Summary Of Nzinga Mbemba Afonso's Letter

In the late fifteenth century the Portuguese were expanding its kingdom in Africa where it tapped into the existing gold and slave trades of the western Sudan and West Central Africa (Ehret 339). By the early sixteenth century, the Americas became a major player in the global commerce system as the Spanish and Portuguese began to carve at the land and importing and exporting sugar, tobacco, and slaves. Slaves in this moment were the chief commodity that the Portuguese sought from West Central Africa as they provided the free labor that was needed to cultivate and maintain sugar plantations in the Americas. However, the slave trade was not a one-sided system, in fact many African elites, like King Afonso a Nzinga of the Kongo allowed for the buying and selling of African people to Europeans. In other words, Europeans traded with Africa because Africa allowed it to happen, however, there are moment when the demand overshadowed the supply. The slave trade and its many complications is one way in understanding the expanding commercial exchanges between Europeans and West Central Africans during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This essay will analyze the letters King Afonso Nzinga wrote to the King of Portugal, Joao

“Letters to King Jao of Portugal,” was written by the king of Kongo, King Affonso, who’s real name was Nzinga Mbemba. King Affonso writes this letter directed to the king of Portugal, King Jao, to inform him about his concerns of his people. The letter is dated 1526 and takes place in the Kingdom of Kongo, which by during this time slave trade is going on (705). Throughout the letter of King Affonso seems to beg King Jao for help rather than being demanding, “again we beg of your Highness to agree with it”(707), remarks King Affonso.

When one queries the assessment of the European commercial activities and its impact in the Atlantic Islands and West Africa between the years 1415 and 1600, trickery, social violence, intrusion and the horrors of slavery comes to mind. There were many negative impacts such as population loss, loss of self worth and loyalty, the Europeans involved caused the demise of the European cloth industry. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to set foot in this area in the fifteenth century. During the history of Portugal (1415-1542), Portugal discovered an eastern route to India that rounded the Cape of Good Hope, established trading

Letters to the King of Portugal (1562) opened with Mbemba urgently requesting the King of Portugal to exert control onto his subjects and to respect their existing alliance. Mbemba initially idealized the lifestyle and religion of the Portuguese people as it was something that bonded the two countries together in the first place. However, the people of Portugal soon developed a trade center and

The Portuguese first made contact with the Kongolese in the 1400s sparking a long and varied relationship between the two kingdoms. In order to better understand how this relationship played a part in the trade, colonization, and warfare of this region of Africa, the following paper will discuss the relationship between the Kongolese and the Portuguese up until the Battle of Mbwila, what occurred at the Battle of Mbwila, and how this battle effectively destroyed the Kingdom of Kongo in the latter part of the 17th century.

For centuries, European nations had been trading slaves, gold, ivory, and more with the west coast of Africa. Throughout the early 1800s, Europeans barely knew anything about the rest of the country of Africa. This quickly changed as Europe grew a sudden interest in exploring the rest of the country and taking advantage of their many valuable resources. Many wonder what motivated Europeans to Imperialize Africa, or extend their country’s power throughout Africa. The driving forces behind European Imperialism in Africa were the strive for ultimate power in Africa between competing countries, the need for money and technological advancements in European civilizations, and the constant attempt for Europeans to spread their cultures throughout

The Portuguese travelers were amazed by its size and recorded their thoughts in a diary stating, “this noble river had determined to try its strengths in pitched battle with the ocean itself.” In more serious parts of his argument, Hochschild used the European sources to prove his thesis. For example, on page 166, the author quoted a Catholic priest who recorded the calamities that King Leopold’s men did in his name in Africa. The priest related the story of how a state official named Léon Fiévez terrorized African villagers by killing a few men (severing the head or cutting the hands of Africans) to make an “example” out of them. Fiévez’s terror was so impressive that even a Force Publique officer quoted him saying “My goal is ultimately humanitarian. I killed a hundred people...but that allowed five hundred others to live.” Hochschild heavily relied on European sources to prove his point for both simple and serious matters. The priest described how “All the blacks saw this man as the Devil of the Equator.” However, this is according to the priest’s own perspective. This is how he perceived Africans to feel about Fiévez. In other words, it is the priest’s perception. There is no way of knowing for sure how Africans truly felt because their voice is silence. Nevertheless, Hochschild made a safe assumption as the terror the sources described can only provoke intimidation and the fact that Belgium became

There are different experiences of the slave trade that are reflected in these documents such as those of an enslaved person (Olaudah Equiano), a European slave trader (Thomas Phillips – an English merchant), an African monarch (King Jao) whose kingdom and personal authority suffered from the slave trade, and an African monarch (Osei Bonsu) who opposed the ending of the slave trade. Of all the commercial ties that linked the early modern world into global network of exchange, none had more profound or enduring human consequences than the Atlantic Slave Trade. And in all these documents, we can see how people reacted differently to this system based on how they encountered it and how it affected them.

European powers shamelessly exploited the people and resources of Africa in the 19th century. They often tried to justify their actions by using ideology, religion and moralism. After the end of the African slave trade, the development of steam power, and medical discovery, European nations started exploring not only the coast but also the unmapped interior of the continent. In this essay, I will explain the main driving forces behind African Imperialism. The Western europeans countries all competed for land and resources because of their self interest. They sought natural resources, and technology gave them the ability to exploit them. The philosophy of national pride however, was the primary reason. (Main document) (Doc C, D & B)

The European missionaries wanted to come to Africa to share the good news of Christianity to the natives. However, often times the missionaries would get caught up in the valuable resources of Africa and make a turn for the cruel side. The novel Heart of Darkness, shows how corrupt the Europeans

According Nnamidi Azikiwe, a Nigerian leader, imperialism is a crime against humanity (Document 8). Europeans committed certain actions to the African race like forcing Africans into labor. When someone with dominance commands a weaker person, they become frightened, like the Africans. King Leopold II colonized the Democratic Republic of the Congo for over seventy-five years. The economy was based on the forced labor of the Congolese (Congo Case Study). Africans needed to collect a certain amount of rubber and ivory, but when they didn’t meet the European’s expectations, they would be punished which consisted of being raped or abused, brutally. Leopold’s actions of continuously demanding the Congolese to work for little wages was not just because they worked long hours, yet got paid off as little as a few cents. The prime minister, Jules Ferry, gave a speech in 1884 called “On French Colonial Expansion” that contradicts, and he exclaims that superior races has a right over lower races (Document 7). Ferry believes that Europe will help Africa become civil, but this created inequality. White people used their control over people of color to work for them. Africans never got the same opportunities as whites; therefore, making them less important. Africans were obligated to be servants for Europeans, but they did not wish to, making this harder on African

Be able to describe the East African trading centers PRIOR to the arrival of the Portuguese.

The purpose of this book is to offer his perspective on how Africans were treated in the Americas from 1550 to 1812.

Another of Jordan’s sub topics in this book deals with the Savage behavior exhibited by Africans and viewed among the English explorers. The English were at sometimes appalled with the differences in morals, table manners, and most visible

The controversial scholarly journal of Robert S Wolff explores the history of the first trade encounters between the Portuguese in Africa and Asia, controversy lying in its separation from the Western narrative. Throughout the article, the author is trying to figure out the motives or other considerations playing a role behind the actions of Portuguese and other Europeans, such as choosing violent ways of making a profit in the lands of Africa and Asia, rather than using the existing trade networks, to emerge as the world ruler. In his view, Europeans had claimed themselves to be the “center of the world” way before they have risen to that title. European countries were looking for profitable trade in wealthy lands full of gold, consequently lack of resources and other valuable goods became a barrier to their success in the already existing channels.This is seen in da Gamma’s first encounter with the local ruler of Calicut, where his gifts were considered substandard to that of the poorest merchant, as seen by the local advisor.