The virtual tour of Africa
Jul. 15th, 2023 04:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bunnPp and I decided we didn't know enough about the history of countries in Africa, so we're doing a blitz on African history doing a quick Wikipedia read-up/ Youtube whiz through on one country a day. I soon realised I was forgetting everything and mixing up countries already, so here are my notes.
Ethiopia - this is a good place to start a virtual tour for the English-speaking and uninformed. There's loads of information in Wikipedia about it, and about Aksum, the land that pre-dated Ethiopia.
I hadn't realised how closely entwined Ethiopia was with the late Classical / biblical world. It makes sense that a place that converted to Christianity in 316 would have a lot of cultural and trading links with the Roman Empire, but still, I hadn't twigged that anywhere in sub-saharan Africa was so closely connected. I was also surprised to discover just how much Ethiopia was an Empire, vying with the European empires of the nineteenth century. It seems to not just remain proudly independent, so much as get right in there scrambling for Africa.
Was left with an impression that Ethiopia had a vibe almost like a European state in some ways, what with the Christianity, the empire, and communist takeover in the 20th century. It felt familiar, and also fascinatingly old.
Must read more about Ethiopia, particularly the conquests of tenth-century warrior-queen Gudit, the artistic renaissance of the sixteenth-century Gondarine period, and the sixteenth century Portuguese alliance. And apparently a letter from Henry IV of England to the Ethiopian emperor survives and I wonder what it said.
Would also like to know more about the British Expedition to Abyssinia in 1868, particularly the point of view of Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia, who originally wanted British military assistance against Islamic incursions, and the British consul who tried to negotiate a peaceful settlement.
Sudan
Way more Ancient Egyptian than I had previously realised. Of course it's on the Nile too, so that makes sense. Found an interesting documentary episode with Joanna Lumley (breathy, oozing enthusiasm from every pore even when sleeping on the crowded deck of a passenger ferry among baffled people on their way to work across Lake Nasser) and another with Zeinab Badawe (more scholarly, informative and historical, not quite so madly charismatic).
I'd like to know more about the pre-islamic medieval Christian states of Sudan, Alodia, Nobatia and Makuria, and also the suggestion from Wikipedia that 'During the 1870s, European initiatives against the slave trade had an adverse impact on the economy of northern Sudan, precipitating the rise of Mahdist forces'. More about the Mahdi in general, really.
We didn't find much about the current civil war in Sudan, so probably also that is something to find out more about.
Eritrea
This smaller and low-population coastal country also was once part of Aksum, like Ethiopia. Youtube had little to tell us about Eritrea, but was very disapproving of its life president Isaias Afwerki, who has never held an election and seems to be particularly strong on human rights abuses (enabling, not stopping). Even the weirdly robotic video which seemed to be made by the Eritrean Tourist Board mentioned them, though as briefly as presumably they felt they could get away with.
Probably once (part of) the Land of Punt, known from how enthusiastic the Egyptians were about it. Also, home of the very very ancient and magnificently fantasy-coded Kingdom of D'mt, home of a massive temple complex at the also magnificently named Yeha.
Another place that converted early to Christianity, and apparently Mohammed stayed here at one point.
We watched a couple of videos that put a lot of emphasis on Eritrea's period as part of the Italian empire, from 1889 to 1941, and dwelled lovingly on Italian-style buildings, pizza and coffee. I couldn't find anything on the previous period of Ottoman occupation though, which seemed a bit odd given that it lasted 300 years to the Italian 50. Would like to know more about the Ottoman period.
Fascinated to hear of the Italian-built Asmara-Massawa Cableway, the longest three-cable aerial line ever. When the British took over Eritrea briefly at the end of 1941, all the removable bits of the cableway were taken away as reparations against Mussolini's Italy, which seemed a bit harsh on the Eritreans. Apparently there's an Italian-built steam railway in Eritrea, still using machinery from before WWII, though some of it was wrecked during Eritrea's war for independence from Ethiopia in 1991.
Djibouti
I'm not sure if we didn't try very hard to find information about Djibouti or if there wasn't much available. I mostly recall that one of Djibouti's major industries is renting out military bases to France, the USA, China, and Japan. Oh, and it was part of French Somaliland and the French wanted it because otherwise they'd have to refuel their ships going through the Suez Canal at a British port.
Again, part of the Ottoman Empire, specifically the Eyalet of Egypt, but again, I found almost nothing about the Ottoman period. Might find out more of this when we get to Egypt.
Somalia
Another possible Land of Punt! Also, site of the Land of Macrobia, where everyone was incredibly tall and strong and rich: prisoners shackled with golden chains. Don't invade unless you have the muscles to draw their monster longbows.
The Ajuran empire of southern Somalia lasted from the 13-18th centuries and I'd like to find out more about its hydraulic empire and connections with China.
I had entirely missed that Ethiopia invaded Somalia in 2006, and that Somalia has kept trying to invade Ethiopia to claim the Ogaden region. Seems to be a bit of a theme of the history between the two areas. But where Ethiopia is an Empire, Somalia seems to be made up of various Sultanates with not much in common - and even less in common once the colonial period kicks in, with Italy trying to re-found the Roman Empire and doing lots of investment and settlement, and Britain... kind of not wanting to spend any money or do much at all, really.
Would like to know more about the Beden boat-building style, where boats are sewn together with coconut fibre, creating rather beautiful fishing and trading small ships that travelled (still travel?) the Gulf and Arabian peninsula. Traded cinnamon with Ceylon, and colluded with Arab, Roman and Greek traders to stop Indians bringing their cinnamon direct to Africa and drive the prices up.
I'd like to find out more about the conflict between the British (establishing a protectorate on the coast) and the Dervishes. Apparently the Dervishes were defeated by British air power in 1920? I have NO mental image of this.
We watched a video by Somali Enterprise, which was SO POSITIVE it hurt. And didn't mention the civil war once, unless you count a brief mention of reconstruction of Mogadishu. But definitely super Islamic.
And a similarly positive but much more grounded-seeming video by a nervous looking New Zealander who had clearly been talked into visiting Somaliland (the ex-British part of Somalia that's effectively independent but unrecognised) by a British-Somali Instagrammer, and was honestly fascinating. Lots of interviews with people who felt the financial situation was dire, but the security situation in Somaliland at least was less bad than report would make it. I didn't even know Somaliland existed as an independent place with its own currency effectively separate from greater Somalia.
Tomorrow: South Sudan!
Ethiopia - this is a good place to start a virtual tour for the English-speaking and uninformed. There's loads of information in Wikipedia about it, and about Aksum, the land that pre-dated Ethiopia.
I hadn't realised how closely entwined Ethiopia was with the late Classical / biblical world. It makes sense that a place that converted to Christianity in 316 would have a lot of cultural and trading links with the Roman Empire, but still, I hadn't twigged that anywhere in sub-saharan Africa was so closely connected. I was also surprised to discover just how much Ethiopia was an Empire, vying with the European empires of the nineteenth century. It seems to not just remain proudly independent, so much as get right in there scrambling for Africa.
Was left with an impression that Ethiopia had a vibe almost like a European state in some ways, what with the Christianity, the empire, and communist takeover in the 20th century. It felt familiar, and also fascinatingly old.
Must read more about Ethiopia, particularly the conquests of tenth-century warrior-queen Gudit, the artistic renaissance of the sixteenth-century Gondarine period, and the sixteenth century Portuguese alliance. And apparently a letter from Henry IV of England to the Ethiopian emperor survives and I wonder what it said.
Would also like to know more about the British Expedition to Abyssinia in 1868, particularly the point of view of Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia, who originally wanted British military assistance against Islamic incursions, and the British consul who tried to negotiate a peaceful settlement.
Sudan
Way more Ancient Egyptian than I had previously realised. Of course it's on the Nile too, so that makes sense. Found an interesting documentary episode with Joanna Lumley (breathy, oozing enthusiasm from every pore even when sleeping on the crowded deck of a passenger ferry among baffled people on their way to work across Lake Nasser) and another with Zeinab Badawe (more scholarly, informative and historical, not quite so madly charismatic).
I'd like to know more about the pre-islamic medieval Christian states of Sudan, Alodia, Nobatia and Makuria, and also the suggestion from Wikipedia that 'During the 1870s, European initiatives against the slave trade had an adverse impact on the economy of northern Sudan, precipitating the rise of Mahdist forces'. More about the Mahdi in general, really.
We didn't find much about the current civil war in Sudan, so probably also that is something to find out more about.
Eritrea
This smaller and low-population coastal country also was once part of Aksum, like Ethiopia. Youtube had little to tell us about Eritrea, but was very disapproving of its life president Isaias Afwerki, who has never held an election and seems to be particularly strong on human rights abuses (enabling, not stopping). Even the weirdly robotic video which seemed to be made by the Eritrean Tourist Board mentioned them, though as briefly as presumably they felt they could get away with.
Probably once (part of) the Land of Punt, known from how enthusiastic the Egyptians were about it. Also, home of the very very ancient and magnificently fantasy-coded Kingdom of D'mt, home of a massive temple complex at the also magnificently named Yeha.
Another place that converted early to Christianity, and apparently Mohammed stayed here at one point.
We watched a couple of videos that put a lot of emphasis on Eritrea's period as part of the Italian empire, from 1889 to 1941, and dwelled lovingly on Italian-style buildings, pizza and coffee. I couldn't find anything on the previous period of Ottoman occupation though, which seemed a bit odd given that it lasted 300 years to the Italian 50. Would like to know more about the Ottoman period.
Fascinated to hear of the Italian-built Asmara-Massawa Cableway, the longest three-cable aerial line ever. When the British took over Eritrea briefly at the end of 1941, all the removable bits of the cableway were taken away as reparations against Mussolini's Italy, which seemed a bit harsh on the Eritreans. Apparently there's an Italian-built steam railway in Eritrea, still using machinery from before WWII, though some of it was wrecked during Eritrea's war for independence from Ethiopia in 1991.
Djibouti
I'm not sure if we didn't try very hard to find information about Djibouti or if there wasn't much available. I mostly recall that one of Djibouti's major industries is renting out military bases to France, the USA, China, and Japan. Oh, and it was part of French Somaliland and the French wanted it because otherwise they'd have to refuel their ships going through the Suez Canal at a British port.
Again, part of the Ottoman Empire, specifically the Eyalet of Egypt, but again, I found almost nothing about the Ottoman period. Might find out more of this when we get to Egypt.
Somalia
Another possible Land of Punt! Also, site of the Land of Macrobia, where everyone was incredibly tall and strong and rich: prisoners shackled with golden chains. Don't invade unless you have the muscles to draw their monster longbows.
The Ajuran empire of southern Somalia lasted from the 13-18th centuries and I'd like to find out more about its hydraulic empire and connections with China.
I had entirely missed that Ethiopia invaded Somalia in 2006, and that Somalia has kept trying to invade Ethiopia to claim the Ogaden region. Seems to be a bit of a theme of the history between the two areas. But where Ethiopia is an Empire, Somalia seems to be made up of various Sultanates with not much in common - and even less in common once the colonial period kicks in, with Italy trying to re-found the Roman Empire and doing lots of investment and settlement, and Britain... kind of not wanting to spend any money or do much at all, really.
Would like to know more about the Beden boat-building style, where boats are sewn together with coconut fibre, creating rather beautiful fishing and trading small ships that travelled (still travel?) the Gulf and Arabian peninsula. Traded cinnamon with Ceylon, and colluded with Arab, Roman and Greek traders to stop Indians bringing their cinnamon direct to Africa and drive the prices up.
I'd like to find out more about the conflict between the British (establishing a protectorate on the coast) and the Dervishes. Apparently the Dervishes were defeated by British air power in 1920? I have NO mental image of this.
We watched a video by Somali Enterprise, which was SO POSITIVE it hurt. And didn't mention the civil war once, unless you count a brief mention of reconstruction of Mogadishu. But definitely super Islamic.
And a similarly positive but much more grounded-seeming video by a nervous looking New Zealander who had clearly been talked into visiting Somaliland (the ex-British part of Somalia that's effectively independent but unrecognised) by a British-Somali Instagrammer, and was honestly fascinating. Lots of interviews with people who felt the financial situation was dire, but the security situation in Somaliland at least was less bad than report would make it. I didn't even know Somaliland existed as an independent place with its own currency effectively separate from greater Somalia.
Tomorrow: South Sudan!
no subject
Date: 2023-07-17 06:52 am (UTC)Oh wow! Thanks for sharing all of this. Your last post was so full of things, I forgot to mention how awesome I think this project of yours is. African history is so rich and diverse, particularly in what for me are those far Northern Lands which have millennia of shifting cultures mingling and merging, but so much of it was covered or lost thanks to European colonialism's huge, and hugely fragile, ego.
I gave up on school history after getting into trouble for not doing a project right, because I'd discovered a book that somehow slipped past the apartheid censorship board: to me it had all the magic of a book of fantasy with pictures that I couldn't get enough of, describing the wonders of the pre-colonial civilisations of Africa, when I was supposed to write about how marvellous Europeans saved Africa by bringing civilised culture to the base savages who had nothing but mud huts and livestock before. Urgh.
no subject
Date: 2023-07-17 09:00 am (UTC)Of course, it's impossible for school history to begin to cover all the cool and interesting things, but I'm glad my course at least offered a wide range of different sources. Definitely set me up to want to know more.
Will be interesting to see how things are different as we move south and west. Coastal East Africa seems from the lightning quick tour, very much part of the wider Mediterranean and Arabic world but that might be because I don't know what I'm looking for in terms of wider African context.
no subject
Date: 2023-07-17 12:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-07-19 10:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-07-22 12:53 am (UTC)If you want history books, I believe Basil Davidson is a good author, if some decades old now.
no subject
Date: 2023-07-22 08:25 am (UTC)I'd normally avoid histories that are over 20-30 years old to start with, but not sure know how much I'm going to find written in English for a lot of this so Davidson may be a very good rec. Thanks!
no subject
Date: 2023-07-22 08:37 pm (UTC)