Transformation of Africa

Transformation of Africa

From the fifteenth through the nineteenth centuries Africa experienced significant changes to socio-economic traditions, religion, political institutions, and agriculture. These were brought on mainly through the arrival of Muslim traders from the Middle East and Europeans like the Portuguese, Dutch, and British.

Socio-Economic Changes

In the 1400s the Catholic kingdoms of Spain and Portugal grew stronger and began expanding. By the end of the century the Jews and Moors (Muslims) had been driven out of Spain. North Africa consisted largely of Muslim states and these became targets of aggression as Spain and Portugal gained power on the Mediterranean Sea. This aggression brought major socio-economic changes to those north African societies. The expansive trade they had developed with the Middle East was disrupted. As a result, the north African societies turned to piracy for protection and economic support. Since they could not trade with the Middle East, they seized shipments from other states on the Mediterranean. Reliance on piracy had a detrimental effect on the local economies. Trade between towns and rural farmers was disrupted as there was no longer a need for the farmers' goods for trade. As a result the rural populations began to fall into poverty and move away. Reliance on piracy also hampered continued economic development in the northern societies...why work to establish businesses and shops when you can take everything you need from other people on the Mediterranean.

The most significant socio-economic change was in the realm of slavery. The institution of slavery was nothing new to Africa when Europeans began to arrive. Some scholars speculate that slavery has existed as long as African societies existed. African civilizations themselves practiced a form of slavery known as the "Jonya" System. There was no racial basis for this Africanized form of slavery. People who were captured in battle were typically made slaves (captives were called "Jons" hence the name). Comparatively speaking Jonya slavery was mild. Jons were permitted to continue their occupation (if they were a blacksmith before being captured, they could continue to be a blacksmith as a Jon). Some Jons were able to amass substantial wealth and political power despite their status as slaves.

The appearance of Muslim traders beginning in the eighth century brought changes in slavery. Muslims purchased slaves to display their wealth. These slaves were typically relegated to menial tasks mainly in domestic service.

As Europeans established trade relations in Africa beginning in the late 1400s the institution of slavery again underwent a change. European slavery was the harsh institution as practiced in the southern United States. To Europeans slaves were property to be bought and sold at will. As property, slaves had no rights whatsoever. The condition of slavery was perpetual: a person who was a slave would always be one, as would their children and their children's children. Whereas Islamic slavery was a sign of wealth, European slavery was meant to be a source of wealth. With development of colonies in the Americas and the dramatically increased demand for laborers there, the trans-Atlantic slave trade thrived until the early 1800s. The Portuguese originally dominated this trade, only to be replaced by the Dutch and later the English. Spain never became directly involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade because a Papal Bull dividing the world between Spain and Portugal gave Africa to Portugal.

The growing slave trade, in which Africans willingly assisted, had a multifaceted impact on Africa. Throughout the period of the slave trade between nine and twelve-million people were taken out of Africa as slaves (more disturbing than this is the fact that only about fifty percent of this group ever became productive workers in the Americas). This severely depleted the African population of the Sudan region which is where most of these individuals were taken from. Overall, the healthiest individuals were taken as slaves and more men were taken than women. This meant that Africa lost a sizeable portion of its most promising and capable people. Polygamy became more widespread as women came to outnumber men. In this climate, it became acceptable for husbands to sell their wives and children into slavery if he were displeased with them. Yet another damaging effect the slave trade had was that it turned Africans from productive labor that would have led to continued advancement of their societies to capturing as many people as they could to trade to the Europeans, promoting warfare amongst different African societies and tribes.

Religion in Africa was another socio-economic factor that was altered by the appearance of Muslims and Christians. Middle Eastern Muslims went about the business of converting others to their religion in an ingenious, and superior to the Christian's way. Traders would enter an area and begin trading with the local peoples. While they were selling their products, they were also preaching the glories of Islam. Frequently these traders would marry into local tribes and through time convert their wives and in-laws. Children from these unions would be raised as Muslims and in time the entire area would be converted. Christians (mainly the Portuguese and Spanish) went about the business of conversion all wrong (this is an understatement!!!). Both Islam and Christianity preached brotherhood of man but Africans realized the Christians failed to practice what they were preaching (how do you reconcile European slavery with Christian brotherhood of man???)

Ethiopia was one of the few areas that adopted Catholicism in Africa. The Ethiopians practiced an Africanized form of Catholicism which integrated some traditional practices and beliefs. Ethiopia was surrounded by Islamic states, one of which, Adal invaded in 1526. The Ethiopian king was forced into exile in the mountains and Christians were forced to convert. To save his kingdom, the Ethiopian king requested assistance from the Portuguese. Portuguese soldiers drove the Muslims out of Ethiopia but brought with them missionaries of the Catholic Church who sought to enforce traditional Catholic beliefs. By 1632 the zealousness of the missionaries resulted in their expulsion by Ethiopians who preferred their form of Christianity.

Politics: A Sampling of the Centralized States of Early Modern Africa

In many ways Africa was far more advanced than Europe or China during this period. Several powerful centralized states existed on the African continent that were superior to their counterparts in Europe in several ways.

Sometime in the 600s the kingdom of Mali was established in the Western Sudan. Mali was one of the first powerful African kingdoms. An illustration of the wealth of Mali can be found in the pilgrimage of Gonga-Musa (also known as Mansa-Musa), the Mali King who ruled from 1307 to 1332. Gonga-Musa had converted to Islam. One of the goals of Muslims is to, at some time during their life, make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Gonga-Musa's pilgrimage was one designed to show off the power and splendor of Mali, a feet which was certainly accomplished. Included in Gonga-Musa's procession were thousands of people. Five-hundred servants, each carrying a staff of gold marched with him. He brought eighty camels carrying over 24,000 pounds in gold.