The ancient kingdoms of West Africa

Africa has long been viewed from a European perspective, meaning that in most cases, people are unaware that Africa had thriving economies, city states and empires long before the first white man landed on its shores.  At a time when Europe was just rising from the Middle Ages, thriving empires were rising and falling in West Africa. The following are some of the kingdoms of West Africa:

•  Ancient Ghana
•  Ancient Mali
•  Songhai Empire

It is hard to ascertain when ancient Ghana rose, but it is known that it had already been ruled by 40kings by 300 A.D. It was headquartered at Kumbi Saleh and was rich with gold. Dogs and horses had collars made of silver and gold. To get a sense of how it felt like to live in ancient Ghana, take a trip to the Ashanti kingdom in modern day Ghana.

Ancient Mali

At its peak, ancient Mali was the 2^nd largest empire after the Mongolian Empire, encompassing a total land area of 500, 000sq. mi. of what is now Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Burkina-Faso. It sprung from the ruins of Ancient Ghana, and rapidly expanded to control gold mines. It was founded by Sundiata Keita, but its most famous ruler was Mansa Musa, whose hajj to Mecca nearly collapsed the economies of countries he passed through; he came in a caravan of 80 camels, each carrying 300pounds of gold, a commodity rare then as it is now.  It was Musa who oversaw the construction of the University of Sankore, and Dyingerey Ber Mosque, great edifices that still stand today.

Songhai

This kingdom rose up at a time when the power of Ancient Mali was waning, and it grew to eclipse it in time. It had been a part of Mali, but with persistent palace coups happening in Mali, Gao, the headquarters of the nascent empire, rebelled, and rapidly expanded to absorb Mali and adjacent states.

These three are often recognized as the pre-eminent ancient kingdoms of West Africa, though there were numerous other kingdoms dotting the region before the coming of the Europeans, such as:

• Fon Kingdom
• Calabar
• Kanem-Bornu
• Ibo
• Yoruba etc.

These ancient kingdoms were not limited to West Africa only; there were kingdoms around the Congo, and East Africa.

The next time you are reading about the history of Africa, remember that it started long before its colonization by Europeans, and it’s a past that is rich with intrigues.

By Matengo Chwanya

African Global News Publication