Islam in Africa

Chapter 8

Prior to Islam

Lack of political unity

Secret societies handle disputes

No need to tax b/c don’t have to support a bureaucracy

Social—organized by lineage and age

Unifying force– Religion—animism and ancestors– Language--Bantu

A Satellite View

Vegetation Zones

Natural Resources

Bantu Migration

1000 different languages; 1000+ different tribes

Unifying aspect

Bantu-speaking peoples provided a

linguistic base across Africa

An African’s “Search for Identity”

1. Nuclear Family2. Extended Family3. Age-Set

4. Clan

5. Lineage (ancestry)

TRIBE (communal living)

Traditional African ReligionANIMISM

1. Belief in one remote Supreme Being.

3. Ancestor veneration.

4. Belief in magic, charms, and fetishes.

5. Diviner mediator between the tribe and God.

2. A world of spirits (good & bad) in all things.

African Diviner (Shaman)

Ancestors

Prior to the Arrival of Islam

North of the Sahara had been part of classical civilizations (Phoenician, Greek outpost, Carthage Roman province)

Arrival of Islam 640-700 CEAttraction

Abbasid’s provided some political stabilityEquality within a community of believers made it easier to accept new conquerors and rulersegalitarianUnite state & religion under 1 helped reinforce the authority of African kings—caliph BUT locally divided by social, ethnic and gender

Divisions

Berbers—North Africa into Spain stopped from taking over France by Charles Martel in 711 CEAlmoravids—puritanical reformers launched jihads (purify, spread or protect faith) into the South and WestAlmahadis—also puritanical reformist

Christian: Nubia & Ethiopia

Reached Africa before Rome’s conversionCoptic (Egypt & Nubia) translated the gospels into their language & were toleratedEthiopia—Remained isolated and independentKing Lalibela—11 churches carved from stoneLater Dynasty—traced lineage back to Solomon & Sheba

Bet Giorgis, a 12th century Rock-

Hewn church in Ethiopia

Kingdom of Grasslands

Camel caravans couldn’t survive in the forests so the Sahel became a point of exchange

Sudanic State—MaliMansa Musa 1312-1337*pilgrimage*brought back scholars*trade protection*cosmopolitan court life*tolerant*gold, salt, dates—

The hoe and the bow—symbols of the common

Mosque of Jennea “port” city on the Niger River

Matrilineal & patrilinealArab slave trade—women and children

Ibn Battuta & Mansa Musa

Sundiata, Lion Prince of Malias told by griots

Sudanic Grasslands Daily Life

80% farmers: millet, rice, sorghum, wheatPolygamyCrop rotation

Swahili Coast of East Africa

Indian Ocean tradeContact with China, India, SE Asia, Middle EastClass DivisionMerchants tended to be MuslimRulers tended to speak Arabic

Peoples of the Forest & PlainsZimbabwe