PS 311: Intro to Comparative Government
In antiquity the Greeks are said to have called the continent Libya and the
Romans to have called it Africa, perhaps from the Latin aprica (“sunny”) or
the Greek aphrike (“without cold”). The name Africa, however, was chiefly
applied to the northern coast of the continent, which was, in effect, regarded
as a southern extension of Europe. The Romans, who for a time ruled the
North African coast, are also said to have called the area south of their
settlements Afriga, or the Land of the Afrigs—the name of a
Berber community south of Carthage.
Africa is a continent of over a billion people, yet questions of underdevelopment,
malgovernance, and a form of political life based upon patronage are
characteristic of many African states. ‘Introduction to Africa and its politics’
explains that the core questions underpinning this VSI centre on how politics is
typically practised on the continent; the nature of the state in Africa; and what
accounts for Africa’s underdevelopment. This VSI aims to appraise sub-Saharan
Africa’s recent political history, examining post-colonial political structures, the
impact of colonialism, and the form and nature of post-colonial states. The type
of politics practised in many African states continues to be hostile to genuine
nation building and broad-based, sustainable development.
The Political History of Africa: The Pre-Colonial
Era
POSTED ON MAY 2, 2020 BY HENRY KWADWO AMOAKO
02
May
Prior to European colonization in the late 19th century, Africa had a very long history of
state building as well as a rich variety of social formations that were decentralized or
stateless. Some of the first examples of state formation in human history
developed in the Nile River valley in the 4th millennium BCE. Nevertheless,
during most of Africa’s precolonial history, a significant portion of African
people lived in small-scale, egalitarian societies in which government was
more a matter of consensus among the entire adult population than rule by an
elite few. One of the major contributions that historians of precolonial Africa
have made is to demonstrate the enormous variety and complexity of
precolonial African political systems and to challenge the notion that political
complexity only exists in centralized states. The political history of Africa
begins with the emergence of hominids, archaic humans and—at least
200,000 years ago—anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens), in East
Africa, and continues unbroken into the present as a patchwork of diverse and
politically developing nation states. The earliest known recorded history arose
in Ancient Egypt, and later in Nubia, the Sahel, the Maghreb and the Horn of
Africa which were woven around very complex political systems of rule.
Following the desertification of the Sahara, North African history became
entwined with the Middle East and Southern Europe while the Bantu
expansion swept from modern day Cameroon (Central Africa) across much of
the sub-Saharan continent in waves between around 1000 BC and 0 AD,
creating a linguistic commonality across much of the central and Southern
continent. During the Middle Ages, Islam spread west from Arabia to Egypt,
crossing the Maghreb and the Sahel. Some notable pre-colonial states and
societies in Africa include the Ajuran Empire, D’mt, Adal Sultanate, Alodia,
Warsangali Sultanate, Kingdom of Nri, Nok culture, Mali Empire, Songhai
Empire, Benin Empire, Oyo Empire, Kingdom of Lunda (Punu-yaka), Ashanti
Empire, Ghana Empire, Mossi Kingdoms, Mutapa Empire, Kingdom of
Mapungubwe, Kingdom of Sine, Kingdom of Sennar, Kingdom of Saloum,
Kingdom of Baol, Kingdom of Cayor, Kingdom of Zimbabwe, Kingdom of
Kongo, Empire of Kaabu, Kingdom of Ile Ife, Ancient Carthage, Numidia,
Mauretania, and the Aksumite Empire. All these empires were brilliantly
organised politically. At its peak, prior to European colonialism, it is estimated
that Africa had up to 10,000 different states and autonomous groups with
distinct languages and customs. Before Europeans could invade Africa there
were powerful empires who used very organised political systems.
ASources : https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-
9780199846733/obo-9780199846733-0100.xml and Wikipedia.com
