Warm ups 12.12.2016*List 3 of the older African Empires that we learned about in the beginning of our Africa Unit.

Lesson Objective*evaluate the importance of trade in the Mali and Songhai Empires

*list several effects of French occupation on the people of Mali

A Grand Pilgrimage*What is a pilgrimage?

pilgrimage: a religious journey or religious expedition

A Grand Pilgrimage*Mansa Musa, the leader of Mali wanted to fulfill his duty as a follower of Islam

*one of the requirements for Muslims (followers of Islam) is to make a pilgrimage called “Hajj” to a city in Saudi Arabia called Mecca

Hajj*millions of people make their journey each year to Mecca

Hajj

Mansa Musa’s Hajj*Mansa Musa made the Hajj with thousands of subjects, officials, servants, soldiers, slaves, and around 100 camels loaded with gold

The journey was over 3,000 miles through the Sahara!

Mansa Musa Visits Egypt*one Egyptian man said, “This man Mansa Musa, spread upon Cairo the flood of his generosity: there was no person, officer of the court, or holder of any office….who did not receive a sum of gold from him.”

*unfortunately, word spread of the wealth of the empires of West Africa, which caused unwanted attention

Roots of Mighty Empires*traders from North Africa brought salt from the Sahara

*traders from the South brought gold

*Mali grew rich from taxing the trade that went on there

Salt = Gold?*in certain places during this time, salt could be traded for an equal amount of gold

*one pound of salt could get you one pound of gold

*How could you explain this?

A Trading Empire*small towns sprung up as stopping points along the trade routes in the region

*traders passing through needed supplies and housing

*these towns grew wealthy and powerful from trade

Rise of Middlemen*the salt miners and gold miners didn’t want to other to see and know where their mines were located, so they brought their goods to middlemen

*Based on the context, what do you think the term middlemen means?

Extensive Trade Networks

*bars of copper and iron, ivory tusks, were also traded as far as Europe in exchange for cloths from Europe

Rise of the Songhai*after Mansa Musa, a series of weak kings were not able to protect Mali’s vast empire, and the Songhai took over

*the city of Timbuktu grew and thrived under the Songhai

Timbuktu*it is estimated that it had 50,000 people living there in the 1500s

*it was a large town and had also established three Islamic Universities

Timbuktu*here is what a traveler wrote about Timbuktu in the 1500s: “Here in Timbuktu, there are great store of doctors, judges, priests and other learned men, bountifully maintained at the king’s cost and charges. And hither are brought divers (different) manuscripts or written books, which are sold for more money than any other merchandise.”

*What does this quote make you think of Timbuktu?

Extensive Trade Networks*Eventually the Songhai empire also broke apart into smaller states

*Does anyone know who it was that took over next?

French Occupation*the French traders wanted to control the valuable trade in gum arabic, which was used to dye and starch clothes

*the traders asked the French government to set up forts along the river to protect them from angry locals

French Colonialism*the French set up railroads to connect trading centers

*they chose a few Africans to lead the regional governments

*very few Africans received education and most people didn’t attend high school

French Colonialism*the French thought that by educating some of the people, they would agree that the French were superior

*the plan backfired, and the local leaders began resisting French laws and policies

Independence*it wasn’t until 1960 that Mali became an independent country

*they then broke political and economic ties with France