Between the 9th and 11th centuries, the kingdom of Ghana, established by the Soninke people in the 4th century, prospered in Northwest Africa. The kingdom became very rich because its location was in the middle of the trading routes of northwest Africa and it had many resources. Ghana traded salt for gold with its Northern neighbor. Also Ghana taxed every trader who went through Ghana to fund their army. The kings of Ghana ruled from their capital of Kumbi Saleh. The country had a rich cultural tradition that was reflected in religion. The kingdom of Ghana fell because of droughts, attacks, and lack of gold.
With regards to the given question it would be a fair evaluation to agree that the rise and fall of trade in ancient Ghana was largely attributed to a number of factors. Despite its name, the old Empire of Ghana is not geographically, racially, or in any other way, related to modern Ghana. It lies about four hundred miles North West of modern Ghana. Ancient Ghana encompassed what is now modern Northern Senegal and Southern Mauritania. As mentioned above there are a number of aspects or better put factors which contributed to the rise and fall in ancient Ghana therefore a critical analysis will given as to how these events / factors led to the downfall of Ghana. An overview will thus be given on what trade encompassed and how it in turn led to the rise of Ghana and how it eventually led to the downfall of the country.
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...
"Ghana." Economy: Population, GDP, Inflation, Business, Trade, FDI, Corruption. Index of Economic Freedom, n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2014. .
Ghana was the first of the three great trading empires to emerge in West Africa. It was founded as early as A.D. 750 by a group of people called the Soninke, although some scholars think that it was founded as many as five hundred years earlier. By the year 800, Ghana had become an important trading power (Koslow 25). Ghana had the gold that the many traders from North Africa and Egypt were attracted to. Because Ghana had so much gold, it had to cautiously regulate the flow of gold across its borders to make sure that gold would not become so widely obtainable that the price value would decrease. However, although Ghana had ample gold, Ghana did not have the salt that was vital for survival. Because of this, it was suitable for Ghana to become a part of the gold-salt trade.
Ghana begin to rise after 300 AD when the Soninke (some of the earliest people in West Africa) started to band together for protection. The people of Ghana gradually grew in strength, learning how to work with iron, and how to use iron tools for farming. Because Ghana’s farmers and herders were able to yield a sufficient amount of food, their population increased. Ghana’s location was also in a good position for the people to trade which played a major role in their rise to power. The people of Ghana were able to trade the region’s two main resources: gold and salt. They would sometimes follow a specific process called silent barter, which made sure that trade was done peacefully and kept the position of the gold mines a secret. As trade in
Having the opportunity to do a research assignment in Ghana would be one of the biggest opportunities I could ever hope for. In order to prepare for my research I will have some very important questions ready to ask my informant. I will also consider some of the ethical issues that I might run into during my research but hopefully be prepared for anything that may arise. Finally I would consider which theoretical framework approach I will take during my research.
They lived in an area called Kumbi, or Kumbi Saleh, which is near the modern day southeastern Mauritania and Mali, close to the Sahara desert; The Senegal and Niger rives were their main sources of water. Since Ghana was in the middle of the Western part of Africa, it made it an excellent spot to control trade (Gold was plentiful in the south, and salt was plentiful to the north) Helped manage trade between north Africans and the Wanagrans. Their land was comprised of two rivers, Senegal and Niger, and their surrounding area was either a Savannah, rain forests, or Sahel, which is a piece of land that acts as a transition zone between the Sahara Desert and the Sudanian Savanna
Kwame Anthony Appiah was born in London on May 8, 1954 under the name Kwame Anthony Akroma-Ampim Kusi Appiah. Although, most of his childhood was predominantly spent in Ghana, his education was in England. He studied at various institutions such as Bryanston School where attended private classes with other upper class children. He had his “post-primary education during his stay with his grandmother” (Kwame), which established his love for learning and built his sense of community. His grandmother, Isobel Cripps, was formerly appointed the Dame Grand Cross for her role in her community and her support in public services. Including his grandmother, he had many examples of success in his childhood. His father, Joseph Emmanuel Appiah was considered a part of the elite class in Ghana, especially in the Ashanti tribe, because of his family’s role in leadership and guidance. Throughout his father’s life, his father obtained many honorable titles. Some of
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma wasborn on April 12, 1942. He is today the President of South Africa – elected by the majority ANC in Parliament after 2009 general election. He is also the President of the African National Congress, which is the governing political party. He served as Deputy President to Thabo Mbeki from 1999-2005. He is also recognized by his initials, JZ, and clan name Msholozi. He became President of ANC on 18 December 2007 when he defeated incumbent Thabo Mbeki. Zuma was a member of South African Communist party and even served on Politburo – the executive decision-making body, in the 1960s. He was charged with rape in 2005 and acquitted. He fought several legal battles for racketeering and corruption charges by the NPA (National Prosecuting Authority). Zuma was born in Nkandla, Zululand, now part of KwaZulu-Natal. He was orphaned at a young age. His father was a policeman, and his mother a domestic worker. Zuma received no formal schooling as a young boy. He spent most of his childhood idly, moving through suburbs in and around Zululand. His childhood was deprived, since he grew up in poverty. He engaged in politics early – joining the ANC in 1959. When the ANC was banned in 1961, he joined the armed wing of the ANC, ‘Umkhonto we Sizwe’, or MK in 1962 - translated into the ‘Spear of the Nation’. He fought against Apartheid with other notable ANC leaders including Nelson Mandela, using guerilla warfare and terrorism. They attacked government installations, which led to the group being classified as terrorist organization by South African and American governments – and subsequently, banned. Mandela and ANC leadership were all members of the military wing [MK]. MK suspended operations in 1990, in preparation for the ...