What is trade?
Trade: is the system selling and buying (exchanging) goods and services in the market or at any place. Normally historically African societies had developed trading contact with peple from the out side world even before the birth of christ since the early of 200BC.
These include trade contact between Africa with Middle East and Far East dated back since the early of 7th Century AD. These early contacts were determined by nature of African and Asian societies. The early contacts were initially at the coast but later some of the foreigners moved further into interiors of Africa.
CATEGORIES OF TRADING CONTACT BETWEEN AFRICA AND THE EXTERNAL WORLDS
The early foreigners/ visiters of Africa continent were categorized in to three groups such as follows:-
i. The contacts between Africa and Asians (These were commercial Contact between African and Middle East and Far East by 7th- 15th Century.
ii. The contact between Africa and Europe in 15-17th Century.
iii. The trade contact between African societies and the Oman Arabs in 17-19th Century.
THE EARLY CONTACT BETWEEN AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST AND FAR ESAT (7th C-15th C.)
The contact between African societies and people from middle and far east: These were the commercial contact between African societies and the Asians countries. This comemercial contact was dated in 7th- 15th Century.
These commercial contacts were generally known as Early contacts. However the early contacts between African and Middle East and Far East it was reached its peak by the end of 15th Centaury due to Portuguese invasion especially. It involved African societies and people from Asia such as Lebanese, Syrians, Indonesians, Persians, Arabs and China, Iraq, Philippines, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Normally the contact between Africa, middle east and far east started since the first millenium.
THE GREEK-ROMAN TRADE GUIDE BOOKS
Normally the early contacts between east Africa society and society from middle east and far east have been recorded in some early Greek and Roman documents. There are three Greco-Roman documents recorded on these documents these are:-
i. The Periplus of the Erythrean Saa: This was a Greek-Roman guide book which shows the organization of Indian ocean trade. It was written by Greek commercial agent in the first century.
ii. Ptolemy's Geography: This was the second Greek-Roman guide book written from the second century to the fourth century. (2th C -4th C).
iii. Christian Topography: This was the third Greek-Roman guide book written by the Cosmas Indicopleustes in the 6th Century.
IPORTANCE OF GRECO-ROMAN DOCUMENTS
The Greco-Roman documents reveal the folowing informations:-
1. They show the economic activities of the people settled in the coast of east Africa by the first century. The major economic activities of east African people were agriculture, fishing and making du-out canoes or dhows.
2. They reveal the existence of international commercial contacts between eadt African coast and Mediterranean world.
3. They show the interaction of east African coast in to Roman economic system. Normally Roman called the east Afeican coast Azania, which means a series of market towns.
4. They reveal the possibility of emergence of towns along the coasts.
COMMODITIES EXCHANGED BETWEEN AFRICAN, MIDDLED EAST AND FAR EAST
Goods from middle east
i. Arabia Beakers.
ii. Iron.
iii. Pains.
iv. Swords.
v. Daggers.
vi. Beads.
vii. Ornaments.
viii. Rice
Goods taken from Africa
i. Minerals such as Ivory, Gold etc.
ii. Slaves.
iii. Tortoise shells
iv. Rhinoceros horns
v. Animal skins
vi. Copper
vii. Iron
viii. Ostrich feather.
Goods from Far east
i. China Porcelain.
ii. Bowls.
iii. Plates.
iv. Shuck clothes.
v. Persia Ports.
vi. Glass bowls.
vii. Beakers.
viii. Swords.
ix. Ornaments
x. India Cotton cloth
MOTIVES/FACTORS FOR THE EMERGENCE OF CONTACT BETWEEN AFRICAN SOCIETIES AND THE MIDDLE EAST AND FAR EAST
1. Trading purpose: Early visitors come to Africa with the aim of establishing trading settlements along the East African Coast and the horn of Africa. During the 10 th and 11 th centuries several Muslims merchants of Arabs in Origin; began to penetrate the Awash valley towards the high land of Ethiopia.
2. To make east African exploration: The exploration done in Africa was recorded in the early records about the coast, it was recorded by one of the Greek sailor book called Periplus of Eryithrean Sea and Ptolemy’s Geography.The visitors from Middle East and Far East were interested to know the accessibility of the coast and the availability of market in the coastal areas.
3. Searching for essential commodities: They were interested to assess the volume of essential commodities which were in great demands such as gold, slave and animal skins.
4. The need to spread Islamic religion: Some visitors come to spread Islamic religion. The Islamic religion started to spread in western Asia from 7 th century mainly through holy wars known as JIHADS which aimed at spreading the Islamic religion. Therefore Muslims Arabs from middle and Far East visited African coast with the aim of spreading Islamic religion to the African people.
5. Good hospitality of local people: The nature of African societies were very hospitality to visitors, hence the Asians welcomed well by the African indigenous to the extent that Asians were attracted to visit more Africa.
6. Presence of good climatic condition in east Africa: Good climate was attracted more early visitors in Africa to come and establish commercial activities with people of Africa.
CONDITIONS FACILITATED THE EARLY CONTACTS
1. Development of marine technology among the Arab traders: This helped them to navigate in the big sea to East Africa.
2. The use of monsoon winds: These are yhe seasonal blowing winds, hence these winds helped them to push their vessels in both go and back.
3. The use of compass direction: The use of compasses helped traders to reach East Africa coasts easy.
5. Availability of commodities: Presence of diffrent commodities in E. Africa like Ivory, animal skins, tortoise shells attracted more traders from both middle and far east which resulted in to development of this contact.
6. Advancement of defensive weapons: The use of gun powders and other sophiscated weapons helped traders from both middle and far east to trade easy without problem.
7. Accessibility of E. African coasts: Geographically the middle east and far east and East African coasts is almost nearby hence this facilitated the emergence and development of early contacts.
8. Availability of trading centres in East Africa: The trading centres attracted Arab tradera to visitbmore east African coast for trading purpose. Example of trading centres were such as Sofala, Mogadishu, Mombasa, Malindi, Kilwa, Tanga and other coastal cities.
EFFECTS OF COMMERCIAL CONTACTS BETWEEN AFRICAN AND MIDDLE EAST AND FAR EAST
ECONOMIC EFFECTS
1. Accumulation of wealth among the traders: Some African people engaged in trade activities become rich because of accumulation of enough wealth. Normally the trade rich class was emerged among the African societies. In East Africa the class of rich people included chief Kivoi of Kamba and Nganyo of Giriama in Kenya, Mirambo and Nyungu ya mawe of Nyamwezi in Tanzania.
2. It has exposed Africa in to the external world : Africa was integrated in the world economy through supplying commodities which were in great demands by the outside world.
3. Intensive exploitation of Africa resources: The contact involved the exploitation of human resources by taking Africans away as slaves and some commodities such as Ivory, Gold and animals skins were taken away through unequal exchange.
4. Decline of local industries: The contacts resulted in to the decline of African local infustries due to importation new goods from the Asian countries and changing the behaviour of African from buying local commodities to buy foreign commodities such as cotton clothes and food utensils, hence decline of local industries.
5. Introduction of new crops: The contact resulted in to emergence of new crops Africa which later become very useful to Africans because they provided food stuffs as well as cash crops such crops were like coconut, palms, rice, millet, wheat, cloves and sugarcane.
6. It has led to the introduction of money economy: In East Africa coastal cities coins were minted and used as the medium of exchange therefore the use of currency replaced barter trade system.
7. Introduction of new arts and crafts: By 15th century various items were produced in Africa and village communities were transforming from simple to complex societies. Many towns developed due to arts and crafts; the art of writing navigation and money handling was also introduced.
SOCIAL EFFECTS
1. It led to depopulation: slave trade in Africa decreased the manpower because traders captured the able bodied people who were essential for production; the aged, weak and children were left behind while they could not manage to produce at large quantity.
2. Growth of Kiswahili language in east Africa: The contact between Africa and middle and far east resulted in to the emergence and growth of Swahili language in East Africa due to the introduction of new vocabularies like Adhabu, Elimu, Salami just to mention some few.
3. It contributed to growth of towns and cites: The contacts has stimulated the expansion of coastal cities due to population increase especially those places which become trading centres. Example Lamu, Pate, Mombasa, Bagamoyo, Tanga, Mogadishu, pemba, unguja and Pangani.
4. Spread of Islamic religion: The contact has contributed to the spread and expansion of Islamic religion along the coastal areas.
5. Cultural interfrence: The contact between Africa and middle east and far east has destroyed the indigenous culture due to introduction of new goods, achtecture, religion, arabic language and mullatos due to intermarriage.
6. Emergence of slave trade: The contact resulted in to emergence of slave trade where many African were suffered.
7. It has led to separation of families: The contact has led to separation of African families due slave trade and insecurity.
