The Pre-Colonial Societies in Africa

The Pre-Colonial Societies in Africa were states or societies which existed in Africa before the coming of the Europeans.

The Africans had tried to forge political, social, and economic institutions for proper management of their affairs. There were two types of pre-colonial states, namely, centralized states (chiefly states) and decentralized states (segmentary/stateless states).

Centralized States

These were chiefly states. They were highly organized and with well-developed political, social and economic institutions. They had organized political authority centered on a chief or a King. The King or chief promoted law and order and he was sometimes assisted by lesser or minor chiefs to ensure effective administration.

Another characteristic of these states was well developed military machinery for maintaining security, expansion and generally internal stability (law and order).

The chiefs or kings had organized standing armies which originally were equipped with local weapons such as spears, arrows, and bows, but later as a result of contact with the Arabs and Europeans, the kings obtained fire arms or guns.

Centralized states also had organized economic activities particularly trade and agriculture. Most of these economic activities were centrally controlled, i.e. they were controlled by the king through his agents.

Religion played an important role in most centralized states. It was a symbol of unity, unifying factor, religious or vital functions were presided over by the King.

Administratively most of these states were divided into small administrative units, i.e. provinces for easy and effective administration.

Examples of centralized states

There were several centralized states in Africa, e.g. in East Africa-there was Buganda, Bunyoro, Toto, in Central Africa, there was Ndebele, Gaza and Lozi empires, in South Africa there was the Zulu state while in West Africa there was Asante, Dahomey and Benin.

Decentralized States (segmentary)

The states were characterized by lack of chiefly institutions, they lacked single and accepted political authority. They were mostly divided into several clans. The clan elders were used to maintain law and order in such societies.

The segmentary states also lacked properly organized military machinery. They did not have standing armies in this case each clan organized its small force for maintenance of security, i.e. every elder was concerned about the security of his clans. It is, therefore right to assert that civil wars were common  in decentralized states.

The survival of most segmentary states depended mostly on their economic and social organization since they lacked chiefly institutions, economically, they mainly depended on trade, and agriculture,

e.g. through trade, they obtained goods that they needed but could not produce while agriculture supplied enough food. In social aspects, religion played a very vital role by acting as a unifying factor.

Examples of Decentralized States

There were several segmentary states in Africa, but the out-standing ones for our case study will include the Iteso, Nyamwezi and the Ibo.

Factors that Helped in State Formation

By 1800 most societies had developed state structures although they may not have been so sophisticated. Several factors combined to make this state formation possible. They include:

1. Strong and charismatic leadership was significant factor because the need for security made political leaders essential. It is the political leaders who later organized the military economic and social structures of their respective societies. In this respect strong and able leadership became important in state formation and obtained goods they could not

2. Trade was another important factor in state formation. Some states developed state structures because they lived near caravan routes and had therefore got involved in the long distance trade. Through trade contacts they were able to obtain fire arms and other goods especially from the coastal Arabs and later Europeans. Fire arms became an important military asset and contributed to the growth of centralized states. Some societies even traded with their neighbors before entering the long distance

3. The military factor was vital especially in centralized states. By 1800 many parts of Africa were undergoing a period of Iron Age and this provided military tools. Able leaders were tried to mobilize their people and created standing armies. These were used to maintain stability, security and territorial

4. Religion was an important social factor in many societies. It acted as a unifying

5. There were natural factors (environmental) such as good climate and fertile soils. This encouraged agriculture, led to abundance of food and eventually high population growth. In some areas availability of minerals, such as salt and iron became a source of

6. Advancement in technology levels was yet another important factor. In the period of Iron Age, people such as the Banyoro, Nyamwezi were able to make iron equipments which they sold to their neighbors. These were sometimes used as weapons and also helped to increase agricultural production.

Conclusion

In summary of this lesson make sure that the learners should be able to:

• Give a brief background of pre-colonial

• Define the two types of pre-colonial African

• Briefly, explain the factors for state formation during pre-colonial Africa

Pre-Colonial Africa and the Myth of a Savage Continent