West Central Africa - Alyssa, Tegan, Tali, Cindy

Hanno the Explorer

500 BCE

The explorer Hanno from Tunisia is the first foreigner who reports seeing Mount Cameroon. In the following centuries a trade of slaves and goods developed from northern Cameroon across the Sahara to North Africa. There was also a lot of art being made out of stones because of how much moving around there was in Northern Africa. There also was a lot of movement at this time due to weather challenges because West Central Africa has a small part of every region.

The First Trade

400 BCE

The world changed forever when they switched from all hunting and gathering to a settlement lifestyle. Many people of the land started making trades with the Mediterranean people for cotton and gold. They were so involved in the trade that they traded a lot of things, even their slaves were moved quite often around because of this. That was one of the first big changes to be made to change the world's ways forever. Trade routes were extremely important.

The Ghana Empire

300 BCE

The Ghana Empire traded many things such as gold and slaves for swords and salt from the Arabs. They also took the North Africans and the Arabs horses for themselves. They created big areas for people to live in, and it became very populated because of that. In Ghana, they migrated quite a lot, they made iron for their jobs and so they had to move a lot. The people in Ghana were experts in metal working and trade was also very important for them to make a living.

Bantu Tribes

200 BCE

The first Bantu-tribes immigrated to Cameroon from Nigeria. Bantu speaking tribes are traditionally very agricultural, so they need a lot of space for farms. The original people there were gradually being forced deeper into the forests by the newcomers. The Sao culture developed in the areas further south and 50 different ethnic groups inhabit Cameroon. They started to be more vocal and storytelling became a necessity. Stories were essential for their culture.

Roman Control

100

At this point in time, all of North Africa is now firmly under Roman rule. This affected West Central Africa, because they were what was going to be attacked next. Europeans started to invade and take over. West Central African people were not ready for this change in government and slowly they began to realize that Europe was there to stay for a long period of time. West Central Africans began to realize what was happening to their land, and were helpless to do anything about it.

The Kanem Empire

500

500 CE gave way to the Kanem and its successor state, the Bornu Empire. Kingdoms, fondoms, and chiefdoms arose in the west. The Kanem–Bornu Empire existed in areas which are now part of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad. It was known to the Arabian geographers as the Kanem Empire from the 8th century AD onward and lasted as the independent kingdom of Bornu (the Bornu Empire) until 1900. This Kanem-Bornu Empire lasted for many millennia, and was very powerful.

The Fall of the Roman Empire

900

Unlike North Africa and Europe, West Africa wasn’t affected by the fall of the Roman Empire. It had its own political patterns and connections. As early as 300 CE, trade routes linked North Africa, including Roman-run regions, to growing cities in West Africa. These cities had relatively equal rights for everyone and didn’t have much authority. This type of government was called an egalitarian society. The cities stayed like this until around 900 CE.

The Sao Civilization

1000

Around this time the Sao civilization started reaching its height. The civilization started near the Chad River then they started invading Egypt, then spread towards West Central Africa, and Southern Africa. They were made up of a lot of diverse clans who came together and formed one unity. They spoke the same language, had the same religion, and were the same race. West Central Africa was a massive mixing pot of different cultures until the different cultures became one.

The Mali Empire

1100

The Mali empire was founded and started in western parts of Africa and made it to other parts of Africa. They started invading other parts of Africa, started growing, and eventually became one of the largest empires in Africa. It was recognized mainly for the strength of it’s rulers. For example, Mansa Musa was one of the greatest rulers. He developed many cities and organizations for Africa. The Mali Empire was extremely powerful during their rule.

Kingdom of Kongo

1300

The improved use of iron technologies and new trade networks with Europe lead to the development of larger, more centrally organized states. The expansion of the Kongo kingdom is the result of diplomatic collaboration with Portugal, control of important trade routes, and the wealth of natural resources within the Kongo territory. A historically unique religious, cultural, and artistic combination occurs as a result of the early phase of this cordial and primarily equitable relationship.