What Are The Changes And Continuities In West Africa

Change and Continuity in West Africa
By Celine Sawiris During the fifteenth century, West Africa embraced many different civilizations and many diverse cultures. Many countries in Africa were part of the Muslim world, including Morocco in the west and Egypt in the east. The West African kingdoms experienced many changes, such as their beliefs changing from animism to Islam, making them organized states, while these kingdoms maintained traditional methods of trade. As well as having the advantage of trade routes, all four kingdoms benefited from their natural resources, such as gold, salt, and fertile land. Although the greatest influence of the West African Kingdoms’ development in Pre-Islamic Ghana, Ghana, Mali, and Songhai resulted from
Initially, during the Pre-Islamic times, the people of Bantu believed that animals had spirits and these spirits had effects on the actual world they lived in. Those spirits could, for example, make a family’s crops wither and die, or they could prevent women from giving birth. These people were part of a stateless society. Later on, in 900-1100 ca, the Islamic influence began as the Kingdom of Ghana became centralized around a bureaucracy that included having all of the authority coming from the King. Religious ceremonies and court rituals emphasized the King’s sacredness and strengthened his rule. Most of the ministers were Muslims; responsible for taxation, royal property, foreigners, forests, and the army. The royal administration was well served by Muslim ideas, skills, and especially literacy. The Ghanaian kingdom was a great success as a state because of Islamic influence on taxation, royal property, and initiating an army. (McKay 239). Islamic influence then became more prevalent in the kingdom of Mali. Mansa Musa, their ruler, was one of the most influential rulers of the West African kingdoms due to his pilgrimage to Mecca accompanied by 60,000 people and the spectacle of the gold. Hundreds of camels were loaded with gold, as well, which depicted Mali’s wealth. Mansa Musa travelled all the way to Cairo, restricting the value of gold for a decade(WHFUA). After his return from the Hajj, Musa acknowledged a conscientious government system and enforced laws throughout the kingdom, some of which were taken directly from the Qur’an itself (Wolf Lecture). As the empire grew, Mansa Musa began assigning members of his family into positions of power, as he needed people he could trust to help run his kingdom (WHFUA). In addition, Mansa Musa returned from his pilgrimage with Arab