Emily ONeal History 2301 Reflection paper 1 Dr.

Karen Stringer Reflection Paper 1 So far this semester I have learned a great deal about Africa and my interest in its history has sparked, which I had not expected as my focus as a history major is American history and I have always had a soft spot for learning about eastern Europe. I can now say Africa is another place that truly amazes me and fascinates me. As we are though week six, I have noticed several topics that stand out the most. The first being the change of power in the different regions in Africa, each kingdom so to speak had its influence and its time at the top then another dynasty would take over and have their influence as well. A second theme that is important when studying the history of Africa would be the influence of Christianity and Islam. Both religions in a sense, took turns being dominant and spreading their influences. Another fascinating perspective that was entirely new to me was the reaction of Africans to Europeans. More commonly we have the European take on an encounter and it is a breath of fresh air to gain a new perspective. The first kingdom that we discussed in our reading and videos was the lost kingdom of Nubia. There is little known for certain of the history of this ancient African kingdom, but in the film we were shown ancient drawings that showed cattle in the area. Arabic traders also described Nubia to be a green area with rivers. The decline of Nubia can be linked to the drying out of their environment and no longer having grazing land to sustain their cattle. Similarly to Nubia, the kingdom of Aksums decline can be linked to the weakening of the environment they depended on. The kingdom of Ghana is one we know most about mainly because it was so heavily involved in trade and when Arabic traders would visit, they would write about their encounters. Ghana was

known for their gold and the obvious wealth of their rulers. There was some conversion to Islam which helped improve trade with Muslim nomads in the Sahara. Over time there became a loss of centralized power and new trade opened near gold minds outside of the reach of Ghana. People began to migrate toward Bure goldfields also as a result of the land being worn out and no longer being able to support such a large population (Shrillington 93). After Ghana came the kingdom of Mali, which was better agriculturally located. Traditions in the region were based off of the spirits of the land, and although the leaders adopted Islam, they did not fully abandon these traditions. If they had, they could have lost loyalty of local farmers that they depended on. Mali went through a period of weak rulers which led to the rebellion of smaller chiefdoms who declared independence. The Ethiopian dynasties were primarily Christian who claimed to have direct ties to Jerusalem. During the Zagwe dynasty there was emphasis of churches and monasteries, while trading relationships improved. The Solomonid dynasty was different because its capitol was constantly being moved; therefore leaders had better control over districts but also left harsh damage to the environment. They claimed direct decadency to King Solomon and the Queen Sheba from the Old Testament. When trading shifted from the red sea to the Indian Ocean they began to lose control and centralized power was weakened. Similarly to the other ancient kingdoms, smaller chiefdoms (in this case primarily Islamic ones) began to rebel and resist the already weakened dynasty. In all the ancient kingdoms we have learned about thus far they all have three common factors that lead to their ultimate failure, those three being the shift in trade, deteriorating environment and a weakened centralized power. Islamic and Christian influences in Africa are another important theme we have seen so far. Starting with Christianity that developed first with Roman occupation, those oppressed people found Christianity appealing in North Africa. In Nubia you see Christian influences in architecture as stated previously. As discussed in our Northrup book, Ethiopia was one of the most successful

regions for Christianity. It was considered an isolated outpost for Christians by its people because they were surrounded by Muslims and pagans. Its Zagme rulers reopened links with the Ethiopian church and encouraged pilgrimages to Jerusalem. During the reign of Lalibela, monks built remarkable churches (Shrillington 115). The most notable military alliance between Africans and Europeans, such as the Ethiopians or that of the Congo, took the form of diplomatic pacts between royal brothers bound by a common Christian faith (Northrup 50). The Arab invasion that brought along Islam was more forceful than what we see of Christianity and started as an army of occupation in North Africa. They enforced a policy of paying a tax, converting, or die. Although Northern Africans abandoned Christianity they did not accept Islam quickly. Literacy came along with Islam as it was usually Arabic and taught through the Koran, mosques then became a place of learning. In the ancient culture we see how religion was linked to trading relationships, and later on Northrup discusses how politics and religion in the 15th and 16th centuries were directly linked. From and African perspective, Islam and Christianity needed to be Africanized in order to be accessible just as African beliefs had to become Christianized or Islamicized for the inevitable relations with Europeans to be successful. In discussing relations with Europeans I come to my last point of how the Africans viewed these new comers. More often we only have a European perspective of encounters with ancient civilizations during the times of exploration because it is the Europeans who documented it. When reading the first chapter of Northrups Africas discovery of Europe I was able to reflect upon this more. These were people as well with the same mental and emotional capacity as myself and it is truly mind boggling to imagine seeing a different race and culture when perhaps I only thought people looked like me. I particularly enjoyed the recollections of Cadamosto when he described encountering the people of South Africa, especially how they attempted to wipe away his whiteness like it was a dye. It also puts into perspective how huge Africa is when I learned that years after the first European contact with the coast, inland parts of Africa had still yet to have an

encounter. In comparing our world today to the possibility of clashing with another world, I imagine it would be scary and confusing. The clashing of worlds is the best way I can describe what these interactions would have felt like, that or culture shock times one thousand! Not only was skin color new but language, ships, weaponry, diet, and clothing, a hefty list of things to take in and spark curiosity in Africans. Overall these few weeks of class have introduced me to an entirely new Africa I had no idea existed. Such complexity in culture and a history that may not be as clear as that of Europe or South America but never the less is vital in understanding the current events of Africans today. It has been remarkable to see how even in modern time, Africans hold onto ancient traditions that are passed down through generations. I have also been able to make connections with African history to the history of the rest of the world and am starting to see how it has had a greater influence than most people realize. I look forward to expanding my understanding of Africa as we continue though this semester. Excellent job! 100