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May 13 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Zanzibar, Dhows in Harbor, 1880s

-Northwestern University Libraries

#archivesxt
calling dhows at Zanzibar 1880s

the method is clearly shown; from dhows (in the background) to canoes (middle-ground) to the porters (foreground)

these porters were some of the regions earliest wage earners in the 19th century
much smaller version in Mayotte

#archivesxt

zanzibar dhows and beachfront, early 20th century

-ilissafrica

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More from @rhaplord

isaac Samuel Profile picture
May 12
19th century, Angola and D.R.C

chairs made by chokwe sculptors, ornamented with various figures

-brooklynmuseum
-ethnologies museum berlin

#randomxt ImageImageImageImage
the chokwe emerged in the mid 19th century as "one of the most dynamic economic forces in central africa"
initially a periphery group of the Luba kingdom, they grew wealthy exporting various commodities; ivory (their traditional item of trade) as well as rubber and wax
these chairs are were influenced by the imported ones circulating in the region from the 17th century but took on a more distinctive chokwe style
including miniature genre scenes of ancestral, titled, and ordinary chokwe figures, as well as the occasional foreigner
Read 5 tweets
isaac Samuel Profile picture
May 11
icymi

"What were the effects of the Atlantic slave trade on African societies?: examining research on how the middle passage affected the Population, Politics and Economies of Africa"

The African view of the Atlantic world...

isaacsamuel.substack.com/p/what-were-th…
The Atlantic slave trade was a dark chapter in African history which saw the forced migration of millions of people to American slave plantations. Its legacy of discrimination still resonates today and makes discourses on its history controversial.
isaacsamuel.substack.com/p/what-were-th… Image
Africa's role in the Atlantic trade and the effects of the latter on African history are thus viewed within the above context, which makes it quite difficult to objectively assess the trade's impact on Africa's population, states, demographics & economies
isaacsamuel.substack.com/p/what-were-th…
Read 31 tweets
isaac Samuel Profile picture
Apr 30
re-reading Bruce Hall's "race in Muslim west Africa"
he may have taken too many liberties with environmental determinism

the Sahara's expansion alone can't explain the increasing power of the Arabo-berber groups in the west of Niger, versus their very reduced power east of Niger
2nd pic from A. Holl's "Ethnoarchaeology of Shuwa-Arab Settlements"

many attribute the hassaniya-arab conquest of Mauritania to desert expansion
but the opposite happened in chad/sudan where the arabs were subordinate in kanem, darfur, wadai and bagirmi despite being themajority
James L. A. Webb's "Desert Frontier" popularized this theory of the growing desert leading hassaniya-arab groups pushing berbers south who pushed the sedentary black-west african groups south as well

*reminds me of NGOs reducing farmer-herder conflicts to "climate change"
Read 4 tweets
isaac Samuel Profile picture
Apr 29
3rd-10th century

equestrian figure of a high-ranking rider from the little-known Bura civilization, south-east of the city of Gao in Niger

-Universite Abdou Moumouni de Niamey

#randomxt ImageImage
robin law argued convincingly against the use of mounted soldiers in African armies before the introduction of all three horse-equipment; bridles (with bits), stirrups and saddles (before 1200s)
but he notes that the bridles were in used early

horsebits from the Bura 300-1000AD Image
its unfortunate that the original sculpture, which would have been just under a meter tall, isn't well preserved

Excavation of Bura-Asinda-Sikka, Niger, 1985 Image
Read 4 tweets
isaac Samuel Profile picture
Apr 28
an unusual portuguese figure from 18th century benin

he is given edo attributes like
-larger than life proportion of the head
-large eyes with outlined pupils
-a patterned hat
-an unusual sitting posture

despite his european features, he is unlike his peers below 👇🏾
#randomxt Image
his head is enlarged and has heavily outlined eyes & pupils <accentuated gaze> that are typical of benin art, but quite unlike benin's depictions of Portuguese with small eyes and proportionate heads
although he has the typical rendering of European facial features (nose & beard)
his unique patterned hat with a knotted rope around its rim (rather than the usual helmet shown on Portuguese figures 👇🏾) and the seating posture (reserved for edo dignitaries versus the usually standing/crouching portuguese) may indicate his higher status from his peers Image
Read 4 tweets
isaac Samuel Profile picture
Apr 27
icymi

"From an African artistic monument to a Museum loot: A history of the 16th century Benin bronze plaques."
The manufacture, function and interpretation of an African masterpiece

isaacsamuel.substack.com/p/from-an-afri…
The Benin bronze plaques are among the most celebrated works of African art in the world

the rulers of Benin Kingdom commissioned monumental works of art as an expression of their power and a repository of Benin's history
isaacsamuel.substack.com/p/from-an-afri…
The over 1,000 bronze plaques are the most distinctive of the Benin corpus; depicting scenes of medieval courtly life
their violent theft and distribution to western institutions in 1897 has complicated interpretations of their historical significance
isaacsamuel.substack.com/p/from-an-afri…
Read 27 tweets

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