Rediscovering African
Geographies (Part One)
Introduction
African Empires: 3100 BC - Present
Ancient Africa
Introduction
“Behind every map are people and cultures.” Zagba Oyortey
Africa is the cradle of human civilisation. It is in Africa where our earliest ancestors lived and it is from this
continent that people migrated to populate all four corners of the world. The San peoples of today’s Southern
Africa are directly related to the original population of our early human ancestors.
Yet today, Africa’s importance to the story of
humanity, from its earliest origins to the 21st
century, is often absent from media reports that
associate the continent with conflict and poverty.
This exhibition rediscovers insights into Africa, its
people, societies and relationship with the wider
world. This is through partnership with members
of London based African communities from the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Nigeria,
Namibia, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Their perspectives have brought new
understanding to the Society’s maps, photographs,
objects and texts that date back to the 1300s. In
doing so, these partners have helped reclaim
forgotten histories, address inaccurate perceptions
about Africa and reveal how changing geographies
have shaped Africa and its Diaspora over the
centuries. Most importantly their views open up
dialogue and help forge a more equitable and
informed understanding of this continent.
This exhibition displays materials that are primarily from the colonial period and their accompanying original captions
reveal how Africa was viewed by Europeans, often in inaccurate and pejorative terms. Additional information has
been provided to explain some historical terms and references, and the current locations for historical places are also
supplied.
Note: The exhibition features historical maps. Only small sections of each map is shown in these PDFs – this is to enable
viewers to see detail –to see the full maps (zoomable), please click on the hyperlinks shown under individual map
captions.
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African Empires: 3100 BC - Present
“This area says Monomutapa on the 1626 map, the Portuguese name for the Mwenemutapa, which means 'the big
king of the Kingdom of Mutapa’. It is where modern day Zimbabwe is and the name Zimbabwe means 'great
temple' and refers to the temple that can be found there. You see how far the Kingdom stretches and covers Angola
and Mozambique. Poems have been written about its kings and courts and the temple in Zimbabwe was big, like
the pyramids.” Miochopari Vincent Segwai
Ek-Bah-Tong-Ek-Beh or The Procession of the King's
Wealth, Benin by Frederick Forbes FRGS, 1851
3100 BC – 30 BC
780 BC – 656 BC
575 BC – 146 BC
500 BC – 200 AD
4 BC – 937 AD
750 – 1235 AD
1043 – 1911 AD
1235 – 1400 AD
1270 – 1974 AD
1300 – present
1350 – 1889 AD
1400 – 1888 AD
1400 – 1895 AD
1440 – 1897 AD
1450 – 1629 AD
1460 – 1591 AD
1502 – 1821 AD
1537 – 1867 AD
1585 – 1885 AD
1660 – 1887 AD
1690 – 1902 AD
1701 – 1894 AD
1710 – 1894 AD
1712 – 1896 AD
1804 – 1903 AD
1847 – present
1878 – 1898 AD
African people have established many different types of societies;
from hunter gather family groups, pastoral societies, clans based
on councils of elders, farming chiefdoms, to complex and
powerful kingdoms and empires. This 17th century map provides
a snapshot of some these once known and subsequently
forgotten centres of power. Many of these kingdoms controlled
large areas, developed sophisticated cities and established trade
links across and beyond the continent. The timeline highlights
important periods and kingdoms from 3100 BC to the present
day. Some of these kingdoms can be seen on the accompanying
map on the following page:
Egyptian Civilisation (North East Africa)
Kushite Empire (North East Africa)
Ancient Carthage (Tunisia)
Nok Civilization (Nigeria)
Aksumite Empire (North East Africa)
Empire of Ghana (Senegal & Mauritania)
Kingdom of Nri (Nigeria)
Mali Empire (Niger and Mali)
Ethiopian Empire (Eritrea and Ethiopia)
Buganda Kingdom (Uganda)
Wolof Empire (Senegal and Gambia)
Kongo Kingdom (Angola, Republic of Congo and Western Democratic Republic of Congo) shown on the 1626 map on the following page
Oyo Empire (Nigeria)
Benin Empire (Nigeria)
Mutapa (Monomutapa / Mwenemutapa) Empire or Empire of Great Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe
and Mozambique) - shown on the 1626 map on the following page
Songhai Empire (West Africa)
Sennar Sultanate (Northern Sudan)
Kaabu Empire (Guinea-Bissau, Southern Senegal)
Luba Empire (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Lunda Empire (Democratic Republic of Congo, North Eastern Angola and North Western
Zambia)
Aro Confederacy (South Eastern Nigeria)
Asante Union (Ghana, Togo and Côte d'Ivoire)
Kong Empire (Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso)
Bamana Empire (Mali)
Fulani Empire or Sokoto Caliphate (Cameroon and Nigeria)
Liberian Republic (West Africa)
Wassoulou Empire or Mandinka Empire (Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Guinea and Southern Mali)
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Detail from ‘Africae, described, the manners of their Habits and buildings: newly done into English’ by Jon Sudbury. (London: G. Humble, 1626)
View complete enlarged map
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Above: Mwanga and chiefs outside Baraza, Mengo, Uganda by Ernest Gedge,1891
Left: Great Zimbabwe, main passage. Photographer and date unknown
Map showing African countries today. Note: Western Sahara is a disputed territory and has been on the
United Nation's list of Non-Self-Governing Territories since 1963.
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Ancient Africa: Resources & Trade
Ancient Africa
Africa has always been rich in resources such as ivory, copper, gold, salt, kola nut, leather, incense and grain. These
goods have been traded across Africa, and overseas to Europe and Asia, for millennia. Copper and gold reserves in
Central and West Africa were mined and formed into ornaments, vessels and weapons, and artefacts from Benin
were prized, especially bronze sculptures.
The map shown here depicts Mansa (King) Musa of the Mali Empire, holding a gold coin (bottom left). The gold coin
was referred to as a ‘Guinea’ in Europe, a description that is believed to have derived from the location of the gold
mines in the Empire of Ghana (750 - 1235 AD), which later came into the possession of the Mali Empire. The memory
of the West African gold trade also remained in the historic name of the Gold Coast and in the names of modern West
African states, Guinea Bissau, Guinea and Ghana.
On this Spanish map, Mansa Musa’s status as a King is recognised, and he is depicted in a similar manner to the other
kings shown. His reputation as a wealthy and generous Islamic ruler was evident when he went on pilgrimage in 1324
to Mecca. His entourage consisted of tens of thousands of courtiers, scholars, traders and servants, and he distributed
a significant quantity of gold along his route. To this day, his name appears in the top twenty richest people in the
world
“Even though there is not enough information about Africa, this Catalan map reveals the limited knowledge
mapmakers had. (But) they’re not unaware of the power that was Africa. In this period civilisations like Mali were
at their zenith. So even if you lived very far away, you would have heard about them. That is why this man (Mansa
Musa) is very important. Some people did not agree with him taking so much gold on his pilgrimage, he took so
much that the value of gold fell - now that’s a lot of wealth!” Wala Danga
Detail from ‘The Catalan Atlas [of 1375]’ by Cresques Abraham
Facsimile produced for the atlas of the Vicomte de Santarem. (Paris : E.Thunot et Cie., 1842-53)
View complete enlarged map
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Senegalese jeweller in Leopoldville, Congo by unknown photographer, 1944
Copper inlaid stool, reserved for elders or clan
leaders, Katanga, Congo by Reverend G Grenfell,
1884-86
Iron money of Mano and Gio tribes, Liberian Hinterland (about 40 to a shilling).
Collected by Dr J H Furbay, 1938
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Ancient Africa: Trade & Travel Routes
For centuries, Africa’s rivers including the Blue and White Niles, Niger, Congo, Zambezi and Limpopo have provided
highways for the movement of goods, ideas and people; crossing dry deserts and dense forests. The introduction of
the camel in 6 BC from the Arabian Peninsula opened up new trade routes across the Sahara Desert.
River Ngiri, affluent of the Ubangi, near Gundu
village, Congo by Dandoy (Congo Press), 1947
These trade and travel routes have been described throughout
history by Africans and other geographers and historians. For
example, Greek historian Herodotus (484 – 425 BC) recorded over
20,000 cities in the region of the Nile Delta and noted the Egyptians
sea trading system, their concepts of geometry, land measurement,
mummification and their use of a solar calendar. Geographer and
mathematician Ptolemy, an Egyptian born Roman citizen (90 – 168
AD) produced one of the first atlases entitled Geographia. It
depicted the Greco-Roman world and large parts of Asia, Europe,
and North and West Africa. He was aware that his knowledge was
incomplete about the full extent of the continents. In addition, the
traveller and writer Ibn Batutta, a Berber Moroccan (1304 – 1368
AD), travelled overland and by sea for 30 years. He travelled
through the Horn of Africa and the East African coast as part of this
journey to China and later on his return in the 1350s he travelled to
North and West Africa. He wrote at length about his experiences in
the publication Travels in Asia and Africa 1325-1354.
The work of Ptolemy and Ibn Batutta, alongside the knowledge provided by other Africans, offered valuable
information to European and Arab travellers and cartographers that created maps of the African continent.
Map of North Africa, from Ptolemy's Geographia. (Ulm: Reger, 1486)
View enlarged map
The 1905 map overleaf illustrates the movement of goods in Nigeria. Many of these routes would have been used for
centuries by traders, invading armies, migrants, pilgrims and travellers. Some of the routes show the movement of
goods originating from the Asante region (Ghana).
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Detail from ‘Skeleton map showing trade routes, toll & customs stations & military garrisons of each province [of Nigeria]’
(Zungeru: Intelligence Office, 1905)
View complete enlarged map
Saharan caravan on the march, Algeria by C Spooner, 1896
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Ancient Africa: Cultural Traditions &
Continuity
“The mbira (also known as a thumb piano or likembe) is very common in Central, Eastern and Southern Africa. It can
be played for spiritual events and social reasons and has been documented in very early European accounts. The
Jesuit priests didn’t like drums because they sounded primitive and were never found in churches because of this - so
the music made using the mbira was welcome and it fascinated them.” Chenjerai Shire
African cultural traditions have been expressed and maintained in many different ways, such as through architecture,
art, music and textiles.
Various textiles have developed based on regionally produced cotton, leather, bark, wild silk and raffia. In addition,
some textiles have also been based on imported silk such as Hariri, introduced to Northern and Eastern Africa through
the Silk Routes from Asia. Dyeing and weaving traditions were passed through the family and also formalised systems
of apprenticeship and guilds which trained and marketed the products.
The best known examples of woven cloth include bogolanfini (mud cloth) from Mali, kente (Ghana), the aso oke
(Nigeria), adire (tie-dye) is found in almost all West African communities, and kikoy (East Africa). Other textile
traditions include cotton with silk embroidery shamma (Ethiopia), silk landy (Madagascar) and the highly prized
barkcloth (Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo).
Textiles and clothing were useful for denoting place of origin and the status of the wearer, such as kente cloth,
associated with royalty, and animal pelts (especially leopard and lion skins) worn as a sign of rank and prestige. They
have also been used to foster a sense of national identity by people such as Jomo Kenyatta, the first Prime Minster of
independent Kenya (1963); he wore a cap associated with the Luo, rather than his own Kikuyu community.
“Before Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana came along; we never thought much about the batakari (smock). It’s
from North Ghana, woven from locally grown cotton and worn by both men and women. It defines Ghana in a way
and it has also become a symbol of nationalist pride since Nkrumah wore this when he came out of prison.” Grace
Amanor-Wilks
Fanti artisans, Sierra Leone by J T N Yankah, 1899
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Left: House walls in Kano, Nigeria by Mrs P Ness, 1930 - 1939
Above: Timbuktu, Mali from "Voyage à Temboctou" by Rene Caillie, 1824
Left: A Metallophone from Balua Country, Zaire by Reverend G Grenfell, 18841886. Note: This instrument known as Likembe is produced by the Lua people,
Democratic Republic of Congo
Above: Cloth from Bakuba Country, Congo by Reverend G Grenfell, 1884 – 1886.
Note: Bakuba cloth or Kasai velvet is a pile raffia fabric reserved for royalty
produced by the Kuba people.
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Ancient Africa: Traditional Belief Systems
“The zebra is the totem of Ndube from Zimbabwe. They would not kill a zebra, touch its dead body or make a drum
out of its skins. The picture of a dead zebra, from an African point of view has a different meaning – it shows the
degradation of the environment, because you are killing things that you are not going to eat – you are killing for
trophies. With the arrival of European missionaries traditional practices went, they told people that this was just
superstition and were labelled heathens.” Chenjerai Shire
Traditional African belief systems have a spiritual as
well as a cultural role, providing a means through
which to understand, respect and control the
environment and shape an individual’s role within it.
There are many varied belief systems in Africa.
Grevy's zebra, Kenya by L N Dracopoli, 1912
However, when these are linked with common
language groups and regions they reveal shared
perspectives. Whether individuals believed in clan
specific gods or in a ‘force’ rather than a god, or
reverence of ancestors as sacred spirits; shared
understanding of virtue and vice, good and evil, and
the body, spirit and soul remained a feature in most.
Traditional belief systems also included instructions on
the code of conduct within a community, healing and
environmental custodianship, with many communities
relating to a specific animal as their totem.
A witch doctor divining, Tongaland, E-Transvaal, South Africa by unknown photographer, 1940 – 1949.
Note: The original caption uses terminology that is derogatory and reflects European attitudes to
traditional belief systems. The term healer would be used today.
Many of these belief systems did not prioritise the development of buildings for worship as in Islam or Christianity, so
European travellers and missionaries often did not give much credence to these practices. In Africa today, traditional
beliefs continue to be practiced and have also evolved through combination with Islamic and Christian practices. Some
of the earliest Christian churches established outside Judea (Israel) were in Egypt, the Sudan, Libya, Tunisia and
Ethiopia. Those built in Ethiopia in the c. 4 AD exist today and are some of the oldest in the world. Islam came to Africa
in 640 AD.
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Detail showing different religious denominations in North Africa, each marked by a building with a Cross, Crescent or Star of David,
from ‘The Catalan Atlas [of 1375]’ by Cresques Abraham. Facsimile produced for the atlas of the Vicomte de Santarem.
(Paris : E.Thunot et Cie., 1842-53)
View complete enlarged map
East façade of Mariam (church), Ethiopia by Mrs R McGrath, 1925
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