What was Africa like before colonialism? any documentaries or books you can recommend

[Divinity]

We always hear about how dirty and shytty medieval Europe was but I want to know how Africa was, mainly the parts where the slaves came from, before colonization. So I guess before the year 1500.

I'm not good with history at ALL but I guess today would be the day to start learning

 

[Fatboi1]

 

[ignorethis]

Depends where, but for the most part majority of West Africa consisted of smaller hunter-gather villages, sometimes unified under spiritual or political based leadership.

In fact religion and political hierarchies often overlapped.

It wasn't the garden of Eden like some people like to make it, people and groups fought violently just like today, rape, murder, substance abuse, prostitution.

But everybody wasn't mindless savages like other people tried to paint it. There were places and people with more advance social structures, there was crime and punishment, some people had banking systems and blacksmiths.

Africa was too big to tell you "How was Africa before colonialism? " It ranged from cannibals and people who did human sacrifice to people who could metalwork and create banking systems... sometimes those labels overlapped.

 

[Caca-faat]

Look up the great Zimbabwe
The kingdoms of Mali (Mansa Musa )
Queen Makeda
Below is a documentary called the lost kingdoms of Africa. There is a thread on it somewhere here.

 

[ATownD19]

We always hear about how dirty and shytty medieval Europe was but I want to know how Africa was, mainly the parts where the slaves came from, before colonization. So I guess before the year 1500.

I'm not good with history at ALL but I guess today would be the day to start learning

"When We Ruled" is a good book of fun facts.


"The Destruction of Black Civilization" is more of a well written book that takes you on a ride.

 

[ATownD19]

Depends where, but for the most part majority of West Africa consisted of smaller hunter-gather villages, sometimes unified under spiritual or political based leadership.

In fact religion and political hierarchies often overlapped.

It wasn't the garden of Eden like some people like to make it, people and groups fought violently just like today, rape, murder, substance abuse, prostitution.

But everybody wasn't mindless savages like other people tried to paint it. There were places and people with more advance social structures, there was crime and punishment, some people had banking systems and blacksmiths.

Africa was too big to tell you "How was Africa before colonialism? " It ranged from cannibals and people who did human sacrifice to people who could metalwork and create banking systems... sometimes those labels overlapped.

 

[ignorethis]

My grandfather was a bushboy.

stop getting your self-esteem from a fantasy of what Africa was like "before the white people came".

Majority of West Africa were hunter-gatherers, like I said, sometimes unified/assimilated into larger empires, regional governments.
But West Africa was always fragmented politically and socially, two groups that lived 5 miles from each-other could have nothing in common.

Even the empires routinely mentioned by people like you, were rooted in religious/spiritual power/relevance, not actual government structure.
Or they were rooted in economic power because they controlled trade routes, but they weren't "empires" in the Western sense.

You probably believe West Africa had "kings" and royalty too.

I've already said on here before, the problem is you guys try to apply European ideas to African societies all while being "Pan-African",
reading books that are third-hand sources based on second-hand European sources.

 

[ATownD19]

My grandfather was a bushboy.

stop getting your self-esteem from a fantasy of what Africa was like "before the white people came".

Majority of West Africa were hunter-gatherers, like I said, sometimes unified/assimilated into larger empires, regional governments.
But West Africa was always fragmented politically and socially, two groups that lived 5 miles from each-other could have nothing in common.

Even the empires routinely mentioned by people like you, were rooted in religious/spiritual power/relevance, not actual government structure.
Or they were rooted in economic power because they controlled trade routes, but they weren't "empires" in the Western sense.

You probably believe West Africa had "kings" and royalty too.

I've already said on here before, the problem is you guys try to apply European ideas to African societies all while being "Pan-African",
reading books that are third-hand sources based on second-hand European sources.

That tells me EVERYTHING I need to know







Good Day

 

[010101]

drama like anywhere else humans inhabit ha*

 

[Amestafuu (Emeritus)]

The history is so vast.. I don't even know close to half of it. Every area has a lot of different reigns of importance. Rulership make ups and so for. Not even getting into religion culture and demographics.

Honestly knowledge of pre colonial and even post colonial Africa is severely undervalued.

The best thing would be for someone with resources to make a wiki like guide and source the most concrete reliable stuff and categorize it in an easy to view manner. Regions, eras and such. Between the scattered Eurocentric history and the hotep fantasies it's a fukking mess online.

 

[ATownD19]

We always hear about how dirty and shytty medieval Europe was but I want to know how Africa was, mainly the parts where the slaves came from, before colonization. So I guess before the year 1500.

I'm not good with history at ALL but I guess today would be the day to start learning

This is also good to checkout. Akala is a great speaker so he'll keep you engaged.

 

[Samori Toure]

Depends where, but for the most part majority of West Africa consisted of smaller hunter-gather villages, sometimes unified under spiritual or political based leadership.

In fact religion and political hierarchies often overlapped.

It wasn't the garden of Eden like some people like to make it, people and groups fought violently just like today, rape, murder, substance abuse, prostitution.

But everybody wasn't mindless savages like other people tried to paint it. There were places and people with more advance social structures, there was crime and punishment, some people had banking systems and blacksmiths.

Africa was too big to tell you "How was Africa before colonialism? " It ranged from cannibals and people who did human sacrifice to people who could metalwork and create banking systems... sometimes those labels overlapped.

Almost all of West Africa was united under major Kingdoms like Ghana, Mali, Songhay, Mossi, the Yoruba Kingdoms, Wolof Kingdoms, Fulani Kingdoms, the Akan Kingdoms (like Bonoman, Ashanti), Hausa Kingdoms, Yoruba Kingdoms, the Kingdom of Benin etc. They were major fugging kingdoms and empires that had Kings, taxes, diplomats, tradesmen, colleges and universities, scientists, mathematicians. ambassadors, major religions like Islam, etc.

Hardly any people in West Africa were small hunter gatherers, because major kingdoms eventually conquered them and all of them engaged in trade and used common trade languages like Dyula (Mande) or Hausa.

 

[brooklyn_boulevard]

Facing mount Kenya by Jomo Kenyatta (The first president of Kenya)

 

[Samori Toure]

We always hear about how dirty and shytty medieval Europe was but I want to know how Africa was, mainly the parts where the slaves came from, before colonization. So I guess before the year 1500.

I'm not good with history at ALL but I guess today would be the day to start learning

An author by the name of Basil Davidson wrote some pretty decent books on the subject.

 

[you're NOT "n!ggas"]

Already shared one book by Chiekh Anta Diop book earlier this week