The Intersection of Religion and Politics in 17th-19th Century Africa

Between the years 1881 and 1914, African territory was being invaded by Europeans during the New Imperialism period. Before Europe’s invasion, Africa consisted of various tribes and had no central government due to this during the mid nineteenth century. Europe attempted to colonize Africa using harsh military force and resulted in the European Scramble for Africa. The European Scramble for Africa caused African leaders to have different reactions such as some wanting to have no conflicts, but peace, surrendering to the Europeans due to fear, and also attempting to fight back against the Europeans.

“Ibn Battuta’s stories give us a picture of Africa through eyes of a devote Muslim traveling all over the continent of Africa and the world. In his accounts sub-Saharan Africa is described prior to colonialism and racism. Ibn Battuta’s stories as they are transcribed in “Ibn Battuta, In Black Africa” by Said Hamdun and Noel King are representative of the only written account of this period and give us the most realistic and accurate account of this time in history.

Historically, the major religions of Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism began to spread across Eurasia and Africa from the 5th century through trade routes and conquest. As these ideas and practices traveled to new and distance places, local populations adapted and transformed many of them in ways that reflected traditional beliefs and customs, also known as syncretism. The rise of rulers, such as Sundiata in Mali helps illustrate this process of partial adaptation, or syncretism, in order to get a boost of support from the subjects of the kingdom. The actions concerning syncretism, can be explanation of the rise of kings such as Sundiata. These examples can be seen through the texts “Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali”, “Worlds together, Worlds

During the European Scramble for Africa, in the early 20th century, Africans had a peaceful reaction with anti-imperialistic sentiments (docs. 2, 3, 4, and 7), peaceful actions through the approach of diplomacy (docs.1, 2, and 3) and also a rebellious anti-imperialistic reaction (docs. 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) towards the Scramble for Africa.

“African Perspectives on Colonialism” is a book written by A. Adu Boahen. This book classifies the African responses to European colonialism in the 19th century. Boahen begins with the status of Africa in the last quarter of the 19th century and follows through the first years of African independence. This book deals with a twenty year time period between 1880 and 1900. Boahen talks about when Africa was seized and occupied by the Imperial Powers of Europe. Eurocentric points of view dominated the study of this era but Boahen gives us the African perspective. There are always two sides of the story and Boehen tells us the side less talked about informing us of what he knows.

In Basil Davidson’s video “Different but Equal,” he outlines the European perception of Africa upon their discovery of the continent. Claims that the Europeans were making about African culture, however, were far fetched and did not depict Africa in a positive manner. History according to pre-European Africa was rich and diverse, but once Europeans saw for themselves how different their continent was from Africa, they began to make up their own version of African history.

For centuries, Africans and their belief systems have been derided. Instead of being studied as “valid and meaningful responses to the universal terms of human existence,” African religions have often been considered “exotic objects… peculiar and incomprehensible or repellent.” For many Europeans, Christianity was by far the superior religion, and they strove to convert Africans. One kingdom where they seemed to enjoy success was Kongo. By 1704, the people living there had been Catholic “for six generations – nearly two centuries.” The Kongolese took great pride in this, believing that it made them “superior” to their neighbours. Moreover, both the Kongolese and the Church took pride in the fact that Christianity “had come to Kongo not through conquest and forced conversion, but through the voluntary conversion of João I.” Despite this achievement, though, the Church more – the Kongolese had to practice Catholicism exactly as the Europeans did. With the coming of Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita, who claimed to be possessed by Saint Anthony, this conflict would become more apparent than ever before. Though the Capuchins succeeded in having Dona Beatriz burnt at the stake, they failed in their ultimate goal of fully converting the Kongolese to their form of Catholicism.

The cultural diversity and advancements portray the progression developed in African history. The growth of these two subcontinents prove that American and European historians were incorrect on how advanced and civilized Africa was.

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)

It establishes principles for correspondence between religions, exploring the ways in which they are similar and in which they are different.” For modern Americans who seek a meaningful spirituality yet are aware that many religious traditions exist and offer rewards to their practitioners, Santeria may seem at once a unique tradition with specific beliefs and rituals and a reconciliation of several different religious views. The stories of the orishas from Africa, the correlation of orishas with Roman Catholic saints, and the applicability of the roles and domains of the orishas to modern life in America make Santeria an inclusive and rich tradition.

In Medieval West Africa, nations of political power and religion overlapped. In the Epic of Sundiata we see this intersection in the role of prophecy. This essay will show that prophets regularly and ploy supernatural means to reinforce the political status of future King, Sundiata. While using exerts from the Epic, this essay will analyze the text to show the underlying meaning of power and religion in Medieval West Africa

Montezuma was undoubtedly a religious leader, but he kept the traditions and practices exactly the same. Amongst Montezuma’s people he was thought to have a stronger connection with the gods than anyone else on Earth. The main Aztec religious ceremonies that were held often involved human sacrifice which often led to unrest amongst Montezuma’s people. Peter the Great was also a religious leader but changed the church of his people in ways Montezuma did not. He got rid of what was previously known as the Patriarchate and replaced it with his own church, the Holy Synod. These were both systems that acted as the Russian Orthodox Church’s governing body. With the Holy Synod Peter the Great had more control. He got rid of many of the former church officials and had them work government jobs instead. This benefited Peter the Great because it better served his reign. It kept him in power and his government running smoothly. With these changes his goal was for religion to still play a part in his people’s lives, but he did not want it to have the same importance it was given prior to his ruling. With these adjustments to the church Peter the Great clearly religiously changed his country more than Montezuma

The narrative by Olaudah Equiano gives an interesting perspective of slavery both within and outside of Africa in the eighteenth century. From these writings we can gain insight into the religion and customs of an African culture. We can also see how developed the system of trade was within Africa, and worldwide by this time. Finally, we hear an insider's view on being enslaved, how slaves were treated in Africa, and what the treatment of African slaves was like at the hands of the Europeans.

During the 1820’s the southern area of Africa went through a drastic population growth and radical social and political changes. This period was characterised as period of migration, battles, food deprivation, and suffering

The period of European colonialism in Africa was rife with oppressive, racist, and brutal power systems that acted purely in the interests of the colonizing nations. The people being crushed under these systems engaged in many anti-colonial struggles to improve their conditions and gain liberty, however, these efforts were hindered by selfish people, betraying those around them to work with the colonial powers, for personal gain. Sembene Ousmane’s novel, God’s Bits of Wood, takes place during the period of French colonialism, primarily in the west African country of Senegal, known formally today as the Republic of Senegal, and additionally in what is modern day Mali. Ousmane depicts the lives of railroad workers and their families mainly through the activity in three cities: Bamako, Dakar, and Thies. Bamako is the capital of modern day Mali, Dakar is the largest city in Senegal and also it’s capital, and Thies is a large city in Senegal known primarily as a wooded region.