Central Africa is a core region of the African continent that includes Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda. Middle Africa (as used by the United Nations when categorizing geographic sub regions) is an analogous term that includes Angola, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. All of the states in the UN sub region of Middle Africa, plus those otherwise commonly reckoned in Central Africa, constitute the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). Example of Central Africa Kingdoms are; Kanem Empire, Bornu Empire, Shilluk Kingdom, Baguirmi Kingdom, Wadai Empire, Lunda Empire, Congo Empire, Mutapa Empire and the Great Zimbabwe kingdom.
Diffusion is defined as the process by which an innovation is adopted and gains acceptance by members of a certain community[1]. A number of factors interact to influence the diffusion of an innovation. The four major factors that influence the diffusion process are the innovation itself, how information about the innovation is communicated, time, and the nature of the social system into which the innovation is being introduced. Diffusion research, in its simplest form, investigates how these major factors, and a multitude of other factors, interact to facilitate or impede the adoption of a specific product or practice among members of a particular adopter group.
The
emergences of central Africa kingdoms have been emerged due to various factors
depending on the location of the particular kingdom. According to the theory of
internal evolution, the following are the factors led to the rise of Central
Africa kingdoms.
Availability of resources; availability of
resources like fish, cloth and salt help to the development of the central
African kingdoms like Mutapa kingdom with the mining activities which was the
source of gold for the exchange in trade activities. Central African kingdoms
attracted others in trade activities due to the availability of various
resources.
Internal
Trade. Some of the kingdoms in central Africa have risen due to the internal trades
that were conducted by the indigenous of the particular kingdom. Example in
Mutapa Empire conducted Trade by selling Ivory, salt and Gold that brought
internal development of the Trade hence rise of the kingdom of Mutapa.
Political
administration[2], the
central states had great political unity which lead to good implementing and
expansion of the states example in Mutapa kingdom where Mutapa play a great
role in monopolizing the production of natural resources of commercial
significance like gold, ivory and copper.
Conflict theories. Conflict theories of state formation regard conflict and dominance of some population over another population as key to the formation of states. In contrast with voluntary theories, these arguments believe that people do not voluntarily agree to create a state to maximize benefits, but that states form due to some form of oppression by one group over others[3].
Neolithic
revolution, was the wide scale transition of many human cultures from a
lifestyle of hunting and gathering to one of agriculture and settlement,
allowing the ability to support an increasingly large population. The
domestication of various types of plants and animals evolved due to the
Neolithic revolution, it began around 12,000 years ago. The expansion of
agriculture was greatly contributed by the discovery of iron technology, which
later revolutionized the emergency of many kingdoms in Central Africa, as there
was a plenty of food, which increased population to a particular place.
Religious
factor. Religion to some kingdoms helped in the rise and the unification of
people among the Empire. Example Mutapa Empire had power to communicate with
his ancestors that made him to have power over the organization of his power. Because
of this, Mutapa simply unified his people through his Empire hence emergence of
the Kingdom in central Africa.
Neoevolutionary theories. A number of different theories,
sometimes connected with some of the processes above, explain state formation
in terms of the evolution of leadership systems. This argument sees human
society as evolving from tribes or chiefdoms into states through a gradual
process of transformation that lets a small group hierarchically structure
society and maintain order through appropriation of symbols of power. Groups that gained power in tribal society
gradually worked towards building the hierarchy and segmentation that created
the state[4].
Security
factor; any kingdom must have the security system for the defense of the
kingdom which help the different activities to run effectively within the
kingdom like trade activities which done by the different group of people from
different places, like internal and outside places, also security was very
important to the administration system to protect the leaders and elders who
were the administrators of the empire, example the Luba kingdom was ruled by
both king called the Mulpwe and a council of elders.
Population
theory. Due to the population in a particular area, people start to form some
organization that have to lead them to unite. For example, presence of the
fertile soil in the certain area, there can be high production of surplus that is
highly needed in the trade activities and this encourages reproduction of
people. Due to large population Government should be there to solve, the
disputes of the people hence state formation is inevitable.
Contact
of diffusion theory has been used to form many kingdoms in central Africa. That
means the kingdom by itself cannot develop or formed with the absence of the
external influence, that below are explained,
Migration
theory[5].
Migration seems to be the external factor for the origin and rise of Central
African kingdom due the fact that as people moved from one place to another led
to the wide spread of technology, skills, and technique of agriculture
production. For example, Wene migrated to the Congo River where they introduced
their own civilization, also migration led to the introduction of
specialization in production because some people became artisans, artisans,
pottery, traders and others involved in agricultural activities.
Military
conquest theory. Central Africa Kingdoms grew also due to the military conquest
as many leaders of particular kingdom launched the military conquest to near
kingdoms where they captured land, solders and other properties. Hence, this
was the influential factor for the origin and growth of different kingdoms in
Central Africa. For example, Mutapa Kingdom from 1420 to the middle of 15th
century under the King Mutota initiated the military campaign to create a big
Mutapa Empire over the whole area
External
Trade or International Trade theory. Due to external Trade some kingdoms that
were conducting external Trade with the other Trader rather than internal
trade, example shona and Arabs exchanged goods and raw materials from the Great
Zimbabwe like minerals such as copper and Gold whereby Arabs brought
manufactured goods like Beads and Clothes that enhanced the market to the
people hence population increased due to the presence of market. Because of
this, it led to the creation of kingdom because people around the kingdom
accumulated a lot of wealth from a particular trade.
Improvement
of Technology and military assistance[6].
Example Portuguese supplied new weapons in Angola where those weapons were used
for strengthening their empire. Also new weapons assisted in the conquering of
the weak states. Also the improved technology helped in the specialization of
labor to the people where they keep in the production of different activities
like smelting iron that are valuable in Agriculture activities hence
development of the kingdom.
Religion theory or Introduction of Christian
religion. Christian missionaries introduced their civilization in Congo kingdom
and this example is highly evidenced in Congo when Portuguese missionaries came
to Africa from Europe. In Africa missionaries advocated peace, love and
equality as they used Holly Bible to spread this so people were able to live in
unity. Also they baptized many Africans
including Mani Kongo baptize in 1491, therefore the emergence of Christian
religion brought about into Central Africa societies the so called Unity among
the people hence according to this many Central Africa kingdom were able to
prosper much.
Voluntary
theory. Voluntary theories contend that
diverse groups of people came together to form states as a result of some
shared rational interest The theories largely focus on the development
of agriculture, and the population and organizational pressure that followed
and resulted in state formation. The argument is that such pressures result in
integrative pressure for rational people to unify and create a state. Much of the social contract philosophical
traditional proposed a voluntary theory for state formation.
By
concluding, central Africa kingdoms have been formed differently as it was
highly influenced by its location and what was produced or conducted over the
particular area. For example, fertile soil and valuable resources like Copper,
Gold and Ivory characterize most of the central Africa areas. Due to these
minerals, Trade cannot fail to be done because the exchanging goods are there
hence state formation.
REFERENCES
Bates, Robert. (2001). Prosperity
and Violence. The Political Economy of Development.
New York: Norton
Haas,
Jonathan (1981). Class Conflict and the State in the New World. Cambridge:
Cambridge
University Press.
Robert R. Kautz. (1981).The Transition to Statehood in the New World.
Cambridge: Cambridge
University
Press.
James, Paul. (2006). Globalism, Nationalism, Tribalism: Bringing
Theory Back In. London:
Sage Publications.
Rogers,
E. M. (1995). Diffusion of innovations (4th ed.). New York: The Free Press.
[1]
Rogers,
E. M. (1995). Diffusion of innovations (4th ed.). New York: The Free Press
[2]
Bates, Robert. 2001. Prosperity and
Violence. The Political Economy of Development. New York: Norton
[3]
Haas, Jonathan (1981). Class Conflict and the State
in the New World". Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press. pp. 80–104
[4] James,
Paul. (2006). Globalism, Nationalism, Tribalism: Bringing Theory Back
In. London: Sage
Publications
[5]
Robert R. Kautz. (1981).The Transition to
Statehood in the New World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
pp. 80–104
[6] Rogers,
E. M. (1995). Diffusion of innovations (4th ed.). New York: The Free Press.
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