest
continent
Pop 700 million people
The continent is sparsely populatedtwo-thirds of the people live in the
tropics
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Africa has three major deserts: the
Kalahari (South), Namib (South),
and Sahara (North).
In the West, Central and Southwest
regions contains dense sprawling
rain forests. They are often
incorrectly referred to as jungles.
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Lakes and rivers are central to African
life as sources of livelihood, commerce,
and basic transportation.
Africa’s major rivers are:
The Nile (at over four thousand miles,
it’s the world’s longest river) in the
Northeast
Zambezi (Southeast)
The Congo (Southwest)
Niger, Benue, and Senegal (West)
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Word Africa used by ancient
Romans to refer to their colonial
province in the area.
Its possible derivations are the Latin
word aprica—meaning “sunny” and
the Greek word aphrike—meaning
“without cold”
Early Humans
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Archeological finds suggest that Africa is the cradle of
humankind.
Earliest fossil remains of humans were found in eastern
and southern Africa.
Examples of human remains discovered
1.
Bipedality (“walking upright”) human remains found in
Ethiopia in 1974 of a 4 million year old apelike creature
2.
Homo habilus (tool makers) remains found in 1986 in
Tanzania of a 2 million year old human that made tools
from stones that were sharpen or flattened—tools made
from ribs of large mammals had pointed blades used as
spears
3.
“Fire makers” also homo erectus found in Kenya of a
one-million year old human
4.
Homo sapiens “thinking/talking man” or modern man
human found in East Africa which dates back 100,000
years ago
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Two Theories of Human Migration
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All evidence points to human life starting
in Africa and from there humans migrated
to the rest of the world.
Anthropologists and paleontologists have
come up with two theories of human
migration from Africa which are:
1) the “out of Africa” theory
2) the “multiregional” theory
Out of Africa” Theory
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Research shows that the maternal ancestry of every person today
is traceable to an “African Eve” (dates back 100,000 to 200,000
yrs ago)
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The earliest modern humans (homo sapiens) begin to migrate out
of Africa moving into the Middle East and southern Europe and by
about 60,000 yrs ago into the rest of the world.
As different groups entered different climatic conditions, racial
differences gradually developed. (Important to note people at this
time were classified by their culture not race)
This theory is supported by molecular biologist (whose job is
tracing genetic lineage)---their research shows more genes
coming from African ancestry and that Africans have been
diversifying longer and represent the earliest modern branch of
the family tree
“Multiregional” Theory
 This this argues modern humans (homo sapiens) did not
solely emerge in Africa but arose independently in
different places in Africa, Europe, and Asia.
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It also suggest migration out of Africa occurred 1 to 2
million years ago with the homo erectus—moving out of
Africa and colonizing much of the world
From the homo erectus according to the
“multiregionalists” regional groups emerged—racial
divergences occurred 1 million yrs ago
Racial groups evolved for a long time in isolation and
possibly at different times (moving from homo erectus to
homo sapiens)
Fossil findings in Israel of a modern looking homo sapiens
which dates back about 92,000 yrs ago supports this
theory
Early Egypt
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Africa’s early history is marked by the emergence
of agriculturalists in the north
In the fourth millennium B.C., after hunting had
been abandoned in favor of farming, Lower and
Upper Egypt were united.
The Upper Nile’s King Menes, the 1st pharaoh and
1st to start a dynasty, achieved this unification
between 3400 and 3200 B.C.
The history of Egypt is divided up into three time
periods Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New
Kingdom.
Pyramids
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During the third and fourth dynasties the
great pyramids were constructed as royal
burial chambers.
The first was designed and built by
Imhotep, adviser to the pharaoh Zoser.
(Imhotep is also recognized as being a
physician who was the 1st to write about
embalming, mummification, and the
human circulatory system).
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The pyramid was
built about 2650
B.C. in Lower
Egypt
It is the oldest
standing building
in the world
The pyramids on the Giza Plateau near Cairo. At far right is the Great Pyramid of Khufu
(Cheops), in the middle and closer is the pyramid of Khafre, and on left is the smallest of
the three major Giza pyramids - that of Menkaure. Three small subsidiary pyramids are at
the extreme left
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The economic cost to building the
pyramids weakened the nation thus
driving it into civil wars thereby
allowing outsiders to conqueror
Egypt.
Three Great Empires
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With political and economic
stability set in Africa, three great
empires emerged
Ghana
Mali
Songhay
Ghana (300-1076)
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1st great empire to emerge,
comprised of the northern subgroup
of the Mandingo
During the 10th century the Ghana
empire reached its height and also
gained full control of the southern
section of the western transSaharan trade route
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Ghana would be conquered by
desert Berbers in 1076
Ghana would later regain their
independence but would be
conquered again in 1203
In 1240 the Ghana empire would
become part of the Mali empire
Mali (1050-1488)
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The Mali empire emerged from a unification of a
number Mandingo tribes
Sundiata was the founder of the Mali empire, with
his defeat of the Ghana empire in 1240 it led to
his take over of other territories in Africa
Sundiata was given the title of Mansa or emperor
By 1255, the Mali empire controlled majority of
the trading towns in Africa (salt, gold, copper
mines)
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Mansa Musa will rule the Mali empire
between 1312-1337
During his reign he advanced the
economy of the empire, he was known
across the region due to the economic
reforms he started
Sankore became the most famous of the
Mali cities, a Muslim university was
established there, it possessed collections
of Greek, Roman, and Arabic writings
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By the 14th century the Mali empire
started to fall apart. As the empire
disintegrated their rich trading posts were
attacked and taken over by neighboring
groups
The Mali empire ended with the rise of
new Sudanic states which would usher in
the last great empire of Africa
Songhay (1355-1591)
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By the 15th century the Songhay
people broke free of Mali
domination and begin to expand its
frontier by taking the Mali territories
Sunni Ali led this expansion, he
brought most of the Sudan trading
centers under Songhay rule
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After the death of Sunni Ali, Askia Muhammad
would take over. He was a devout Muslim
Muhammad increase the spread of Islam in the
area, he was established a Islamic law code. He
personally trained the judges how to interpret the
law
Askia Muhammad wanted to increase Muslim
influence in academics, begin to grant land to
Muslims who were a part of the special class of
scholars so that the area would be known as the
Islamic learning center.
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Despite all his achievements, Askia Muhammad sons
got rid of him in 1528.
From 1528-1591, the empire suffered from a lack of
leadership due to assassinations, civil wars, and an
absence of a fixed law of succession.
Due to these factors the Songhay empire collapsed
in 1591 when the Moroccans from the north invaded
and conquerored them. The Moroccans used their
new weapons (guns and cannons) to beat the
Songhay people.
Important to note, the fall of Songhay takes place
100 years after Christopher Columbus’s first voyage
to the New World
Religion
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Islam was initially introduced into the Western
Sudan by nomadic Muslim groups (for example,
Berbers) and traders (Berber, Arab, and native)
who worked the internal routes of the Western
Sudan.
The adoption of Islam enabled wandering traders
in particular to find hospitality, as well as a sense
of community, among fellow Muslim traders in
communities along the trade routes. As these
traders moved farther into the interior, they
carried Islam with them, stimulating a process of
Islamization that ultimately involved the
conversion of some chiefs and political rulers.
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The spread of Islamic influence and ideas extended
beyond purely religious matters. For example,
although administration in the Western Sudan
evolved from indigenous systems of government,
Islam played a part in the development of better
administrative practices.
Muslim scholars, jurists, and administrators brought
with them the most modern ideas of government
from the Muslim world; they acted as interpreters,
scribes, and treasurers to most of the rulers of the
Western Sudanic empires, Additionally, what we
know of these empires comes from contemporary
accounts furnished mainly by Muslim sources.