And consequently, the notable pre-modern sub-Saharan African scholars and thinkers who’ve left written records of their work were generally working within the global intellectual traditions that came along with the scripts.
Big names include the jurist Ahmad Baba al-Massufi in Timbuktu, for example.
A prime example is Uganda, where the Buganda tribe and others still exert political influence. The artificial borders imposed by colonial empires exacerbated tribal tensions and only postponed future problems such as Idi Amin and the Tutsi-Hutu eruptions in Rwanda. Even Mali, which is a very peaceful place with a stable government, has had problems with the northern nomadic tribes such as the Touareg.
I don’t have anything besides my personal experiences. I lived in an area of Cameroon where the most relevant political structure was a trans-national traditional leadership descended from the Hausa/Fulani/Sokoto empires. Every town in the area was ruled over by a rather complex network of traditional leaders who basically all answered back to the seat of the empire in Nigeria. The modern political state handled some things, but day-to-day village leadership was still based on the traditional model. People considered Yola, in Nigera, more of a capital than Yaounde.
These old empires were still relevent in a number of other ways. For example, one area near me was subject to a lot of road banditry. It turns out that the ethnic groups in that area were some of the fiercest resisters of the Fulbe Jihads two hundred years ago. To harass the Fulbe (and later the French) the local leaders allowed road banditry in exchange for a cut of the proceeds. This pattern continues today. Indeed, religious and cultural patterns are based on who has historically and today resisted or accepted Fulbe hegemony.
Indeed, the traditional way to celebrate holidays in the area is elaborate recreations of the Fulbe conquests. These displays are less well accepted by the indigenous ethnic groups who basically see the Fulbe as colonists.
It’s easy for use to dismiss this stuff as “feuding tribes,” but in my opinion that is a gross oversimplification. West Africa has a history of empires and colonies that goes back way before European colonialism. These historical foundations are just as real as the cultural divisions you’d find, for example, in Europe.
One last contribution. Here are images of Kano in 1850, 1930 and 2005. Living in Africa can seem like living right in the middle of history.
Axumite Ethiopia, for me, along with its successors. Ancient liturgical literature, big, long lasting, kept free of surrounding Islamic polities, developed own versions of Christianity, Judaism and Samaritanism.
Another big one that hasn’t been mentioned yet is the Kingdom of Kongo. I’m not sure whether they had any major literature or philosophy, but they did have a vast trading network and a fairly sophisticated ruling structure.
I assume ‘pre-colonial’ means before European domination, but that is misleading because Europe, and later Islam, interacted with Africa continuously.
Kanem-Borno was famous for it’s learning, and even had firearms early in the 16th century.
Can someone answer this part?
I’d be interested in reading an Ancient African political philosopher.
What do you mean by that?
I presume, like me, you’d need to read it in English or the like, but Kimstu mentioned this fellow: *Big names include the jurist Ahmad Baba al-Massufi in Timbuktu, for example. *
Googling seems like the fellow doesn’t have much in the way treatises translated.
Also not sure how you judge such a thing.
I’d say Mali gets my vote, with Kush close behind.
