The Bantus had two major empires that were actually autonomous kingdoms paying allegiance to a superior kingdom. Mali in west africa and Kongo that traversed East Central and South Africa. Cushites had Ethiopia and Egypt but they were in a continuous game of musical chairs with the Nilotes until the cushites established an alliance with the Bantus of west africa thus confining the Nilotes to the river nile basin. Licking their wounds they followed the nile away from egypt. With their huge population, healthy and vicious warriors and immense wealth (Mansa Musa of Mali on his way to Saudi for pilgrimage, arrived in Egypt and the value of gold sunk to that of stones. Nigga had quid) and iron tech hence superior weapons, the Nilotes were no match. This lead to the harmonious coexistence between cushites and Bantus that is how cushites went to Rwanda intermarried and formed the Tutsi clan of the bantu Nyarwanda.
Oh and women ruled like Queen Candace (Kandake) and the other queen (Njinga) in Angola.
All those were part of the united kingdom of kongo Queen Njinga used to pay homage to the king of kongo at his headquarters in Mbanza Kongo. It was an alliance of independent kingdoms
In school we were told that Songhai was the super power of Africa followed by Aksum and the others.
Kenya’s various education system(s) past and present are the best but much of the knowledge is easily forgotten once the scholars depart from the school grounds.
Different though overlapping periods. At one time it was Mali especially after Islamization and Mansa Musa got guns and traded with the Beduin. And Sundiata’s father. Have you read the epic of Sundiata the son of Sogolon Kouyate who was born lame who was ostracized and walked at the age of 12, marshalled an army and took throne from his step brother?
Of course other kingdoms existed like Ashanti. Mali was so vast, it was once called the kingdom of sudan (from the Arabic bilad-al-sudan, land of the blacks), it covered the entire sahara desert up Ethiopia (from Greek words atheism, to burn, ops, face)
Bachwezi ancestors to the Tutsi and Ankole. They brought the famous Ankole cows and created a civilization in east africa. Mixed breed of bantu and cushites/semites, they were so revered that the local communities considered them gods (must have propagated this myth copying the Egyptian pharaohs). Infact some local communities in Uganda named their gods after the Bachwezi kings, names that still remain. They mysteriously disappeared as legend puts it they entered Lake Albert known as Lake Mwitangize after a Bachwezi king.
They are western sudanic. A language similar to languages found in Niger-Congo. The syntax is very much bantu CVCV. Due to their sedentary nature and a philosophy of coexistence that comes naturally with sedentary lifestyles, they intermarried more than the other groups. Many peace treaties were signed by exchange of brides. As a results different languages cropped up.
This is an anthropological classification as not socio-cultural and linguistic. Because using these measurements, Kagame would be cushitic. But this brings out the fluidity of classifying Africans because much crossbreeding and borrowing of culture has occured to clearly draw a line, so language is usually the only parameter.
So what you are saying is that the Mali Empire was so rich and powerful right?
Tutumie simple logic. Mali Empire was so wealthy and advanced that they even had a world famous university known as the University of Timbuktu.
[ATTACH=full]397142[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=full]397143[/ATTACH]
In that university it is said that :
[COLOR=rgb(184, 49, 47)]The primary focus was on study of the Quran and Islamic subjects, but academic subjects were also taught,[1] such as “medicine and surgery, astronomy, mathematics, physics, chemistry, philosophy, language and linguistics, geography, history, as well as art.”[5] Teachers associated with the Sankore mosque and the mosque itself were especially respected for learning.[1][2]
It boasted up to 25,000 students out of a total city population of 100,000.[B][6][/B]
Now @Koolibah we are in agreement that this was in fact an advanced society that existed well into into the early 1600s at the advent of the Trans atlantic trade.
These Malian guys knew math, astronomy, medicine, modern weaponry etc.
Many had acquired muskets from the Nort via Spain ie Carthage.
So using simple logic how do you enslave such an advanced people?
Huoni that this slave trade story has many holes???
First of all the Malians owned MZUNGU slaves. Mzungus were very backward and were often described as filthy, rarely showered, brown dirty teeth. Walikuwa watu washamba sana. Mansa Mudsa owned many mzungu slaves and concubines.
Halafu tunaambiwa ati these washamba mzungus came to Mali and Nigeria and captured such advanced societies as the Mali Empire in later centuries… remember that Malians owned hundreds possibly thousands of Mzungu slaves. Morocco was practically built with mzungu slave labour.
Huoni hii slave story ya U.S iko na Maongo?
Mzungu explorers would come to Mali and they would disappear forever, captured as slaves!
How do you then turn around and tell us that the mzungu all of a sudden had the capability to enslave a people he feared???
These West Africans were not bobobos. First of all they used to dress in fabric. They were not naked. But in the slavery narrative we are told of a very primitive people who were naked… which is a complete lie.
These guys knew trade, they had currency, they knew astronomy etcetera.
Is this story of the Trans Atlantic slave trade real?
