Africa- Shaped by its History

Section 1- African beginnings

Key Terms Domesticate- to adapt wild plants and animals and breed them for human use Civilization- a society that has cities, a central government, and social classes and usually has writing, art, and architecture Migrate- to move from one place to settle in another Ethnic group- a group of people who share the same ancestors, culture, language, or religion.

Survivaldid early skills y What skills

humans need to survive? y Food y Water y Shelter
y Hunting & Gathering y early humans were hunters and gathers y They would hunt for wild game y They would gather berries and other eatable herbs & plants

y Farming in Africa probably began in North Africa y Domesticating plants and animals allowed y People to have better control in their food supply y People to settle in one place y people to store surplus items

Civilizations on the Nile

Egyptian Civilization
The Nile used to flood each

Nubian Civilization
y Nubia

summer leaving fertile silt deposits Egyptians began farming along the Nile about 5000 B.C. Ancient Egypt was ruled by Pharaohs and Queens Hieroglyphs- picture writing symbols

Bantu Migrations
y One of the largest migrations that has ever taken place y Migrate-to move from one place to settle in another y Bantu migrations mainly spread across Central and

South Africa y As Bantu speaking Africans spread across the region their language also spread

Section 2- Kingdoms, City-States, & Empires

y Key Terms y Swahili- Bantu language spoken in much of East Africa; a mixture of Arab and African languages; also an ethnic group y City-states- a city that is also an independent state, with its own traditions, government, and laws y Pilgrimage- a religious journey

East African Trading Civilizations

y East African civilizations used trade with y East Asia y Arabia y India y The Red Sea & the Indian Ocean helped with trade

routes

Aksum Kingdom
Aksum- African kingdom located in what is now

Ethiopia and Eritrea African & Arab traders began to settle along the Red Sea and over time Aksum controlled the Red Sea area Ideas and goods were shared along these trade routes
People became Christians Early Ethiopian Christian Church started here

Cities of Trade
y Used seasonal winds to plan trading y Brought Muslim religion of Islam to Africa y African traders took, ivory, gold, other metals & animal skins y Traders brought back cotton, silk, and porcelain y Swahili language- combined African & Arab languages y Most widely spoken Bantu language

City-States
y Bantu Kingdom s city-states began along these trading

cities y City-states usually control much of the surrounding land y Malindi, Mombasa, Great Zimbabwe, & Kilwa were powerful East African city-states

North African Trade

y The Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Coastline

are the boundries y Carthage (Tunisia) became rich with the trade of textiles, metals, slaves and food products
y May have been the wealthiest city in the world at that

time y Carthage fell to the Roman Empire in 146 B.C.

More North Africa

y Romans ruled North Africa until its collapse in 476

A.D. Bringing Christianity into the region y Arabs took control of Egypt in 600 A.D. and continued west, spreading Islam

West African Kingdoms

y West Africa Kingdoms y Ghana y Mali y Songhai y West needed salt in hot y North Africa y Plenty of salt in the Sahara y No other resources to trade

climates y Had plenty of gold

Mansa Musa
y King of Mali in about 1312 y Mansa means emperor y Mansa Musa traveled to the holy city of Mecca y Pilgrimage- (religious journey) Musa took about

60,000 Muslims and 80 camels with 300 pounds of gold on each one. He set up new routes for trade

Section 3- European Conquest of Africa

y Key terms y Cape of Good Hope- the point of land at the southern tip of Africa y Plantation- a large farm where cash crops are grown y Colonize- to settle an area and take control of its government

European Trade
y Europeans traded for gold from the empires of Mali

and Ghana. y Why do you think the first contacts with Africans took place in North Africa?

European/African Trade
Europeans Traded
y Copper y Brass y Clothing y Corn y Cassava y yams

Africans Traded
Gold Cotton Ivory Animal skins Metals Pepper Okra Watermelon Rice from Asia

Portuguese Traders
y The Portuguese traders sailed south around the Cape

of Good Hope and then north along the eastern coast of Africa y They liked what they saw and came back later with three ships to seize the riches y The Portuguese ruled for over 100 years y The English, French, & The Dutch all followed the Portuguese and set up settlements

The Atlantic Slave trade

y Slavery was a common part of African society long

before the Europeans came to their continent y The Europeans had established colonies in the Americas and in the Caribbean. y Slaves in Africa could usually win their freedom after working for a few years y Europeans rarely released their slaves

Competition between Europeans

y The race to colonize Africa led to the 1884 conference

in Berlin, Germany y They set rules for which countries could claim African land

Critical Thinking
y Are there things that should not be sold? y Did anything good come of the European slave trade? y How did the slave trade affect Africa today?

Writing Activity
y Write two brief editorials about the 1884 European

conference;
y One from the point of view of an African leader

reporting back to his people y One from the point of view of an European leader reporting back to his people

Section 4- Independence and its Challenges

y Key Terms y Nationalism- a feeling of pride in one s homeland y Pan-Africanism- the belief that all Africans should work together for their rights and freedoms y boycott- a refusal to buy or use certain products or services y Democracy- a government over which citizens exercise poower

Growth of Nationalism
y Most European rulers did not view Africans as equals y The new African nations needed to build pride in

being African
y Many ethnic groups were old rivals y A spirit of unity had to be built

y Early Political Parties y 1912- South African Native National Congress {today called the African National Congress ANC} y 1920- National Congress of British West Africa y Both parties fought for the equal rights of Africans

Africa and WWII

y WWII inspired many people in Africa to want their

own independence y Great Britain, France, & the U.S., formed a group called the Allies. y Allies fought against Germany, Italy, & Japan y German and Italian forces invaded North Africa, which was under British or French rule. Italian forces also invaded Ethiopia

Support from Africa

y Liberia and Belgian Congo supplies the allies with

rubber and other needed resources y Allied planes were allowed to use African airfields to move supplies into Asia y Many thousands of Africans fought and died in WWII
y About 170,000 West Africans & 280,000 East and

Southern Africans fought for the British Army

y After the war they only wanted the freedom that others

shared

Map exercise- page 60

y The map indicates each country s year of

independence
y Which country was the first to win its independence?
y

South Africa 1910 Ethiopia & Liberia

y Which countries were never colonized?

y

y according to the legend, after what year did most

countries gain their independence?

y

1959 Eritrea 1993

y What was the last country to win its independence?

y

Other effects of WWII on Independence

y European allies were financially weakened by the war y People began to speak out against colonialism y (the practice of settling in an area and taking over its government) y European countries began to give up African colonies y Some were peaceful turnovers (Ghana from Britain) y Some were violent (Algeria from France)

Fight for Independence

y Kwame Nkrumah organized protest against British

rule in the early 1950 s. He was arrested several times for holding peaceful strikes and boycotts. However, the boycotts continued and the country of Ghana was born. Nkrumah became its first president. y Algerians and the French people disagreed about whether or not independence was necessary.
y The fought for 8 bloody years
y y

10,000 French 100,000 Alegerians

y Algeria won its independence in 1962

Challenges
y Most African countries had been under European rule

for a very long time, therefore they had no real understanding of how to run a government.
y New leaders were not prepared to govern y Governments were very unstable y Some military leaders took control by force

Section 5-Africa today

y Key terms y Commercial farming- a large-scale production of crops for sale y Hybrid- a plant that is created by breeding different types of the same plant. y Literate- able to read and write y Life expectancy- the average length of time a person is expected to live.

Economic Issues
y Africa has very limited manufactured goods. y Farming is the most important economic activity in

Africa. y About 60% of African workers are farmers. y Subsistence and commercial farming are the two types of farming practiced in Africa y Cash crops grown in Africa
y Coffee y Cacao y Bananas

Mining Exports
y Many African nations have rich mineral resources; y Nigeria- oil & coal y Democratic Republic of the Congo- copper y Zambia- copper y South Africa- gold & diamonds y Because South Africa produces about half of all the

gold mined in the world why then are African nations so poor?

Economic Challenges
y A specialized economy is one in which the country

depends on exporting one or two products.

y Gambia- peanuts y Zambia- copper

y African nations are especially sensitive to the rise and

fall of the world prices.

y A sudden drop in prices may hurt the economy

depending on the sale of one crop or mineral. y African nations are now trying to diversify their economies. (add variety)

Farming Improvements
y Development of hybrid plants y African rice & Asian rice are being combined to create

more rice for West Africa

Social Issues
y Education y Education is very important to many Africans, but some children are expected to work y Many schools are overcrowded and there is standing room only. y There is a vast different from country to country as to the literacy rate. There have been great improvements in literacy in many African countries. y Health y Life expectancy is the average length of time a person can expect to live. y The life expectancy varies from country to country.
y y

Morocco= 67-72 yrs Southern Africa=less than 50 yrs Botswana= 32 yrs

Childhood diseases are the main reason for early death

y

HIV

AIDS

Malaria

The Environment
y Soil problems y Wind and rain without cover to prevent soil erosion y Without enough farmland, many Africans face starvation y Scientific solutions y Irrigation improvements y Hybrids y Plants that hold water in the ground y Planting yams and trees that hold the soil in place in Nigeria