What impact did trade have on the culture of Western Africa?

What impact did trade have on the culture of Western Africa?

Before trade brought new ideas, West Africans were polytheistic and spiritual. They believed in good and bad spirits. They used amulets to protect them against evil. After Islam came to West Africa most people in the cities and trading centers converted to the religion of Islam.

How did trade contribute to the rise and fall of African cultures?

Question: What effect did trade have on the growth of West African kingdoms? Answer: Trade led to the growth and prosperity of these kingdoms, first from taxes charged to those who used the trade routes and then from the trade of domestically produced goods.

How did interactions with other cultures shape African societies?

How did interactions with other cultures shape African societies? The Big Idea African peoples developed diverse societies as they adapted to varied environments. The Big Idea Relocation of large numbers of Bantu-speaking people brought cultural diffusion and change to southern Africa.

How did trade affect the rise of empires in West Africa?

Why did West African trading empires rise and fall? People would start to be wealthy and then a drop in trading or a food loss would strike the kingdom. Ghana was located between the Sahara salt mines and gold mines near the West African coastal rain forests. Ghana became an important crossroads of trade.

What were some of the effects of East African trade on different cultural groups?

East African trade had many effects on different cultural groups. East African trade created an entire new language when the Bantu-speaking people and the Arabs started interacting with one another. East African trade also made many small towns bloom economically and made them very wealthy.

What was the trade like in ancient Africa?

Home » African History » Trade in Ancient West Africa. The civilizations that flourished in ancient West Africa were mainly based on trade, so successful West African leaders tended to be peacemakers rather than warriors. Caravans of camel riding merchants from North Africa crossed the Sahara beginning in the seventh century of the Common Era.

How did the slave trade affect West Africa?

The supply of African slaves to American plantations reached an all-time high in the late 18th century (Klein 1999). After anti-slave trade legislation finally shut down the Atlantic slave exports, commodity exports filled the gap. This so-called ‘commercial transition’ was completed in West Africa before it hit East Africa (Austen 1987, Law 2002).

Who was the first people to trade in West Africa?

Trade in Ancient West Africa. The first people to make the trek across the Sahara were the Berbers of North Africa who carried their strict Islamic faith across the desert. The Berbers converted many of the merchants of West Africa to Islam, but most of the common people retained their traditional beliefs.

How did the Berbers influence the people of West Africa?

The Berbers converted many of the merchants of West Africa to Islam, but most of the common people retained their traditional beliefs. The ancient West Africans, like Native Americans and the Sumerians, were animists who believed that many gods existed in nature.