West Africa

Chapter 15

Lesson 1 Guiding Question

• How have historical events affected the culture of Nigeria?

Nigeria

• Nigeria is multiethnic– More than 250

ethnic groups

• English is the official language– Ethnical languages

spoken most

Hausa - Fulani• Fulani conquered Hausa in

early 1800s– Did not force their own

culture on Hausa– Intermarried with each other– Now known as Hausa-Fulani

• Live in the countryside– Cattle herders, farmers, or

craftspeople

• Trade has been important to the Hausa economy for hundreds of years

Yoruba• Most urban of Nigeria’s

ethnic groups– Began building cities

around 1100 A.D.– Each city ruled by a king

• Lagos– One of Africa’s largest

cities– Nigeria’s capital from

1960-1991

• Many live outside of cities today– Farmers, traders, or

craftspeople– Live in compounds

Igbo

• Make a living as rural farmers– Live in small farming

villages– Each village ruled

democratically by a council of elders

• Many Igbo work for Nigeria’s city or national governments

Nigeria’s History

• Europeans began trading for slaves in Nigeria in the late 1400s.– By 1914, Great Britain had

taken control

• Nigeria gained independence in 1960.– Capital was city of Lagos– Moved capital city to Abuja to

unite the people as one nation

• Middle of the country• Many ethnic groups live

there

Tension in Nigeria

• Ethnic groups do not get along– Religion

• Hausa-Fulani are Muslim• Yoruba are Muslim and

Christian• Igbo are mainly Christian

– Tried to form their own country in 1967

– Oil• Nigeria’s number one

export• Companies earn large

profits; people do not benefit

Lesson 1 Guiding Question

• How have historical events affected the culture of Nigeria?

– The Fulani conquered the Hausa and the two groups merged, forming the Hausa-Fulani

ethnic group.

– The diversity of Nigeria’s ethnic groups made unifying the country under one democratic

government a challenge.

• ASSIGNMENT!!!

Lesson 2 Guiding Question

• What factors led to the development of different governments in Ghana?

Ghana

• Called the Gold Coast until 1957

• Colonized by Great Britain– Wanted to control

the colony’s economy

– Exported cacao, used to make chocolate

– Also exported timber and gold

The Colonial Years

• Because they were too busy producing exports, Gold Coast Africans stopped growing food crops– People could not grow

enough food on their own

• Had to import food– Also spent less time

making traditional crafts

• Had to buy factory-made goods from the British

Moving Toward Independence

• African colonies demanded independence during the 1900s– Kwame Nkrumah

• Thought Africans should rule themselves

– Akan• Used to a democracy

– Always chose their own leader

– Chose another if the leader did not rule fairly

Independence Achieved

• In 1957, Great Britain agreed to grant sovereignty to the people of the Gold Coast– Renamed the

country Ghana– Nkrumah became

first president

New Problems Arise

• Nkrumah overthrown by a military coup d’etat

• Why?– Borrowed money to start

new plans– Built conference center

and superhighway– Built a dam with the U.S.

• Problem?– Cocoa prices fell– Country could not repay

its loans

A New Leader

• In 1981, Jerry Rawlings seized power– Ghana’s second long-

term president– Stressed the

importance of hard work and sacrifice

• Ghana’s economy began to grow

Lesson 2 Guiding Question

• What factors led to the development of different governments in Ghana?

– Great Britain colonized the Gold Coast and controlled its economy.

– Eventually, the people in the Gold Coast demanded their independence and formed a government and the new

independent country of Ghana.

• ASSIGNMENT!!!

Lesson 3 Guiding Question

• What factors influence the ways in which the people of Mali make their

living?

Mali’s Environment• Very dry

– Sahara covers one-third of the land

• Sahel– Lies between the Sahara and

the savanna– Two sources of water

• Rain• Water from rivers

• Savanna– One area in Mali that gets

plenty of rain– Most Malians live in the Sahel

or the savanna

The Sahel• People herd animals

and grow food– Grow cash crops as well

• Rains from May to August– Best time for farming

• Tombouctou– Used to be a wealthy

center of trade– Fell off when European

ships started trading along the coast

The Desert Spreads

• Mali has little industry– Trading, farming, and

herding

• Desertification– The change of fertile

land into land that is too dry or damaged to support life

• Reasons?– Overgrazing– Drought

Preserving the Environment

• United Nations formed a committee to stop desertification

• Tuareg– Nomads who lived in

the Sahel– Moved to cities,

settled on farms, and built camps

• Did not have enough water or food

Lesson 3 Guiding Question

• What factors influence the ways in which the people of Mali make their

living?

– Geography influences the ways Malians make a living – they use the resources of the Sahel to raise crops and animals.

• ASSIGNMENT!!!