History of West Africa
West Africa has been known for its abundance of riches and people since the birth of the first civilizations. It has only now come to our attention the use of how their wealth and people can become of use to us. In the mid-fifteenth century, Europeans found their way into Africa and began making trade post along the Atlantic coast. Prince Henry, the Navigator, was the first to go to Africa. At the time, the point wasn't money, it was a direct trade route to the Indies. Years after Europeans made civilizations in Africa, the negative impact they had was obvious. They had begun to raid on Africans to have slaves to sell on the Mediterranean. Before long, the Portuguese controlled the sugar and gold trade of Africa.
|
Culture of West Africa
During the Kingdom of Ghana, the Almoravid decided to go to the south. While it was going south it encountered Ghana, and they forced Ghana to convert into Islam. This brought the demise of the Kingdom of Ghana because of war and it decreased the authority of the king. During the Kingdom of Mali, it was becoming more Islamic because of the pilgrimage of Mansa Musa to Mecca. Mansa Musa is the most known king because he pilgrimage with thousand of people and camels holding gold. This is important because it shows how West Africa was becoming more Islamic from the Almoravids. Another factor would be the religious centers that were created during the Mali Kingdom. Some of the religious centers would be Timbuktu, Djenne, and Gao. Some people kept their own religion, but overall the region was becoming more Islamic. West Africa is very diverse with culture and religion there. The most common is Islam, but there are others. There are some that follow Christianity because of the Europeans trying to spread Christianity and part of the Exploration.
|