1.32 Africa: a.d. 1801 to 1900  (Page 4/7)

Sudanic states (immediately sub-saharan and western forest belt)

In the west there were the theocracies of Futa Toro and Futa Jellon, formed after fierce holy wars conducted by Al-hajj Umar. At the southwest corner of the great western bulge of Africa some 2,500 former United States slaves formed the country of Liberia in 1820, introducing American democratic institutions. (Ref. 217 ) In the Niger River bend the great empires of medieval times had given way to numerous states, chief of which were Segu, Ka'arta and Masina. Farther east the whole of Hausaland, including the Kingdom of Bornu about Lake Chad, was overrun and destroyed by the Fulani, under a Tukulor chief, Usman (or Uthman) dan Fodio, in a " jihad" or holy war. The Fulani, of mixed Negro and Berber origin, had a formidable army of horsemen and from Hausaland they struck east and southwest, forming a Muslim Empire of Sokoto under the Kanemi Dynasty. By 1850 this was the most extensive political structure in Africa, comprising 20 provinces in an area of 150,000 square miles between the Sahara and the forest belt. It was through this empire that Islam penetrated into the southern forest states. Between Lake Chad and the Nile were the sultanates of Wadai and Darf ut and on the Nile was the Funj Sultan ate of Sennar. All of these communities had extensive trade across the Sahara, bartering slaves, leather, kola nuts, etc., in exchange for weapons, horses and holy books. All of the Sudanic states except Segu and Ka'arta had Muslim rulers. (Ref. 211 , 8 , 175 , 68 )

Ashanti (modern Ghana), Dahomey, Oyo and Benin (modern Nigeria) all had active, relatively progressive kingdoms, as in the last century. Italian made coins in the form of milled, coral cylinders, perforated in the center and called "olivette" remained in common usage throughout the 19th century and even to the present day in Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The Africans carry them on a string on their belts. (Ref. 260 )

(Continue on page 1055) Continue to Sudanic States

Equatorial africa

This portion of Africa was still an unexplored area and the course of the Congo was unknown to Europeans. Slave trade to Cuba and Brazil flourished up until 1840, when it was officially banned. The people of the interior Congo basin were now chiefly of Negroid stock, speaking Bantu languages, having replaced most of the original pygmoid

East africa and the great lakes area

In this part of Africa there were a cluster of strong kingdoms - Bunyoroo, Buganda, Ankole, Karagwe, Rwanda and Burundi. To the east the hostile Masai terrorized central Kenya and Tanzania as they repeatedly raided for cattle. Arabs on the east coast grew rich from the sale of ivory from elephant tusks and in the slave trade, which they continued well past the half century mark. The eastern Bantu-speaking Negroes have lighter skin than others, perhaps from considerable intermarriage with people of Caucasoid stock. (Ref. 83 ) (Continue on page 1056)