After Asia, africa is the largest continent. Its nearly 5000s long from the mediterranean sea in the north to that cape of good hope in the south. Africa is nearly completely surrounded by two oceans and two seas. Africa's mediterranean coast is mostly mountainous, south of the mountains lies earth's largest desert, the sahara. It stretches from the atlantic to the indian ocean. Far east there is very different terrain of snow capped mountains, upland plateaus, and lakes. Savannas exist on both north and south of the rainforest and is perhaps is 40% of africa's land area. Early african societies included those of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. In this essay will be talking about Africa and the things that went on in Africa between the years 500-1500 …show more content…
Most african societies shared some common religious ideas, including a belief in a single creator god. The Ashanti people of Ghana believed in the supreme being Nyame, whose sons were lesser gods. Ashanti gods could not always be trusted, so humans needed to appease them to avoid their anger. However the god was also merciful and could be pacified by proper behavior. Rituals were a way to communicate with gods. They did they rituals by calling upon a special class of diviners, which were people who were believed to have the power to foretell events, usually through supernatural forces. Another important element of african religion is ancestry. Ritual ceremonies were dedicated to ancestors because they were believed to be closer to god. They had the power to influence the lives of their descendents. In the early african kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai, the arts-whether painting, literature, or music- were means of serving religion. A work of art was mean to express religious conviction. Woods carvings throughout Africa make remarkable mask and statues. The cravings would oftentimes represent gods, spirits, or ancestral figures. Believed to embody the spiritual powers of the subjects. In the 14th and 13th centuries metal work produced handsome bronze and iron statues at Ife the capital of the Yoruba people. African music like wood carvings and sculpture often served a religious purpose. Dance was a way to communicate …show more content…
This kingdom was the first great trading state in west africa, as early as A.D. 500. Ghana was located in the upper Niger River valley, which was a grassland region between the sahara and the tropical forest along the west african coast. Most people in this area were farmers that lived in villages under the authority of a local ruler. The kings of Ghana were strong rulers who governed without written laws, the kings had vast wealth. The people that lived in Ghana for centuries prospered from their abundant supply of iron ore. Blacksmiths of Ghana were valued because of their ability to turn this ore into tools and weapons. Ghana has an abundance of gold. Muslims coming into north africa brought metals, textiles, horses, and salt. Salt was super important to the Ghanaians, it had many different uses like preserving food, improve foods taste, and it was needed to replace what they lost in their body in hot climates. The trading merchants became wealthy. Kings in Ghana were also prosperous because they imposed taxes on goods that entered and exited the kingdom. Ghana was flouring for several hundred years, they were weakened by wars, they eventually collapsed during the 1100s. Next in its place is the kingdom of Mali, which was a trading state. Established during the mid 1200s by Sundiata Keita. Keita defeated Ghana and captured their capital n 1240. His empire extending from the atlantic coast inland to the trading city of Timbuktu.
To begin, most Africans have come from societies with traditional African religious backgrounds unrelated to Islam or Christianity. As a whole, African religious traditions combine belief in a Supreme Being with the worship of other gods and ancestors and use ritual and magic to mediate between human beings, nature, and the gods. In many African languages, there is no word for God, because in their tradition every thing and place embodies God. Many African religions have common tenets. They share a belief in a community of deities, the idea that ancestors serve as a way to communicate with these deities. They also share the belief...
Religion was and remains a vital part of the lives of most Africans. For some it encompassed their entire existence. It substantiated and explained their place in the universe, their culture, and their relationship to nature and humankind. It also dictated their roles in the community and society at large. Religion among most African ethnic groups was not simply a faith or worship system, it was a way of life, a system of social control, a provider of medicine, and an organizing mechanism.
The first West African state of record was Ghana which had been ruled by over forty kings by the year 300 A.D. The early Ghanaians were a peaceful and prosperous people who developed an economy based on agriculture and...
In documents one and two they explain and evaluate the trading system and routes of the African empires, kingdoms, and cities. Document one shows the layout of the Aksum trade center and the routes which lead to and from it. Aksum is an empire located right by the Red Sea, its location made it an important international trading center. African trade centers mainly focused on the exchanges of salt and gold. Since the red sea ports are controlled by the rea sea and Aksum was located right by it, its locations made it the center of the trade center. However, in document two it describes the trans-Saharan gold and salt trade. The trans-Saharan gold and salt trade was controlled by the rich and powerful Ghana kingdom. The king had shields
African society used bodies of water such as the Nile, the Red Sea, and many more to transport goods across the continent and generate profit. For example, the city of “Aksum reached its height between 325-360. Aksum’s location made it an important international trading center.” After analyzing the map of trade routes in Document 1, it is clear Aksum was strategically built to have ties to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. These two bodies of water give the city the freedom to import and export goods. Additionally, this work of trade did not come without reward. Cities who succeeded in the business became overly wealthy and had surpluses of gold and other riches. A king, Mansa Mansa, who expanded the Mali kingdom to be twice the size of Ghana, was not afraid to show his wealth as he showered other cities in riches out of generosity. In Cairo, Egypt, “there was no person, officer of the court, or holder of any office of the Sultanate who did not receive a sum of gold from him.” This is just one of the many examples of wealth in african cities and empires. What is impressive is the fact that before European trade became an influence, African people had already created a successful and very profitable system of
In sub-Saharan Africa, thousands of languages, cultures, and geographical regions helped influence our African society. The ways in which we produce our artwork, spiritual ideals, and ritual performances are organic and raw. From the tropical regions of Congo and Ghana, to the arid regions of Mali; I pass through the global gateway into a domain where the Western world lost its roots and artistic imagination and grandeur. Africa appeals most to me for its ability to create a realm where the living, dead, and artistic ideals come into a single unit of tranquil philosophy.
In the great empires of Africa they developed many things. In the Axum (Aksum) Empire (Ethiopia, in present time) they developed a trade route that stretched of Asia to Africa and back. Document one, states that people in the trade route traveled along the Red Sea. This affected the Axum Empire in many ways. They (Axum people) had gained wealth because it was a great trade point and from it, it was introduced to religions, Christianity and Islam. Another empire is called the Kingdom of Ghana in Western Africa. They became one of the richest civilizations due to commerce. In document two, it states that the amount of wealth was visible because of what the pages were wearing. They had on gold. Even the dogs guarding had on silver and gold.
Ghana’s land was full of resources, but iron, gold, and salt were the most important. Starting with gold, Ghana traded gold for most of what they needed as they had so much gold even their dogs wore gold collars. Ghana used gold to trade with other nations to get resources like livestock, tools and cloth. Ghana traded gold because they had so much of it the following was iron. Ghana used iron for strong weapons that they used in battle and tools that helped them live. Iron made items that helped Ghana become stronger. Iron helped Ghana a lot, but not as much as gold. In other words, Ghana used iron to make tools, weapons, and armor. Along with iron and gold came
Nigeria contains more historic cultures and empires than any other country in Africa. People were first known to inhabit Nigeria as early as 5 B.C. They first constructed a kingdom in the center of Nigeria, which is named Jos Plateau. This was the first of many widespread kingdoms of that region, but two centuries later it would extend to Bornu, which is located on the western region of Nigeria (Gascoigne 1). Nigeria was made up of mostly kingdoms until British colonized in the 1800’s. The Soko Jotojhad and Yotruba wars encouraged slave trade at the time the British were trying to abolish the slave trade. Slaves were normally traded for European goods such as guns and gun powder. At this time, the British encouraged trading palm oil over trading slaves. Many of the slaves that were exported to Britain were intercepted by naval ships and shipped to Sierra Leone to collect palm oil. Some Nigerians began to migrate back from Sierra Leone in search of their homes and trade. British missionaries were invited to follow the slaves back, and in the 1840’s they wer...
Nigeria had an eventful history. More than 2,000 years ago, the Nok culture in the present plateau state worked iron and produced experienced terracotta sculpture. The history of the northern cities of Kano and Katsina dates back to approximately 1000 A.D. In the following centuries, Hausa Kingdoms and the Bornu Empire became important terminals of north-south trade between North African Berbers and the forest people, exchanging slaves, ivory, and other products. The Yoruba Kingdom of Oyo was founded in 1400s. It attained a high level of political organization. In the 17th through 19th centuries, European traders established coastal ports for slave traffic to the Americas. Commodity trade, especially in palm oil and timber, replaced slave trade in the 19th century. In the early 19th century, the Fulani leader Usman dan Fodio launched an Islamic crusade that brought most of the Hausa states under the loose control of an empire centered in Sokoto.
In worship and sacrifice there is co-responsibility. Each person contributes his share in a spirit of participation. Symbols bridge the spheres of the sacred and secular and so make possible a balanced and unified view of reality. An important part of the African traditional religion is the presence of spirits. The Spiritual Sphere In the African world spirits are everywhere in persons, trees, rivers, animals, rocks, mountains, automobiles and other personal effects.
Dance was also a big part in the music of West Africa. Dance was performed at ceremonies surrounding fertility, death, worship, adulthood, and other kind of certain concerns of the village.
Ghana: The Gold Coast of Africa The Gold Coast, now known as Ghana, is one of many civilizations of Africa. It was a British Colony until March 6, 1957, when it became independent as the State of Ghana. In 1471, the Portuguese invaded this area and became involved in gold trade, giving the region the name, The Gold Coast.
The African continent is rich with natural and intellectual resources. Northern Africa has rich oil deposits that, once discovered, have made billions of dollars. Sub-Sahara Africa is rich with deposits of precious minerals such as gold and diamonds. Throughout much of history Africa has been thought of as a rich land. But the Africa we know today as being plagued by famine, poverty and war came about at a much later date.
Accra, the capital of the beautiful and welcoming nation Ghana, is located in West Africa, West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea. It is known for its wildlife, beauteous attractions, and richness in gold and secluded beaches. Ghana also known as the “Gold Coast,” gained their independence on March 6th 1957 from the British. The nation was led to independence by the first president Kwame Nkrumah, who altered the country to a republic. Ghana continues to grow each day as a nation, Though Ghana is growing each day they face many economic and social problems, such as poverty, health issues, education, corruption, and economic challenges.