(OA) Origins of Africa Module Overview

Origins of Africa

IntroductionImage of Origins Of Africa 

In the last half of the 19thcentury, European nations "scrambled" to take control of Africa. In the "Scramble for Africa", only two African nations escaped colonialism- Ethiopia and Liberia. The rest of the continent was divided into territories ruled by Europeans who spent the next 100 years gaining profits from the resources of Africa. As colonialism spread, so too did nationalism, or the demand for self-rule. Pan-Africanism also grew out of colonialism. After centuries of first Africans and then African resources being removed from the continent, Pan-Africanism was the movement to unite all Africans and people of African descent to work to improve their lives and Africa. Following World War II, the nationalist movements in Africa and Pan-Africanism around the globe gained momentum. By 1966, all but seven African nations were rid of their colonial governments.

Module Lessons Preview

In this module, we will study the following topics:

Conflict and Change: European Partitioning

Africa became an interest of Europeans due to the Atlantic Slave Trade. Once the slave trade was outlawed, Europeans begin to partition Africa for its natural resources. Imperialism reigned the area until World War II.

Conflict and Change: Nationalism, Apartheid, & Pan-African Movement

After World War II, Africa saw a massive push in nationalism for independence. As independence was granted, many of the countries saw increased violence and genocide due to not having a history of self-governance.

Key Terms

  1. Traditional Religions - although there are many different religions found in Africa, most of them have some shared characteristics. These are: oral retellings of religious stories, the belief in a supreme being, belief in spirits, ancestor worship, and traditional medicines
  2. Islam - religion based on the teachings of Muhammad as they appear in the Qur'an (Koran); religion of Muslims
  3. Christianity - the religion based on the teachings of Christ as they appear in the Bible; religion of Christians
  4. Tribe -a group of people united by common ancestry and customs
  5. Atlantic Slave Trade - 16th century to the 19th century; the sale of Africans by Africans to Europeans who transported them to North and South America to sell again
  6. Triangular Trade - term for the trade between "three" ports; best known triangular trade refers to the transatlantic slave trade between the 16th and 19th centuries between Africa, the Americas, and Europe
  7. Empire - group of countries or states under one ruler or government
  8. Liberia - country in West Africa, first settled by freed American slaves in 1822
  9. Ethiopia - country in East Africa; fought off colonialism during the "Scramble for Africa"
  10. Nationalism - desires and plans for national independence or self-rule
  11. Colonialism - policy of a nation that rules or seeks to rule weaker or dependent nations
  12. Ashanti - the West African ethnic group who speak the Akan language; prior to colonialism, the Ashanti developed a large empire that fought off colonialism in four wars before falling; later they organized a confederacy
  13. Bantu - the 300 to 600 different ethnic groups that speak the Bantu languages across Central, Eastern and Southern Africa; the largest Bantu ethnic group is the Zulu who speak Swahili; literally means "the people"
  14. Swahili - a Bantu language spoken by millions of Africans, especially in the African Great Lakes region; important second language (lingua franca) in many regions that allows various ethnic groups to communicate
  15. Pan-African Movement - a movement to unite all Africans and people of African descent in an effort to improve their lives and to improve Africa
  16. African National Congress - political party in South Africa; formed in 1912 in response to the oppression of black South Africans
  17. African Diaspora - communities throughout the world that are descended from Africa
  18. Sub-Saharan - below the Sahara Desert
  19. Great Lakes Region- the area located around the Great Lakes in the East and Central regions of Sub-Saharan Africa; there are seven lakes in this region including Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi
  20. Caravans- groups of merchants, pilgrims, etc. traveling together for safety through difficult or dangerous country
  21. Trade Routes- paths used by merchants to trade between long distances
  22. Timbuktu- cultural capital of the Mali and Songhai Empires in West Africa
  23. Pastoral- country or rural life
  24. Savannas- grassy plains with few or no trees
  25. Great Rift Valley- the name used for the trench that runs more than 3,000 miles through East, Central and Southern Africa.
  26. Zulus- members of a Bantu ethnic group native to southeastern Africa
  27. "Scramble for Africa"- the invasion, occupation, colonization and annexation of African territory by European powers from the mid-1800s to 1914
  28. Slave - a person who is owned by another person
  29. "Dark Continent"- a 19th century expression used by Europeans to describe Africa due to a lack of knowledge about the geography within the interior of the continent
  30. Political Cartoon- an illustration designed to express social or political messages
  31. African Horn- a peninsula in East Africa that juts into the Arabian Sea
  32. Disfranchising- the act of taking away the right to vote or hold office from a group of people
  33. "Settler Governments"- governments run by a population of immigrants to an area; these governments are run by a minority of the population over the majority of a population and are an example of an oligarchy
  34. Genocide - the extermination of a cultural or racial group
  35. Bantu Great Migration - the movement of the Bantu people throughout Sub-Saharan Africa around 1,000 B.C.
  36. Nomad - member of a tribe which moves from place to place to have food or pasture for its cattle
  37. Natural Resources- materials supplied by nature

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