Nepali Wanderer

Africa is the land where the human journey began. Whether considering our genus Homo or our species Sapiens, it is in Africa where our story starts. Yet, when it comes to the pages of history books, Africa often receives only a brief mention compared to the nearby continents of Europe and Asia.

For example, in Nepal, we primarily study Nepalese history (understandably), and then a bit about European history, but nothing about Africa. This is likely the case in many parts of the world.

This omission can create a distorted view for those outside Africa, suggesting that Africa has little historical significance. It’s essential to approach history with a deeper understanding, especially of regions less featured in our history books. Just because a place lacks a detailed written history (often written by people from other regions) does not mean it lacks an impactful history of its own.

Africa is not only the continent where our human story began but also the home of significant human civilizations. Despite my own long-standing ignorance and still limited knowledge of African history, I will attempt to summarize what I know.

Geography plays a crucial role in shaping a region’s history and development. Factors like the availability of natural resources, climate, and flora and fauna often determine where people live, where civilizations and cities develop, and how these civilizations interact.
In terms of geography influencing history, Africa is perhaps the most affected by its land structure and placement. Thus, it makes sense to explore Africa’s history through its geographical landmarks: the Sahara Desert, the largest dry desert on earth, and the Nile River, the longest river on earth.

The Sahara Desert, which literally means “desert” in Arabic, spans 15 modern-day African countries and would be the fifth-largest country in the world if it were a nation. The Sahara has long shaped Africa’s history, separating Northern Africa from the rest of the continent.

Northern Africa, with its Mediterranean coastline, had significant contact with influential Mediterranean civilizations like the Greek and Roman Empires. One of the world’s oldest and greatest civilizations, the Egyptian civilization, flourished along the Nile River in Northern Africa.

Beyond the frequently highlighted Egyptian civilization and Northern African kingdoms, Africa had other important civilizations across its vast landscape. The D’mt and Axum civilizations in Eastern Africa (modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea), the Ghana and Mali empires in Western Africa, the Kingdom of Kongo in Central Africa, and the Kingdom of Zimbabwe in Southern Africa are some notable examples.

Trade routes across the Sahara unified different regions of Africa, facilitating economic activities and the transport of goods such as gold, salt, and ivory. These routes, traversed by long camel caravans, connected Northern, Eastern, and Western Africa, spreading ideas, culture, and religion.

Following the rise of Islam, Islamic empires spread rapidly across Northern Africa (and even into Spain). Northern Africa’s proximity to the Mediterranean allowed Islamic influence to extend into western and eastern regions. The eastern coast, close to the Arabian Peninsula, developed a culture influenced by both Swahili and Arabic cultures. While Northern Africa interacted more with European Mediterranean regions, Eastern Africa had a long trading history with Indian Ocean regions like India and the Indies.

But it is the Western Africa, with its rich gold mines, where our story collides. Although Eurasian people knew little about Africa beyond the Sahara, they knew about its abundant gold. This wealth led to the rise of powerful empires in Western Africa.

The Ghana Empire, which emerged around 750 AD, was the first significant empire. However, it was the Mali Empire, under the famous emperor Mansa Musa — considered by some historians as the richest person in history — that truly flourished. Mansa Musa’s empire controlled half of the world’s gold at the time.

Islam also influenced Western Africa. Islamic law facilitated trade by lowering crime rates and providing a common language (Arabic) and a sense of brotherhood among traders. The Mali Empire and its rulers, like Mansa Musa, embraced Islam. Timbuktu, the capital of the Mali Empire, became a cultural center of Islam, renowned for its vast libraries and Islamic universities, attracting scholars and artists from across Africa and the Middle East.

Mansa Musa’s fame and Western Africa’s riches reached far beyond the Sahara and Mediterranean. As a testament to this, the Catalan Atlas, a widely used European map from the late fourteenth century, depicted Mansa Musa in Western Africa holding a huge nugget of gold.

Stories of vast gold reserves beyond the Sahara piqued European interest in Africa, spurring trade and exploration. This exploration would ultimately lead to the “discovery” of new lands and the beginning of the Age of Exploration, with Africa’s riches playing a crucial role.

Next, we will discuss the Age of Exploration and its consequences.