Africa: Then and Now
Introduction
No matter what we look like today, we were all directed from ancestry who evolved on the Africa continent. When asked about Africa history, people often associate this collection of many nations with poverty and isolation. However, prior to the 1500s, Africa’s development was ahead of the world in many areas. These aspects included its geographic location and contact with the Islamic world, the wealth of many empires across the continent, and the development of educational centers that drew scholars across the world. the consolidation of Muslim trading networks, connected by lineage, trade, and Sufi brotherhoods, had reached a peak in West Africa, enabling Muslims to wield tremendous political influence and power. The Islamic world also had a lasting influence on the religion in Africa and right now, about 27% of the entire population in Africa are Muslim.(1) Africa’s history abounds with stories that reflect a unique complexity of many kingdoms and societies. In fact, Africa remained the home to most civilizations. Africa’s global connections, technical brilliance, and groundbreaking academic institutions shaped Africa into the complex collection of nations it is today.(2)Though there are few written records prior to the 1500s, Africa’s many nations prospered and created a continent that connected to global society and used its wealth to inspire millions of aspiring scholars.
The Geographic Advantage that Opened Doors to the Islamic World
The Swahili Coast, an 1,800-mile stretch of Kenyan and Tanzanian coastline, has been the site of cultural and commercial exchanges between East Africa and the outside world - particularly the Middle East, Asia, and Europe - since at least the 2nd century A.D.(3) Because of its geographic influence, the Swahili coast linked East Africa with the markets of the world. People in the Swahili coast carefully planned voyages to take advantage of the weather to travel back and forth between the Swahili coast and India. The ships brought merchandise like pottery, textiles, and glassware, and “… a wide range of ideas and beliefs.”(4) Africa’s heavy involvement in the far-reaching networks across India reveals strong connectivity and influence from countries located near the Swahili Coast. For example, in “… the 1400s, one of the cities in the Swahili coast sent a giraffe as a gift to the Chinese emperor to show friendliness.”(5) Trading between Swahili and countries in Asia enhanced their relationships and further facilitated the Swahili’s contribution in the eastern trade. More importantly, the primary religion among the Swahili, Islam, came to be from trading routes and Swahili coast’s geographic advantage. Islam came to the Swahili coast with Arab traders in the 7th century CE, and the form of Islam most practiced along the Swahili Coast was Sunni (the largest denomination of Islam). As historian P. Curtin puts it: "The Muslim religion ultimately became one of the central elements of Swahili identity. To be a Swahili, in later centuries, meant to be a Muslim."(6) There have been times when the terms' Swahili ' and' Muslim ' have been synonymous in East Africa. The persistence of Islam into the current century means that contacts with the Arab world were maintained and the religious associations of Islam and Muslim continue to protect the Arab world’s prestige among the Swahili.
Immense Wealth Hidden in Africa
The influence of Islam did not stop at east Africa. Isla, spread across Africa, transmitted by the wealth of the Mali Empire. Six hundred ago, Mali empire was one of the most powerful empires under the influence of Mansa Musa and the Islam world. as a trade hub between the interior and southern coast of West Africa, as well as in North of Africa across the Sahara desert’s caravan routes, Mali gained immense wealth. Mali traded salt as a major commodity from the north and from the south, gold and ivory. (7) The indigenous rulers of Mali adopted Islam from their contact with Arab merchants and in turn, the Mali Empire played a significant role in the spread of Islam across Africa. In the year 1324, the ruler of Mali empire, Mansa Musa, led a historic pilgrimage to Mecca and introduced Mali to the rest of the Muslim world. The pilgrimage was filled with wealth and power, as Mansa Musa brought an entourage of over a thousand and one hundred camel loads of gold. (8) Musa spent lavishly in Egypt and gave away so many gold gifts that the value of gold in Cairo fell. Nevertheless, Mansa Musa achieved his goal of engaging with other Muslim scholars like Ibn Battura, a Berber geographer from Tangier. This pilgrimage transformed the understanding of Muslim Africa. As Mansa Musa was travelling across Cairo, he was asked to meet the Mamluk Sultanate, the nominal caliphate at that time in Egypt. The custom of greeting the caliphate at that time was that when one entered the meeting chamber, one must make two prostrations in the direction of the Mamluk. However, Mansa Musa refused to prostrate to the Mamluk Sultanate because he believed that God is the only person he shall prostrate to.(9) With the wealth and influence brought by Mansa Musa, Islam quickly spread across Africa and was adorned with the labels of power and wealth. In a map produced in 1375, the king of Mali is positioned on a throne in the center of west Africa. Before the Mali Empire, however, another force controlled the gold trade and was influenced by Islam: Ancient Ghana. The Muslim world had come in contact with Ghana mainly because its position as a “powerful state in the brotherlands between the desert and the savannah and gold-bearing islands by the people in Ghana.”(10) As a result, Ancient Ghana also served as a southern terminal in the Trans-Saharan trade, a port of entry for the South and a collecting and distributing point for the merchants and the trade. The kingdom of Ghana adjoined a gold mine which served as a base for the trade in gold with the natives of the upper Senegal and upper Niger. Ultimately, Africa’s extensive wealth and its access to the Muslim world enabled it to achieve greatness. (11)
The map attributed to Abraham Cresques. Sheet 6 out of 12. This is the lower portion of the sheet and shows the Western Sahara. The Atlas Mountains are at the top and the River Niger at the bottom. Mansa Musa is shown sitting on a throne and holding a gold coin to represent power and wealth. (15)
Education Harbinger
The diversified culture of Africa was not reflected solely in its wealth, in fact the products of Africa demonstrated a global hub for knowledge. Fez, Morocco was among the greatest centers for education throughout the medieval world. In 1359, the al-Qarawiyyin, one of the oldest education centers, was endowed with a library worth 5,600 Arabic manuscripts including historic copies of the Qu’ran.(12) University of al-Qarawiyyin is the oldest university in the world, and since its establishment, it has become, asthe University of Al-Karaouine, a key spiritual and educational center in the Muslim world. The university produced countless Muslim scholars, includingIbn Rushayd al-Sabti, Abu Imran al-Fasi (d. 1015), a leading theorist of the Maliki school of Islamic jurisprudence, and Leo Africanus, a renowned traveler and writer. (13) Founded by a Muslim woman over two centuries before its more widely known predecessors, Al-Karaouine initially only offered courses on religious instructions and Quran memorization, but later expanded into Arabic grammar, music, Sufism, medicine, and astronomy. Students come from different parts of Morocco and Islamic West Africa, and even Muslim Central Asia. Through its wide Muslim influence, Spanish Muslim converts frequently attended the institution, and as a result, Islamic scholarship in Morocco is an heir to a rich religious and scholarly heritage of Muslim al-Andalus. University of Al-Karaouine provided a great platform for Muslim scholars “…To acquire knowledge is an obligation on every Muslim, male or female”(14) Just as one of its hadiths stated. More importantly, women participated along with men in Islam’s custom of philanthropy, faith, and education. The interior of the university is also connected with Islamic world, with a prayer hall, it provided a space for Islamic scholars to compose and lead prayers or deliver sermons. As a result, University of Al-Karaouine, along with Fez, became a pioneer in the education world and was well ahead of some of the oldest institutions in Europe.
The University of al-Qarawiyyin or al-Karaouine is a university located in Fes, Morocco. The al-Qarawiyy, a religious school / college was founded by Fatima al-Fihri in 859 and subsequently became one of the leading spiritual and educational centers of the historic Muslim world.
It was incorporated into Morocco’s modern state university system in 1963. (16)
End Remarks
Africa’s connection with the Islam world made it an intriguing place to discover by the rest of the world, and the wealth of Ancient Ghana and Mali allowed unprecedented access for the Muslim to the rich African culture. Further, the establishment of the first university brought great knowledge to Muslim scholars. However, all of this is only a small portion of the greatness of Africa, much of which remains to be discovered and understood by the public. Africa has left its heritage in the world waiting for people to discover it.
Footnote
1) Harries, Lyndon. "The Arabs and Swahili Culture." Africa: Journal of the
International African Institute 34, no. 3 (1964): 224-29. https://doi.org/
10.2307/1158023.
2) "Africa's Great Civilizations ep.1." Video, 52:00. dailymotion. Accessed October 8, 2020. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ujhce.
3) Perceptions of African Identity. http://www.pbs.org/wonders/Episodes/Epi2/
swahi_2.htm#:~:text=The%20Swahili%20Coast%2C%20an%201%2C800,least%20the%202nd%20century%20A.D.
4) "Africa's Great Civilizations ep.3." Video, 52:00. dailymotion. Accessed October 8, 2020. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ujhce.
5) "AFRICA Episode 3 Caravans of Gold." Video file, 53:56. Accessed December 4, 2018. http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2734&v=rSoZ07LXnKo.
6) Cartwright, Mark. Editorial. Swahili Coast, April 1, 2019. https://www.ancient.eu/Swahili_Coast/#:~:text=As%20the%20historian%20P.,Swahili%20Muslims%20and%20those%20elsewhere.
7) AFRICA Episode 3 Caravans of Gold." Video file, 53:56. Accessed December 4, 2018. http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2734&v=rSoZ07LXnKo.
8) Shillington, Kevin. History of Africa. 3rd ed. London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.
9) Cambridge Muslim College. “The Fifth Pillar: Hajj Stories: Mansa Musa – Bilal Ware.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_hZ4cZIIpw&ab_channel=CambridgeMuslimCollege
10) Shillington, Kevin. History of Africa. 3rd ed. London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.
11) "Lost Kingdoms of Africa 4 of 4 West Africa." Video file, 48:33. Accessed December 5, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2723&v=QW_kaUuUg8Y.
12) "Africa's Great Civilizations ep.3." Video, 52:00. dailymotion. Accessed October 8, 2020. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ujhce.
13) Hendrickson, Jocelyn (2008). "A Guide to Arabic Manuscript Libraries in Morocco, with Notes on Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, and Spain".
14) "Africa's Great Civilizations ep.3." Video, 52:00. dailymotion. Accessed October 8, 2020. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ujhce.
15) Mansa Musa https://www.trtworld.com/africa/not-jeff-bezos-or-bill-gates-mali-s-mansa-musa-was-the-richest-man-ever-31658
16) University of Al-Karaouine https://www.fez-guide.com/Listing/the-karaouine-mosque/
Bibliography
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"Africa's Great Civilizations ep.4." Video, 53:16. dailymotion. Accessed October 8, 2020. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ujhcf.
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Harries, Lyndon. "The Arabs and Swahili Culture." Africa: Journal of the International African Institute 34, no. 3 (1964): 224-29. https://doi.org/10.2307/1158023.
Hendrickson, Jocelyn (2008). "A Guide to Arabic Manuscript Libraries in Morocco, with Notes on Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, and Spain".
"Lost Kingdoms of Africa 4 of 4 West Africa." Video file, 48:33. Accessed December 5, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2723&v=QW_kaUuUg8Y.
Not Jeff Bezos, or Bill Gates: Mali's Mansa Musa was the richest man ever,
November 25, 2019. https://www.trtworld.com/africa/
not-jeff-bezos-or-bill-gates-mali-s-mansa-musa-was-the-richest-man-ever-31658.
Perceptions of African Identity. http://www.pbs.org/wonders/Episodes/Epi2/swahi_2.htm#:~:text=The%20Swahili%20Coast%2C%20an%201%2C800,least%20the%202nd%20century%20A.D.
Shillington, Kevin. History of Africa. 3rd ed. London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.