Historical Development of African Societies

Africa can be traced back to the beginnings of humanity and cultural expression. Recent findings near Africa’s southern tip provide compelling evidence of humanity’s early creative impulses. 70,000-year-old ocher plates with etched designs reflect some of humanity’s first attempts at visual expression. Although further archaeological research is needed to learn more about Africa’s past civilizations, such discoveries provide tantalising opportunities for new insights into human and creative evolution.

By roughly 7000 B.C.E., rock paintings representing domesticated animals provided artistic proof of the existence of agricultural societies in both the Sahara and southern Africa. These farming groups moved out as the Sahara began to dry up around 3000 B.C.E. This resulted in the rise of art-producing civilizations along the Nile, the world’s longest river, in the north. By 3100 B.C.E., Egypt, one of the world’s earliest nation-states, had consolidated as a kingdom. One of the earliest Nubian kingdoms was located at Kerma in modern-day Sudan, and it dominated trade networks linking central Africa to Egypt for about a thousand years, beginning approximately 2500 B.C.E.

History of Africa

Africa’s history begins in East Africa with the appearance of hominids, archaic humans, and anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens) circa 300–250,000 years ago, and continues unbroken to the present as a patchwork of different and politically emerging nation states. Ancient Egypt was the birthplace of recorded history, followed by Nubia, the Sahel, the Maghreb, and the Horn of Africa.

Following the desertification of the Sahara, North African history became intertwined with that of the Middle East and Southern Europe, while Bantu expansion swept across much of the sub-Saharan continent in waves between 1000 BC and 1 AD, creating linguistic commonality across much of the central and southern continent.

Islam moved westward from Arabia to Egypt during the Middle Ages, reaching the Maghreb and the Sahel. Ajuran Empire, Bachwezi Empire, D’mt, Adal Sultanate, Alodia, Warsangali Sultanate, Buganda Kingdom, Kingdom of Nri, Nok culture, Mali Empire, Bono State, Songhai Empire, Benin Empire, Oyo Empire, Kingdom of Lunda (Punu-yaka), Ashanti Empire, Ghana Empire, Mossi Kingdoms, Mutapa Empire, Kingdom of Mapungubwe, Kingdom of Sine, Kingdom of Sennar are among  the notable pre-colonial states and societies of Africa.

Africa had up to 10,000 independent states and autonomous groups with diverse languages and customs at its peak, prior to European conquest.

Europeans began to participate in the slave trade in the late 15th century. This includes the triangle trade, in which the Portuguese obtained slaves first through trade and then by force as part of the Atlantic slave trade. Enslaved people from West, Central, and Southern Africa were transferred to other countries. Following that, during the Scramble for Africa (1881–1914), European colonisation of Africa grew fast from roughly 10% (1870) to over 90% (1914). Decolonization took place across the continent after the Second World War (1939–1945), resulting in the 1960 Year of Africa.

Africa Before 1500

The African continent is increasingly recognised as the cradle of civilization and the birthplace of humanity. We continue to be amazed by the enormous achievements of Kemet, or Ancient Egypt, one of the most prominent of the early African civilizations, which emerged about 5000 years ago in the Nile valley.

However, it appears that an even older kingdom known as Ta Seti existed in what is now Sudanese Nubia before the establishment of Kemet. This could have been the first state to exist anywhere on the planet. Africa is thus responsible for not just the numerous scientific advances connected with Egypt, such as engineering, mathematics, architecture, and medicine, but also for significant early political advancements like as state creation and monarchy. This indicates that economic, political, and scientific progress in Africa was likely more advanced than in other continents at this early period.

Until the fifteenth century of our era, the African continent went on its own path of growth, with little external involvement. Before 1500, Africa was home to some of the world’s greatest civilisations, including Kush, Axum, Mali, and Great Zimbabwe. Africans were involved in vast international commerce networks and trans-oceanic travel throughout this time period. Long before European intrusion, numerous African governments had established substantial economic relationships with India, China, and other Asian countries.

African Civilization

There are thousands of different cultures or ethnic groupings in Africa, while the exact number is unclear. They are distinguished by their shared culture, language, religion, and history. However, outsiders may not always be able to tell the difference between ethnic groups and communities (villages, cities, and farm areas) in some areas. Most Africans speak multiple languages, and repeated migrations and interactions with various peoples, including intermarriage, have blurred ethnic lines.

Although there are between 900 and 1,500 individual languages, many different governmental units speak the same or similar languages (as among the Yoruba, Hausa, and Swahili-speaking peoples). The formation of new “tribes” (such as the Zande [Azande] and Luo) that had not existed before the colonial era further complicated the issue in the twentieth century. For political purposes, ethnic (cultural) identities have been heightened, accentuated, or reduced in modern times.

People in Africa

People have moved within, into, and out of Africa throughout human history, particularly along its northern shores, over the Sinai Peninsula, along the Red Sea, and especially in the Horn of Africa and coastal areas as far south as Southern Africa. For thousands of years, North Africa has been the location of conquests and migrations of peoples from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Nile River delta. Trading cities emerged and perished along the east coast over the millennia, cities that had outside links with peoples from southern Arabia and as far east as India and Indonesia. Internal movements at the time led to native African communities’ variability and complexity.

Economic History of Africa

Africa has the longest and most ancient economic history of any continent. Economic activity began as soon as human communities were formed. Hunter-gatherers who lived in tiny family groupings were the earliest humans. Even back then, there was a significant amount of trade that could go large distances. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of Berber people trading in luxury things such as metals and shells across the continent. The Berber people lived in arid places and became nomadic herders, but in the savannah grasslands, cultivated crops and hence permanent settlement became conceivable. Huge towns were supported by agriculture, and large commerce networks grew between them.

Hunter-gatherers who lived in tiny family groupings were the earliest humans. Even back then, there was a significant amount of trade that could go large distances. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of luxury trade across the continent, including valuable metals and shells.

Conclusion

The African continent is made up of five ancient Precambrian cratons—Kaapvaal, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Congo, and West Africa—that formed between 3.6 and 2 billion years ago and have remained tectonically stable since then; the cratons are separated by younger fold belts that formed between 2 billion and 300 million years ago. All the rocks have been bent and metamorphosed extensively (that is, they have been modified in composition and structure by heat and pressure). Precambrian rock outcrops cover about 57 percent of the continent’s surface, with the rest being mostly undisturbed newer sediments and volcanic rocks.