Unit Four: Regional Perspectives
Module Nineteen: East Africa
Student's Edition
Activity One: The Region Called East Africa
(click on map for larger view)
INTRODUCTION
East Africa is a vast area encompassing the countries of Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Seychelles, and Comoros.
EAST AFRICA
(click on map for larger view)
This first activity will introduce you to some of the history and contemporary regional relationships of East African countries. How have East African countries been connected to one another throughout history? How have they been connected to other regions of Africa and the world?
EAST AFRICAN HISTORY
I. Pre-history: The Origins of Modern Humans
East Africa is a region with some of the most significant and oldest paleoanthropological finds in the world. Paleoanthropology is the study of early hominids (primates belonging to the Hominidae family, including modern humans and their ancestors). Paleoanthropologists such as Mary and Louis Leakey, and Donald Johanson have made important discoveries of hominid skeletons and artifacts in East Africa that have helped scientists to piece together how human beings may have evolved.
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The Leakey’s
found remains of hominids belonging to earlier species of the genus Homo (the
same genus that modern humans belong to—Homo sapiens)
in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. One of these hominids was named Homo
habilis, and its remains are dated at 1.85 to 1.6 million
years ago. |
Johanson also made some extraordinary
discoveries at Hadar, Ethiopia. One is the skeleton of a female Australopithecus
afarensis nicknamed “Lucy,” a hominid that is now exinct
but believed to be an ancestor of modern humans. This is the earliest
hominid known to date. Australopithecus afarensis pre-dates and has
a considerably smaller cranial size than the Homo genus. Australopithecus
afarensis is estimated to have lived between 3 and 4 million years
ago. |
 Skeleton of Lucy |
While the details of human evolution are being constantly debated and revised by scientists as new evidence emerges and is interpreted, the fact remains that East Africa is a site that has been inhabited by human-like beings for millions of years.
You can read more about Lucy and hear Donald Johanson explain his work in
a brief video at the following link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/07/1/l_071_01.html
SITES OF SOME IMPORTANT PALEOANTHROPOLOGICAL
DISCOVERIES IN EAST AFRICA
(click on map for larger image)
II. Early East African Kingdoms and Trade Networks
East Africa has a rich history of kingdoms and trade networks that are known
to historians. In fact, it is home to one of the earliest known kingdoms
in the world—Nubia (also known as Karmah and Kush). Other kingdoms
that developed in East Africa include Aksum (about 1st to 10th century CE),
the Buganda Kingdom (14th to 20th century CE), Rwanda (15th to 19th centuries),
and the Swahili coast city-states (11th to 16th century CE). You can locate
these on the map below.
Ancient Kingdoms
of East Africa  (click on map for larger view) |
Nubia, located in the Sudanese Nile river valley, is
the earliest of these kingdoms, dating back to 5,000 years ago. It
was a region well-known to the Egyptians, rivaling the early Egyptian
civilizations in power and wealth. See Module
7A: Activity Two: History of Africa during the time of the great Egyptian
civilization-- Explore for more specifics on the history
of this region.
Aksum and the Swahili Coast were first mentioned in the written
historical record in a document called Periplus of the
Erythraean Sea, a Greek trading guide dating to the
1st century CE. This document is evidence that the East African coast
has long been a part of extensive trade networks throughout the Indian
Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. |
Aksum was a large empire that was located in what is today Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is remembered for its splendid gold coins, stone monuments (some surpassing those of the Egyptians’ in size), and elaborate palaces. During the 4th century, King Ezana adopted Christianity as the religion of the empire. Later in the 6th century, Aksumite kings extended their empire as far as southern Arabia for a time. Aksum was an important part of extensive international trade networks.
Historians say that Arab commerce with the East African coast could go back
as far as the 2nd century BCE. East African trade with India came later,
around the 7th century CE. As a consequence of the international trade that
developed in this region, markets became focused on urban centers along the
coast with concentrations of wealth and power. Some of the most prominent
market towns that developed are Mogadishu, Shanga, Kilwa, and Mombasa. The
merging of African, Arab, and Indian peoples along the East African coast
(from southern Somalia to northern Mozambique) produced a unique language
(Kiswahili) and culture (Swahili), which still exist today. Swahili is spoken
today throughout East and Central Africa, but the majority of Swahili speakers
reside in Kenya and Tanzania.
Goods from Africa that were traded internationally along the Swahili coast included gold, ivory, and slaves. The slave trade in this region of Africa was conducted by both Arabs and Europeans. Arabs had been trading African slaves for over 1000 years, taking them to the Arabian Peninsula, Persian Gulf, and other regions of Asia. European slave traders came later in the 17th century, taking African slaves to various islands in the Indian Ocean and the Americas. In total, an estimated 7 to 10 million Africans were taken as slaves across the Indian Ocean. In comparison, around 12 million are believed to have been taken as slaves across the Atlantic Ocean (See Module 7B: Activity One: The Atlantic Slave Trade-Engage for more information on the history of the Atlantic slave trade). The impact of the slave trade on Africa overall was devasting—depopulating certain regions, causing social disruption, and increasing violence through trading firearms. Ending the slave trade also later became a justification for European colonization of East Africa.
III. European Colonialism
As you may remember from Module 7B: Colonial Exploration and Conquest: Activity Two, European explorers began scouting out the African continent in the 15th century. The Portuguese were the first explorers, initiated by Prince Henry the Navigator. They sought to monopolize trade with Africa. The first European explorer to sail around the Cape of Good Hope to reach East Africa was Vasco de Gama in 1498 (see map below). He and other early Portuguese explorers were the beginnings of a connection between the African Coast and Europe that would eventually lead to centuries of trade and European domination of Africa.
| British, Dutch, and French followed later with expeditions
to Africa, and they ended up dominating former Portuguese trading posts
in many cases. As knowledge of Africa spread throughout Europe and
North America, Christian missionaries were also sent out in addition
to explorers and traders. Some of these traders were involved in the
Atlantic Slave Trade, which lasted roughly from 1450 to 1850.
By the time that the slave trade had been deemed illegal, Europe
was becoming more and more interested in a different kind of trade.
The industrial revolution in Europe produced a need for cheap raw
materials in its factories, which became a major force behind the
colonization of Africa. East African colonies were used to provide
mass quantities of precious minerals, agricultural goods through
plantation agriculture, rubber, animal skins, ivory, cotton, and
many other raw materials cheaply to Europe. In addition to seeking
economic gain, some Europeans also felt it was their mission to “civilize” and “Christianize” Africans,
which in their minds meant becoming more like Europeans. They failed
to recognize the rich cultural and religious heritages that existed
in Africa. This left much of Africa in the ironic position of being
economically exploited so that much of its capital was drained from
the country, while at the same time being told they should imitate
Europe 'progress.' |
Exploration Routes to East
Africa  (click on map for larger view) |
The British, Belgians, Italians, French, and Germans were involved in the colonization of East Africa during the latter 19th and early 20th centuries. Of course, all of them already had networks of traders and missionaries from their countries throughout East Africa. But they now were attempting to set up formal colonial governments to administrate the region. Europeans were not entirely successful in colonizing all of East Africa, however. For example, Ethiopia was able to fend off formal colonial rule. And many groups within colonies organized resistance movements against colonial powers as well.
Use the following two maps of colonial Africa to determine who the major European colonial powers were for each East African country. Then list each European colonial power in the chart below the maps. Note that a few East African countries changed hands between colonizers, in which case you should list all of their colonial powers.
Colonialism in 1914  |
Colonialism in 1945  |
(click on each map for a larger view)  |
Click here for a the printable resource for the European Colonial Powers in East Africa Chart.
IV. East Africa Since Independence
The colonial period in East Africa lasted until 1976/1977, when Seychelles and Djibouti officially gained their independence from European colonizers (although other East African colonies had gained independence from Europe by the early 1960’s). Upon gaining their independence, East African countries were left with the challenge of finding an effective way of governing themselves, often with little national unity nor strong economic prospects. The national borders and many of the governing bodies of these countries had only been created during the last several decades of colonialism. Colonialism often lumped together groups of people who had not formerly shared a government or sense of nation. People in a colony spoke different languages, practiced different religions, had different cultural traditions, and sometimes had internal conflicts between them. Also, certain ethnic groups often gained a more privileged position than others in the colonies, provoking tension between groups.
Furthermore, colonial economies were set up to benefit the colonizers, not the colony. This, unfortunately, did not change much when East African countries gained independence. Their economies still focused on the exportation of cheap raw materials to Europe. Module Nine: African Economies discusses Africa’s economic relationship to Europe in more detail.
Also during the period following independence of East African states, the US and USSR were involved in the Cold War. Many countries in East Africa became recipients of aid as allies of the US or USSR. In many cases, this ended up often supporting undemocratic regimes in East Africa. Module 10: African Politics and Government: Activity Six: International Affairs discusses the Cold War in Africa further.
Overall since independence was gained in East Africa, this region has seen
numerous violent conflicts, coup d’etats (violent overthrown
of a government), and political corruption.
These lists highlight the political instability in the region. However, there are also important accomplishments to be acknowledged for East African countries who have been able to turn difficult situations around for a more peaceful and prosperous life. Each country in East Africa, of course, has a unique history. Some of the countries mentioned above have found periods of peace and stability even though they have also had coups and civil wars. And Tanzania and Kenya are examples of countries have not had a coup or civil war. Both of these countries had strong nationalist movements while gaining independence under the leadership of Jomo Kenyatta in Kenya and Julius Nyerere in Tanzania.
 Used with permission of the Africa Focus Website - Univeristy of Wisconsin |
Kenyatta
Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya’s first prime minister, was a key figure
in the Kenyan nationalist movement for independence from British
colonial rule. He headed a multiethnic political party called the
Kenya Africa Union, and helped negotiate Kenya’s independence
at the London Conference in 1962. The next year he became prime minister
and held that position until his death in 1978. |
| Nyerere
Julius Nyerere, named first prime minister of Tanzania in 1961,
was instrumental in the transition from colonial rule to independence.
He is know for his efforts to build a self-reliant socialist economy
for Tanzania and a sense of nationalism for Tanzanians. |
 Photo taken from www.usafricaonline.com |
You can refer back to Module 10: Activity Four, Post-colonial Governments or Module 7B: Activity Four, African Resistance, Nationalism, and Independence for more information on African history in general following independence.
Vocabulary to Define:
1. Paleoanthropology:
2. Hominid:
3. Homo habilus:
4. Australopithecus afarensis:
5. Periplus of the Erythraean Sea:
6. Coup d’etat:
7. Jomo Kenyatta:
8. Julius Nyerere:
EAST AFRICAN REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
You may have already read about some of the African regional organizations in other modules. For example in Module Seventeen: Activity One we discussed ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States), and in Module Twenty: Activity Four we discussed SADC (Southern African Development Community). Also, Current Events in Africa: The Birth of the African Union accounts the formation of a new Pan-African organization called the African Union, which facilitates political and economic relations across the African continent. What kinds of regional organizations are specific to East Africa?
East African states belong to many different regional organizations. Some of these may even span into regions outside of East Africa. For example, Tanzania and Seychelles are both members of SADC (Southern African Development Community), even though they are generally categorized in East Africa. Other states have economic and political alliances with Central African, Asian or North African countries. This again illustrates the difficulties of truly defining what a region is, as was discussed in the Introduction to Unit Three: Regional Perspectives.
There is, however, one important regional organization in East Africa that we want to mention here. It incorporates membership from most East African states as well as some Southern African states and Egypt. It is called COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa).
COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa)
WHAT? COMESA’s aim is to help member states achieve
economic and social progress. It envisions free trade and a common market
for the region. COMESA’s treaty says that it was established “as
an organisation of free independent sovereign states which have agreed to
co-operate in developing their natural and human resources for the good of
all their people.” To read up on COMESA, go to their website at http://www.comesa.int/.
WHO? Member States include:
Angola
Burundi
Comoros
Democratic Republic of Congo
Djibouti
Egypt
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Kenya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mauritius
Namibia
Rwanda
Seychelles
Sudan
Swaziland
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Sort through the member countries to classify them as East African (according to the definition in this module) or otherwise, and put them in the correct category in the chart below:
Click image for the printable resource.
WHEN? COMESA was established in December 1994 when it formally
succeeded another regional organization—the PTA (Preferred Trade Area
of Eastern and Southern Africa).
YOUR TURN
Think for a minute about the different connections that East Africa has had
throughout its history to other regions of Africa and the rest of the world,
based on what you have read in this activity. Then write your responses in
the graphic organizer circles below:
Click image for the printable resource.
Go To Activity Two: Explore: The Geography of East Africa
Or Go To:
- Activity Three: Explain: Culture, Society, and Production in East Africa
- Activity Four: Expand: HIV/AIDS and Social Change in East Africa
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