FORM TWO HISTORY, TOPIC NO 1: INTERACTION AMONG THE PEOPLE OF AFRICA

Introduction

Interaction is the state in which people from one community got into contact with another. The contacts among African people resulted from their various struggles to meet their daily requirements and further social and economic development.

Interaction is inevitable among people because through interaction we were able to access different requirements. However, aspects of socio-economic development further strengthened the need for interaction.

Social and economic factors for the interaction among the people of Africa

1.  Trade, both long distance trade in east Africa and trans-Saharan trade played an important role in the interactions among the people of Africa.
2. Wars, the interaction between east and north-eastern African people was very much limited and hostile in nature as from 1820 Egypt started campaigns to conquer and rule her neighboring region in north-east and east Africa.
3.  The need to search for new area, such as areas with fertile land and reliable rainfall were very attractive to the people within the regions or those coming from outside the region.
4.  Religion also played a crucial role in all African societies, people contacted through different religious activities such as burial rites purifications, rituals naming of ceremonies and players.
5.  Music and dances, African music and dances brought people together, communities rites and ceremonies were accompanied by songs and dance.
6. Medicine, African had medicine men and women who played important role both spiritually and medically. Those who practiced medicine interacted with many members of the society patient visited some of the well-known medicine men and women.
7. Marriage also occupies a position of great importance in African communities. Every member of a society jugs to build their own family. Example in Buganga Kabaka married from different clans in order to enhance political unity in the kingdom.
8. Overpopulation by either natural or immigration resulted into population pressure that caused people to opt for migration to other areas where they can sustain their daily life.
9. Common language relations, people of different cultural settings and backgrounds could meet and establish new social relation, they establish new values and norms.

Impacts/results/effects/consequences/outcomes of the interactions.

A: SOCIAL IMPACTS OF INTERACTIONS AMONG THE PEOPLE OF AFRICA.

1.      Loss of originality: in the process of migrations and trade interactions people moved from one place of their origin to various destinations, through this interactions probably there was interactions of new values, customs and beliefs.

2.      Emergence of new language. As people of different languages like Bantu, Nilotes and Khoisan meet with other groups; they developed new languages which were based on those new related groups of Swahili language developed in East Africa having most of the Bantu vocabularies.

3.      Intermarriage. When people moved from their original areas and established settlement in new areas they got married with the natures and established new social relations. These involved social conflicts since people were united together.

4.      Population increased. The places, which were attractive for people’s settlements, become highly populated. Those regions immigration was common than emigration.

B: THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF INTERACTIONS. 

1.      Growth of towns and cities. Trading activities stimulated the emergence of urban centers along the trade natures and centers. Areas that produced trade commodities in West. North and East Africa become remarkable urban center; example Taghaza, Timbuktu, Gao, Kumbisaleh in West Africa, Alex and Rial in Tripoli and Cairo in North Africa, Malindi, Mombasa, Bagamoyo. Zanzibar, Tabora and Ujiji in East Africa.

2.      Exposure of Africa to the external world. The African coast and interior areas were invalided to the outside world. People were engaged in trading activities and slowly they created trading contacts with the Europeans. African was producing goods that were observed by the outside world.

3.      Intensification of agricultural production. Due to good manufacturing and use of better tools and high demands of foodstuffs; cash crops and animals products became very important among Africans.

4.      Development of technical skills and new areas. Trading activities stimulated the emergency and growth of technical skills. Africans were able to process gold, iron smelting and cloth making.

5.      Over exploitation of African resources. Trade items such as ivory, gold, copper and animals skins, supplied within African and later to outside world. Later on those resources were highly demanded by the outside world like Asia and Europe. Therefore traders take them to outside world of large quantities.

6.      The decrease of manpower. Many people in the Western Sudan and East Africa interior were captured as slaves to meet the high demands of slaves by long distance and Trans Saharan trade.

7.      Emergence of classes: The interactions of people on Africa resulted into classes of rich and poor; those who engaged in trade and agricultural activities became economically powerful than those who did not engage in these activities.

THE COMING OF NGONI

Who were the Ngoni?

The Ngoni were Bantu-Nguni speaking people of Northern Zululand in South East Africa. They were originally Ndwandwe people under Zwides leadership. But when Shaka defeated Zwide, one part of his group, the Ngoni moved to East Africa under Zwangendaba.

In origin, the Ngoni, were close relatives of the Zulu. They were full- time warriors and cattle plunderers hence disliked by other tribes, so they forced them away. They were pushed further north and eventually reached southern Tanzania. 

Causes of Ngoni Migration

1.      The Mfecane war. This was the period of political instability and upheavals in South Africa which led to the creation of political alliances among the displaced communities. It covered the period 1820/1834 which referred as war of crushing the people. The war was narrated by the Ngoni as Ufuaru which meant the crushing and it was named as Difaune. As a result of this contradiction wide warrior divided into two groups one was Under shoshangane created Gaza Empire in Mozambique and Zwangendaba migrated northern wards through central Africa into present day Tanzania.

·         One group under Mputa Maseko crossed Zambezi River and passed to Eastern side of Lake Malawi (Nyasa) finally settled in present day Songea district.

·         Zwangedaba lead another groups reached and settled in Ufipa, and in the areas of
Lake Nyasa in 1840.Hence Zwangedaba died in 1845.

·         The Ndebele under mzirikazi found their settlement in present day Zimbabwe.

·         The Kololo under Swebatwane migrated north and built Lozi kingdom a centralized state.

·         The Ngoni people were predominantly agriculturalists and pastoralists; in order to protect their traditional way of life they decided to move northwards to central and Eastern Africa.

2.      Boer expansion. Since the Ngoni’s economy depend much on land they wanted to expand southwards but due to presence of Boers it become difficult to them as the’ could not extend to west because Kens rub mountain or to East because of Indian Ocean hence they involved north wards.

3.      Growth of population: Due to population increase in South Africa social organizations became more complex. Class conflicts over the control and distribution of the social products increased. In this process some groups split away to find new habitats and eventually establish their own social organization; Examples the Ngoni faced the shortage of land. Ngoni shortages experienced as serves land shortage which also resulted into shortage of pastures land became scene and there was increasing in scramble for by strong states leading to conflicts and family disputes.

4.      Zulu expansion: The use of Shaka as a leader in Zulu nations contributed greatly to the Ngoni migration. He was a political ambitious and an aggressive ruler who believed in the expansionism policy. He waged frequent wars against neighbouring states. The Ngoni moved northwards to search new areas; they succeeded due to their large number and good military techniques. The Ngoni army was highly disciplined with short stubbing spears known as Assegai clubs, sharp small areas and tough cow-hide-shield.

5. Some owned large herds of cattle hence moved northwards looking for pasture and water for their animals.
6. It was because of influence of men like Zwangendaba, Maputo and Zulugama who provided good leadership
7. They migrated because of the spirit for Adventure. (Need to see what was beyond them).
8. The leaders wanted to take over power in the areas they defeated, which was not acceptable to Shaka forcing some groups to migrate to other areas.
9. They were fed up with the old traditional political system, which encouraged dictatorship and therefore wanted change, which could be achieved through migration.

Why were the Ngoni successful in defeating/conquering the people of east Africa?

1. The Ngoni came in big numbers and were strong.
2. They had good military organization with age-regiments called “impis” (strong army)
3. The Ngoni had a large, well-trained and disciplined army.
4. They had superior weapons such as the short stabbing spear (Assegai) and big cowhide shields, which only left a soldier’s face exposed to the enemy, protected the warriors
5.  They had superior military tactics such as the cow horn method (semi-circle), which was unfamiliar in E. Africa.
6. They met small and fragmented societies, which were unable to challenge their military organization.
7. The Ngoni were successful due to their determination. They were determined to conquer and obtain places for settlement.
8. The East African people were caught unaware and therefore did not offer much résistance.
9. Disunity among the East African people living in isolated societies, made it easy for the Ngoni to defeat them.
10. The Ngoni were fully united under their commanders.
11. They had strong military leaders e.g. Zwangendaba who were able to unite and command the Ngoni, Induna Maputo.
12. Applied the scorched earth policy hence taking people unaware. They burnt and destroyed crops.
13. They used assimilation policy, i.e. they absorbed the people they defeated.
14. They also made themselves fearful to their enemies by wearing the skeletons of their victims.

What were the positive and negative impacts of Ngoni invasions in East Africa.

Positive effects.

1.      Their movement led to the rise of ambitious men like Mirambo, Nyunguyamawe who copied their tactics and created their empires.

2.      Many small Ntemi chiefdoms came together (united) and formed larger political units under strong leaders to fight the Ngoni

3.      There was formation of new societies (tribes) like the Mbunga.

4.      Many people copied their military organization and tactics to such an extent that the Ngoni lost their superiority

5.      There was spread of Ngoni customs and culture.

6.      It led to formation of a larger Ngoni society in E. Africa as they absorbed many people.

7.      It led to formation of some societies by those who used Ngoni tactics e.g. Nyamwezi under Mirambo.

8.      It led to introduction of new weapons e.g. Assegai, cowhides and shields.

9.      From the Ngoni invasion, people learnt how to get organized from smaller disorganized societies, to well organized bigger political systems.

10.  There were intermarriages between the Ngoni and Nyamwezi,whichsubsequentlyled to improved relationships between the invaders and indigenous peoples, and an increase in population.

Negative effects.

1.      They caused wide spread loss of lives leading to depopulation in some areas where they got warriors this was especially in southern Tanzania.t

2.      Their movement led to widespread devastation, depopulation and displacement of people.

3.      They destroyed the economy of the people of southern Tanzania when they grabbed their cattle. (The Ngoni were cattle plunderers).

4.      The Ngoni led to formation of refugees who lived by plundering and killing i.e. the Mariti and Rugaruga who were later used by ambitious men like Mirambo, Nyunguyamawe to make their empires.

5.      The Tuta Ngoni, on their movement northwards, disrupted the trade particularly between Tabora and Ujiji.

6.      There was loss of people’s language, culture and customs. However (Detribalisation of people). The Ngoni invasion led to detribalization

7.      Ngoni disturbance disrupted normal cultivation leading to famine.

8.      They led to insecurity since the new weapons and military tactics increased warfare and aggression in East Africa.

9.      The Ngoni intensified slave trade in East Africa, this was because they displaced people from their homes and so making it easy for slave raiders to get them and sell them.

10.  It led to increased warfare among the African societies, including those areas that had been peaceful before.

A SKETCH MAP SHOWING INTERACTIONS AMONG THE PEOPLE OF AFRICA.

THE RISE OF MFECANE IN SOUTH AFRICA

Mfecane were wondering wars among the clans of the Ngoni speakers in Natal between the coast of Indian Ocean and the Drankers Burg Mountains of South Africa. Sometimes Mfecane is referred as Difeqane or Mfetsane.

The famous Ngoni clan groups were; 

1.      Zulu clan under Senzangakara.

2.      Mthethwa under Dingiswavo.

3.      Ngwane under Sobhuza.

4.      Ndwandwe under Zwide.

THE REASONS OF MFECANE  WARS. 

1.      Need for land - Zulu needed more land for farming and grazing.

2.      Rise of Zulu - Shaka fights the other clans in order to expand his kingdom. 3. Population growth in Natal causes conflict.

3.      Clans denied expanding boundaries in order to make a large territory.

4.      Expansion of Boers from cape to Natal.

THE EFFECTS OF MFECANE. 

1.      Depopulation in Natal because of death.

2.      Empire building e.g. Ndebele Empire under Msilikazi in Zimbabwe, and Ngoni under Zwangedaba.

3.      Mfecane caused insecurity because of fighting.

4.      Mfecane helped the Boer to settle in large areas.

5.      Caused destruction of properties, crops and buildings.

6.      The rise of defensive kingdoms e.g. Basulo, Swazi and Bapendi. 

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