14 central and eastern Africa to the 18th Century

1. CHAPTER 14:
CENTRAL AND EASTERN AFRICA TO THE
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
Submitted by: Ayson, Sherrine J.
Iv-16 BSE History

2. Farmers, fishers and hunters of
the Congo forest
Contains Africa’s largest area of
tropical rain forest.

3. Farmers, fishers and hunters of
the Congo forest
The varied environment
allowed a range of productive
activity:
hunting, fishing, farming
Some people specialist in one or
two

4. Farmers, fishers and hunters of
the Congo forest
Staple crops
replaced by American
in 17th-18th centuries.
and

5. Farmers, fishers and hunters of
the Congo forest
 Most activities required co-operative labour
 Small villages (up to 200 adults) most common
 Gender: women (cultivators) subservient to
men
 System of clientage and some captive labour

6. Farmers, fishers and hunters of
the Congo forest
Inter-group relationships based
on marriage
Some larger groupings: under war
leader,
common
religious cult
River transport – communication
and trade: Malebo Pool major
junction
language
or

7. Farmers, fishers and hunters of
the Congo forest
A few kingdoms (Kuba, Loango, Tio): they
usually provided link with Atlantic slave trade

8. West-central Africa in the ear
of the slave trade
Kingdon of
Kongo
1480s:
arrival
of
Portuguese:
diplomatic relations with Kongo
King
of
Kongo
wanted:
teachers, craftsmen, weapons, merce
naries
Portuguese initially wanted: trade
in gold, copper, silver, spices
Soon disappointed with lack of
minerals for trade

9. Kingdon of Kongo
presence
Portuguese
stimulated dynastic dispute
Portuguese
helped
put
Christian convert on throne:
Afonso I (r.1506-42)
Afonso
used
religion
to
strengthen royal authority
Dependant
now
on
Portuguese rather than local
regional support
Afonso
used
Portuguese
weapons and mercenaries to
expand kingdom

10. Kingdon of Kongo

11. Kingdon of Kongo

12. Kingdon of Kongo
 War-captives sold
for slave export to
São Tomé
 São Tomé settlers
promoted wars for
more captives
 16th century
development of transAtlantic trade put
more pressure on
Kongo to produce
more slaves

13. Kingdon of Kongo

14. Kingdon of Kongo
 1568-9 Jaga invasion weakened Kongo, king into exile

15. West-central Africa in the ear
of the slave trade
1574: Alvaro I reinstated by
Portuguese with São Tomé
mercenaries
Royal power now
weakened, collapsed in 17th
century: Kongo
disintegrated into rival
regional factions
Slave trade
dominant, Dutch
competition, pombeiros
(specialist slave traders)

16. Angola and the slave trade
16th century: São Tomé major transit for trans-Atlantic trade
São Tomé traders established trading post at Luanda (independent
of royal Portuguese control

17. Angola and the slave trade
Purchased captives from Ngola of Ndongo
Ngola expanded kingdom to produce war captives for sale
1580s: Portuguese attempted invasion of Ndongo to find
rumoured silver mines

18. Angola and the slave trade
São Tomé traders established trading post at Luanda
(independent of royal Portuguese control

19. Angola and the slave trade
Invasion failed – many soldiers settled as regular slave traders
Established southern trading post: Benguela
17th-18th centuries: Angolan coast became major export zone
for trans-Atlantic slave trade

20. Angola and the slave trade
Invasion failed – many soldiers
settled as regular slave traders
Established southern trading
post: Benguela
17th-18th centuries: Angolan
coast became major export zone
for trans-Atlantic slave trade

21. Angola and the slave trade
Competition from Dutch, French
and English – selling guns to
stimulate war and captives

22. Central African empires and
the growth of trade
Other imports: Indian cottons and Brazilian rum
1570s-80s Imbangala invasion of coastal lowlands, formed the
raiding/trading state of Kasanje

23. Central African empires and
the growth of trade
The Lunda of Mwata Yamvo
Empire reached its height
2nd half of seventeenth
century
Many Lunda offshoots (e.g.
Imbangala)
New American crops (maize,
cassava) became major staples:
drought-resistant cassava
enabled regular food
surpluses, providing stability
within the empire

24. Central African empires and
the growth of trade
The Lunda of Mwata Yamvo
Mwata Yamvo tribute collection stimulated long-distance trade
Local specialisations (metal manufactures, copper, ivory, pottery) sent to
royal court as tribute
Tribute redistributed or exchanged for luxuries
Major trade items: ivory and slaves, for cotton cloth and guns
Use of guns spread slave trade networks deep into continent

25. Central African empires and
the growth of trade
The Lunda of Kazembe
Early 18th century tribute state
deliberately set up by Mwata
Yamvo under authority of
Kazembe, with authority to
collect tribute from
Zambian/Congo ‘copperbelt’
region
Kazembe II, c.1740 established
eastern state in Luapula Valley
Late 17th century, independent
of Mwata Yamvo – only nominal
tribute

26. Central African empires and
the growth of trade
The Maravi empire of Kalonga
Rich natural resources (cassava, maize, salt, fish, copper, iron)
Wide collection of tribute from the region
1800: Kazembe III’s capital: centre of vast trans-African trading network:
access to both Atlantic and Indian Ocean systems
Exports: iron, copper, ivory, salt and (later) slaves
Imports: European woollens and guns, Indian cottons, glass beads and court
luxuries

27. Central African empires and
the growth of trade
The Lunda of Kazembe
16th century Maravi
kingdoms: Kalonga, Lundu
and Undi – federations of
chiefdoms
Manufacturers and
exporters of iron, hunters
of ivory in Zambezi and
Shire valleys
16th century Portuguese
attempts to control ivory
trade provoked backlash
which temporarily drove
Portuguese from Sena and
Tete in Zambezi valley (‘waZimba’ invasion)

28. Central African empires and
the growth of trade
The Lunda of Kazembe
c.1600-1650: Kalonga Masula reestablished peaceful ivory trading
with Portuguese, and absorbed
Lundu and Undi into Maravi empire
from Shire valley to Mozambique
island on the coast (Map 14.2)
1623 Kalonga attacked
Mutapa, south of Zambezi
Kalonga empire declined after
Masula’s death in 1650: too much
reliance on personal leadership, lack
of central administration
Chiefdoms asserted
independence, Yao took over ivorytrading routes
Lack of central authority left way
open for violent slaving caravans of
early 19th century

29. Central African empires and
the growth of trade
The Changamire Rozvi of the
Zimbabwe plateau

30. Central African empires and
the growth of trade
The Changamire Rozvi of the
Zimbabwe plateau
17th century: Portuguese increasing
interference in Mutapa kingdom:
provoking civil conflict and using
violence to try and force people to
mine for gold
Defensive private armies formed,
mostly by wealthy cattle-owners: poor
seeking protection of rich, offered
themselves for military service
By 1670s Dombo (wealthy cattleowner with powerful private army),
title: Changamire. Army: Rozvi
(‘destroyers’)
Invaded and took over southwestern kingdom of Guruuswa (or
Butua)

31. Central African empires and
the growth of trade
The Changamire Rozvi of the
Zimbabwe plateau
From 1684, expelled Portuguese
from Mutapa and Manyika
Rozvi empire became dominant
power on Zimbabwe plateau
Portuguese of Sena and Tete only
saved by death of Changamire Dombo
in 1696
Succession dispute: Rozvi withdrew
onto plateau, where they remained
dominant over Shona chiefdoms
throughout 18th century: military
collection of tribute and approval of
chiefly succession
Mining and trading of gold under
royal control

32. Central African empires and
the growth of trade
The Changamire Rozvi of the
Zimbabwe plateau
Portuguese confined to trading posts in Zambezi valley
Gold trade not allowed to become economically dominant: most gold crafted into
ornaments for local use
Basis of economy remained; cattle, hunting and small-scale farming

33. The east African interior west
of the Victoria Nyanza
Bunyoro (mixed farming, hunting, herding) dominant power from 16th
century: loose confederation of chiefdoms
Bunyoro cattle raids conducted south and east

34. The east African interior west
of the Victoria Nyanza
The rise of Buganda
17th century: small compact centralised state, based on agriculture
Banana cultivation on north-west shores of Victoria Nyanza: agricultural stability – no need for
shifting cultivation: hence, compact state, dense population, centralised government (possibly as
defence from Bunyoro raids)
Kabaka Mawanga (early 18th century) formed strong centralised kingdom at expense of
traditional clan chiefs
Kabaka controlled land allocation to regional territorial chiefs
Peasantry provided wealth through taxation, passed as tribute through hierarchy
Banana cultivation did not require fulltime labour: peasantry available for public works:
Roads radiating from capital enabled kabaka to maintain his authority over local clans
Territorial chieftaincies kept out of hands of royal clan, to prevent alternative power bases
18th century Buganda expansion, surpassed Bunyoro in strength by 1800

35. The east African interior west
of the Victoria Nyanza
Pastoralist kingdoms of the south-western
highlands
Nkore, Rwanda, Burundi: in densely-populated fertile highlands
Ba-Hima in Nkore, Ba-Tutsi in Rwanda and Burundi: started as cattle-keepers in upland
grasslands
They gradually established dominance over valley cultivators, converting trading relationship into
clientship: lending cattle and demanding herding services and food tribute
Cattle-owners became aristocratic ‘warrior’ class of rulers who offered ‘protection’ from raids by
rival clans
By 18th century the Tutsi clans had merged into two kingdoms: Rwanda and Burundi
Developed elaborate rituals and myths of ancient origin to justify their dominance over
subservient ‘Ba-Hutu’ peasantry
Tutsi/Hutu: class distinction based upon wealth and power consolidated into a caste system,
that was to develop into ethnic antagonism from late-19th century

36. The east African interior east
of the Victoria Nyanza
Pastoralist kingdoms of the south-western
highlands
Nilotic-speaking pastoralists pushed south into region in 16th-17th centuries:
Ateker and Teso (north-eastern Uganda), Turkana and Samburu (north-western
Kenya), Maasai (central Kenya, northern Tanzania)
Maasai found central rift valley already occupied (e.g. Kalenjin), so seized grazing
land by force, with myth that all cattle belonged to Maasai
Maasai: age-set system, along military lines (similar to Oromo, pp.170-1)
No single coherent group – related groups governed by councils of elders (3rd ageset)
Developed peaceable relations with Bantu-speaking farmers, trading with Kikuyu and
Kamba
Kikuyu developed age-sets and initiation based on Maasia practices
Most Bantu-speaking farmers in small chiefdoms

37. The east African interior east
of the Victoria Nyanza
Pastoralist kingdoms of the south-western
highlands
In higher rainfall regions (Kilimanjaro, Usambara and Pare mts) sizeable
states emerged among Chagga, Pare and Shambaa
Their age-sets and initiations ceremonies possibly from earlier Chushitic
neighbours
Tanzanian plateau: rich in iron ore and salt – long-distance trading
networks
18th century, Nyamwezi became professional traders and ivory-porters
They developed trading links between Lakeland kingdoms and Swahili coast
(important for ivory and slave trade of 19th century)

38. Bibliography