African POVs: The Europeans

Africa 1500 – 1600s• Songhai fading in power as trade moved to

the coast & gunpowder utilized in N. Africa

• Trade on W. African coast encourages state-creation & arms trade

• Kongo – on W. coast. Converted to Christianity & tried to control emerging slave trade (were unsuccessful longterm)

• Benin – ruled by a powerful Oba; state-run bronze working industry; did not convert

Salt Cellar, Ivory

late 15th- early 16th century, Benin Kingdom. Nigeria.

Salt Cellar, Ivory

Edo People (Anonymous)

16th – 17th century

Benin Kingdom. Nigeria

Excerpt of Letters from Manicongo Afonzo to the King of Portugal, (1526?)

“Many of our people . . . desirous of wares of your kingdom . . . seize many of our people, free men . . . and they often kidnap even noblemen . . . and take them to be sold to the white men who are in our kingdom . . .

To avoid such a great evil we passed a law so that any white man . . . should first inform three of our noblemen and officials of our court . . . who should investigate if the mentioned goods are captives or free men . . .”

July 6, 1526“Your highness should know how our Kingdom is

being lost . . . Since this is caused by the excessive freedom given by your agents and officials to the men and merchants who are allowed to come to this Kingdom to set up shops with goods and many things which have been prohibited by us . . . It was with these things that we had [our vassals] content and subjected under our vassalage and jurisdiction, so it is doing a great harm not only to the service of God, but the security and peace of our Kingdoms and State as well. So great, Sir, is the corruption and licentiousness that our country is being completely depopulated . . .”

European POVs:The Africans

F. Caporale, Rome, 1608.Bust of the ambassador of the King of Kongo to the Holy See

(the Pope). In the Church of Santa Maria

Maggiore.

“Homage of the Portuguese ambassadors to the king of Kongo in 1491.”

By F. Pigafetta, Frankfurt, Germany, 1598.