History of West Africa: A Captivating Guide to West African History, Starting from Ancient Civilizations through the Medieval Period to the Present (Western Africa)

Western Africa contains a remarkable diversity of ethnic groups. It can be divided into two zones, the Sudanic savanna, and the Guinea Coast. The savanna area stretches for some 3,000 miles (4,800 km) east to west along the southern Saharan borderland. Its vegetation includes extensive grasslands and few forests, and little rain falls there.Moreover, The savanna supports pastoralism and horticultural economies dependent on grain. In contrast, the Guinea Coast experiences heavy rainfall characterized by hardwood tropical forests and dense foliage. It produces primarily root crops (various yams).Specifically, it incorporates sixteen different countries such as Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Mauritania, Liberia, Mali, and many others. Among the more important of the savanna peoples are the three main clusters known as Mande in Senegal and Mali and including the Bambara, Malinke, and Soninke; the Gur-speaking group in the savanna zone to the east that consists of the Senufo, Lobi, Dogon, and Moore; and in northern Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon the many small, mainly non-Muslim tribes of the plateau and highland areas. Throughout the region live the many groups of the Fulani, a cattle-keeping Muslim people who either have conquered indigenous peoples (such as the numerous Hausa) or live in a symbiotic relationship with other agricultural peoples. The many Berber-speaking groups (collectively known as the Tuareg), the Kanuri of Lake Chad, and the Bedouin Arab peoples are in the Sahara fringe. Many of the kingdoms are successor states to those of Ghana and Mali.The larger societies in the coastal zone are also mostly kingdoms. In Nigeria are the Igbo and Ibibio, organized into various autonomous polities; the Tiv; the Edo, and the several powerful kingdoms of the Yoruba. Moving westward are the Fon of Benin; the various peoples of the Akan confederacy, mainly in Ghana, the largest group being the Asante; the Ewe, Ga, Fante, and Anyi of the coast; the Mende and Temne of Sierra Leone; the Kru of Liberia; the Wolof, Serer, Dyula, and others of Senegal; and the Creoles of Sierra Leone and Liberia, descendants of formerly enslaved people from the New World or of those who were on their way there. In this region, various civilizations developed and dominated the area.This book coherently presents the evolution of West Africa.

I enjoyed the book, and I believe it is largely accurate. It is a quick and broad survey, but... No author is named, the research is largely web based, and aside from a few pictures there are no primary sources used in the text. Further, the writing is very colloquial. It is easy to read and conversational, but it reads about like a high school research paper. I am glad I bought and read it, and I stand by four stars because it suited my purpose at the price-point, but it is not to be confused with a professional or academic work. What it does do is fill a void. There isn't much about the history of West Africa available to everyday readers.

This is a very well written history of West Africa. The book starts out with Ancient Civilizations that lived in West Africa and helped set the stage for later civilizations. The book covers some of the greatest leaders in West African history maybe even the world and the historic empires they build. Some of these West African leaders became some of the richest people in the world, leaders like Mansa Musa I were so rich that they gave away gold like it was free candy at a parade. Matter of fact, he gave away so much gold that the price of gold plummeted to lows never seen before. Learn how the slave trade affected these empires and how West African leaders dealt with the losses.

This was one of the most informative book—I have read on west Africa. Every page was a lesson worth noting. I am immensely pleased with the material and writing style: it was comprehensive and informative.

I enjoyed learning some new information. The book was well written, easy to understand and kept me entertained.I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

When you think of West Africa what comes to mind? West Africa is home to some of the most rapidly rising nations in the world. In fact many of the world's foremost empires have flourished there. It has been the site of some of the world's greatest tragic episodes. Understanding West African History is to understand the reason for the spread of Islam into the area. Understanding West African History is to understand the European rape of the resources of the area including slaves. The Europeans divided the region into colonies with independence coming in the last half of the 20th century. These nations are developing at a rapid rate going through industrialization faster than the so called developed countries. The spirit of the Yaruba people, Ghana, Mali and Songhai lives in the people today. This book takes you through the history from prehistoric times to the development of some of the greatest and richest empires the world has known. This is a book everyone should read because it is a subject neglected in our public schools. As a former history teacher I highly recommend this book. It is well researched and well written so the reader can easily understand the history of the region. If I were still teaching I would put this book on my required reading list. The narrative is highly interesting. The illustrations and maps enhance the reading experience.

As with so many countries and regions around the world, the indigenous populations and resources of West Africa were decimated by the invading Europeans. This book explains the consequences and talks about the many dynasties that rose and fell in the region, all of which led to the West African nations of today. As with all Captivating History books, it is a succinct read (about three-and-a-half hours) that is well-written. One of the reasons I love these books is there is always an extensive bibliography included if someone is interested in further research. Kudos to the Captivating History team.