East Africa A Mixed Inheritance

By: Alexandra Wiener, Sam Grosso, Ali Crofts, Annabel Burchill

Shared Cultural Characteristics:

• The value of cattle– Environment is suitable– Cattle are important to the lifestyle

• Language (Bantu or Nilotic)– All languages belong to one or the other

• Influenced by Arab Islamic culture– Many countries all over East Africa

Unique Cultural Characteristics:

• Religion– Islamic rule along the coast of East Afrca– Many Muslims in North-East Africa – Interior of East Africa is Christian– Native Religions widely practiced as well

• Language– Hundred of languages– Most common is Swahili– Islands of East Africa do not speak Swahili

The Horn (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan)

• Influenced by outside powers– Britain & France (Red Sea)– Suez Canal (1869)– Italy (Eritrea and southeast Somalia)

• Battle of Adowa– Italy (occupied Ethiopia)

• Politically Alienated – Refugees fleeing armed conflict– Authoritarian Regimes (Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan)– Wars droughts, famines, staration

• Ethiopia– Christian civilization

East African Proper(Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda)

• Rwanda and Burundi– German control then Belgian– Fighting between tribes

• Kenya and Uganda– Taken over by British

• EAC (East African Community)

• Agreements– East African Meditation

Agreement (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda)

– Preferential Trade Area– Permanent Tripartite

The Indian Ocean Islands(Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles)

• Influences– Asia, mainland Africa and Europe

• All influences by France• Formed Indian Ocean Commission• Link with South Africa

Environmental Characteristics:

• Tropical and temperate savanna

• Tropical rainforest • Great Rift Valley • Very Dry (lower-lying lands

of northern Kenya and Greater Somalia are )

Positive Attributes:

• Good cattle lands• Great lakes (Albert,

Tanganyika, Malawi, Victoria)

• Costal Region (ideal for trade)

Challenging Attributes:

• Unreliable rainfall• Constant fear of

drought• Famine • War and civil unrest • No regional community

(The Horn)

Resources:

• Cattle • Iron• Oil• Copper• Gold• Uranium (Somalia)• Diamonds (Tanzania)• Steel

Ethnic Groups:

• Samburo • Maasai• Kikuyu (Kenya)• Afar

Colonial Influences and Treatment of Indigenous People:

• Four Islands (French and Asia)• Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, part of

Somalia (British)• Somalia and Eritrea (Italy)• Ethiopia (Italy for short

period) – then independent• British control forced to

speak English• Italian cotrol forced to

speak Italian• Forced their own culture on

the natives

Leaders and Their Impact:

• 1977– Nyerere (Tanzania)– Jomo Kenyena (Kenya)– Idi Amin (Uganda)

• 1993– Daniel Mkapa (Tanzania)– Daniel Arap Moi (Kenya)– Museveni (Uganda)

What Does the Title Mean?“A Mixed Inheritance”

• East Africa has a wide range of areas in which its been influenced by.

Two Questions For the Class:

• Name three ways in which Eastern-Africa is similar to either Northern, Central of Western Africa. Explain.

• Do you believe that the colonizers of each of the Eastern-African countries has had a lasting affect on the country? Explain.