African Civilization In West Africa

Slave trading companies also conjured images of an undeveloped continent in which ethnic groups resided in mud huts among wild animals in jungles and grasslands.. On the contrary, African ethnic groups lived in civilized and developed communities no differently than people in which living conditions varied by an ethnic group’s location, their economic situation, and other factors. Most Africans that lived in sparse areas lived in unpretentious conditions compared to those that resided in cities and towns. Despite modest means, resident housing in Ghana and other West African villages were comprised of stone and other sturdy materials. There is also evidence of homes in these villages that contained glass windows. Olaudah Equiano, a slave

When Dutch traders arrived in Africa at the end of the 13th century, they highlighted development in Benin City (Nigeria) in West Africa:

By the 1500s, Timbuktu (Mali) was at least five times bigger than the city of London and, along with present day Ghana, was considered the wealthiest African nations. These African cities were well-planned and laid out on structured grids. Some cities contained intricate sewage systems and defined streets. Moreover, a ruler in a Nigerian town ordered the paving of streets. A Portuguese trader and interpreter, Duarte Barboosa, said of the east African city Kilwa:

Royal leaders in many African kingdoms lived in the lap of luxury and their opulent municipalities reflected their lifestyle. Winwood Reade, a British explorer noted on his visit to the Ashanti Royal Palace of Kumasi in 1874:

Boyrereau Brinch, an African slave that was kidnapped from his father that was a close companion of a king in or near Mali, described the King’s palace within the district:

Some designers even went to the extent of incorporating coded messages in their cloths. Ghanaians were known to produce silk and intricately woven Kente cotton cloth; mud cloths that were comprised of characteristic brown and beige patterns were common to Malians, including the Mandinkas commonly wore; and the Congolese, or Bantu people, were identified by their tufted Kuba cloths. Colors of cloths also had various cultural meanings for various ethnic groups. While some thing groups considered red as a sign of wealth, other groups view red as a sign of