The West African Heritage

Jamaica had an estimated population of 2,758,124 in July 2006.

The population is broken down as:

Blacks 90.9%

East Indians 1.3%

Mixed  7.3%

Chinese 0.2%

Whites 0.2%

Others 0.1%

West Africa and West Central Africa are the origin of over 90% of the Jamaican population.

The Nigerian Region of West Africa

The Nigerian region of West Africa has witnessed a number of civilizations from antiquity to the present. There is evidence of human occupation from around 4580 BC. The Nok civilization was the first significant civilization recorded in the region. Around four hundred pieces of Nok art have been excavated; the earliest dated to 3000 BC. The artefacts are mostly terracotta human statues of a high standard, some four or more feet in height.

Following the Nok Civilization was the Igbo-Ukwu civilization. Finely crafted bronze vessels from this civilization are dated to around the ninth and tenth centuries AD. The Igbos traded with Saharan states to the north in ivory, pepper, kola nuts and spices. Well-preserved fabrics found indicated an Igbo textile industry.

The Yoruba civilization, ruling from the walled and paved city of Ile-Ife, was noted for its many scholars. Archaeological excavations dated the inhabitation of Ife to around 600 AD. Yorubas cultivated yams and oil palms and had important industries manufacturing iron products and glass. They imported horses, salt, copper and brass and exported kola nuts and cloth. Yoruba art, much of it in metal, was of a very great distinction. The Yoruba civilization became a main target for European slave traders in the 1600s. From the fifteenth century onwards, West Africa became gripped by the slave trade.

Benin, the next civilization, benefited from good leadership and flourished. There were the guilds of weavers, carvers and potters. Like the other great civizilations before it, Benin traded with the Saharan states to the north. Later, links were made with Portugal and other European countries and Benin exported dyed cotton cloth, wool, jasper, leopard skin, soap, palm oil, pepper, and the most exquisitely carved ivory condiment sets and tableware. Benin History continued until 1897, when the British army invaded and plundered the country. They took thousands of priceless artefacts that are held by British institutions and private collections.

West Central Africa

The Kingdom of Kongo, in West Central Africa, was flourishing in the fifteenth century. Situated in the region of northern Angola and Western Congo, it had an estimated population of three million people. Its capital was Mbanza Kongo and its ruler was the Mani Kongo. Industrial activities in Kongo included iron smithing, copper mining and manufacturing, and cloth manufacturing – including bark and raffia textiles.

In 1482, the Portuguese landed in Kongo. They returned in 1485, exchanged envoys, introduced Roman Catholic Christianity and eventually baptised a number of Kongolese leaders and persuaded them to take Portuguese names. The Portuguese volunteered to assist the Kongolese king in battle against his enemies, using their superior weapons (guns). The resulting victories impressed the Kongolese King and he gave the Portuguese land to build churches and their own communities.

Dom Affonso I, a Christianised king, took the throne in 1506. He alienated the non-Christian leaders and wrote to King Manuel or Portugal to send priests and technicians to establish schools and spread Christianity further. In 1508, the slaves from Kongo were sent as presents to King Manuel to pay for the Christianisation programme. Things got out of Kongolese control and the Portuguese were calling the shots. They captured parts of Kongo.

In 1622 Ann Nzingha, sister of the king of Ndongo, sought peace with the Portuguese. The treaty they signed was broken shortly after. Ann Nzingha became Queen of Angola and led her soldiers against the Portuguese invaders.

West Africa’s Golden Age

Ancient Ghana was the first known great kingdom in West Africa (not to be confused with modern Ghana). The kings of Ancient Ghana ruled from 300 AD and its capital was Kumbi-Saleh. Prehistoric Ghana, however, flourished from around 1100 BC when large stone masonry villages were built adjacent

to Kumbi-Saleh. Ancient Ghana was rich in Gold and it is said that the King of Ancient Ghana was the richest king on the face of the earth.

Old Djenne was another great city of Ancient Ghana and dated back to 250 BC. By 500 AD it had a population of 20,000 (a much larger population than London at that time). Old Djenne was a major trading point for gold, salt, ceramics, copper, iron and a great variety of foodstuffs.

The Empire of Mali, led by Sundiata Keita, conquered the Kingdom of Ancient Ghana. The early history of Mali began before 1050 AD. Baramandanah was the first king to be converted to Muslim. He urged his successors to take on the Muslim religion. King Mansa Musa inherited the Malian throne in 1312. Also known as Mansa Abubakari II, he was one of the richest men who ever lived. He launched four hundred ships with men and provisions to explore the Atlantic Ocean. Abubakari II subsequently left Mansa Musa I in charge of the empire and led a fleet of two thousand ships across the Atlantic.

Malians visited the Americas in 1311 (one hundred and one years before Christopher Columbus). Written records, excavated artefacts, skeletons and West African head sculptures in ancient Central and South American Indian cultures are evidence of African presence and influence in Pre-Columbian Americas.

The Songhai Empire was the last of the great West African empires. Songhai took over from Mali and dominated West Africa in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Timbuktu became a great city for learning during the Malian Kingdom, where scholars learnt Koranic theology, law, astronomy, mathematics and other subjects. It had many universities, mosques and monuments built of cut stone and was at its peak during the Songhai Empire.

In 1590, the Moroccan army with the assistance of Queen Elizabeth I of England, who supplied men and weapons; and Spanish soldiers, set out across the Sahara to invade Songhai. They had large stocks of guns, ammunitions and cannons, which were superior to the arms that Songhai possessed.

The Moroccan army sacked, pillaged and burnt the major cities of Songhai to the ground. They damaged all the wells and destroyed all the crops, which led to hunger, famine and a plague that decimated the population and brought an end to West Africa’s golden age.

[OURSTORY] [African Heritage] [Taino heritage] [Transatlantic Slavery] [After Emancipation] [The Maroons] [Jamaica's Heroes] [Idependance]