Buganda, the largest medieval kingdom in present-day Uganda, was established in the late 14th century and evolved under the leadership of Kabaka Kintu. Over 36 kabakas followed, enduring civil wars due to succession disputes. In 1894, Buganda became a British protectorate, with its influence waning over time. Today, Buganda comprises 17% of Uganda’s population. Continue reading BUGANDA (CA. 1375-1900)
Benin, a pre-colonial kingdom in what is now southwestern Nigeria, is believed to have been established before the eleventh century. It was founded by Edo-speaking peoples, but became more ethnically diverse when invaders from the grasslands of the Sudan settled and intermarried with local women. Based on oral tradition, Benin is said to have begun as family clusters of hunters, gatherers, and agriculturalists who eventually created villages. By … Continue reading Revisit: KINGDOM OF BENIN
Located in the Western region of Africa, Ancient Ghana occupied an area that includes the present-day nations of Mauritania and Mali, was the first of three powerful centralized statesto emerge in the savanna, a vast, flat grassland area between the Sahara Desert on the north and the coastal rain forest along the Atlantic Ocean to the south. Ghana flourished in the 8th through 11th centuries because of its control of major routes of … Continue reading GHANA (CA. 750-1076)
Located at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert and six miles north of the Niger River in the present-day nation of Mali, Timbuktu has been a centuries-old, significant city in West Africa. In the 14th Century it became the commercial, religious and cultural center of the West African empires of Mali and Songhai. With its population of traders, merchants and scholars, Timbuktu was known throughout western Africa … Continue reading TIMBUKTU (CA. 1100- )
Black Art Story 