The Global Tapestry (1200-1450) finds Africa as the New Kid on the Block in terms of the Afro-Eurasian “Global” world. Africa is at the end of the pre-Columbian trade routes. Sub-Saharan Africa (Ghana, Mali, Hausa) are linked to the rest of the world via the Trans-Saharan Trade routes. Southern Africa is at the tail end of the Indian Ocean trade (focused in and around the Swahili Coast). Sub-Saharan Africa becomes the southwest quadrant of Dar al-Islam. You can tell from the map below that the Europeans have already begun exploring around the Western Coast with the Portuguese Voyages of Prince Henry (1415-1460). Africa was emerging as a major Global force in this period; but, as you can see from Prince Henry, they will come to be dominated by the Europeans in the next three periods.
6. ETHIOPIA
7. SWAHILI
8. BERBERS
9. BANTU MIGRATIONS
10. HAUSA
SUB SAHARAN AFRICA (from CRASH COURSE WORLD HISTORY)
TIMBUKTU (from UNESCO)
WHO BUILT GREAT ZIMBABWE? (from TEDEd)
PRESERVING GREAT ZIMBABWE (from al JAZEERA)
Who was the REAL LION KING? (SPOILER: It was the Sundiata, the founding story of the Mali Empire)
MANSA MUSA (from TEDEd)
CHURCH of ST. GEORGE, the Stone Churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia
This, like the Americas, is lacking in resources. Most of Sub-Saharan Africa is pre-literate. So, some of these are accounts of travelers and/or griots or storytellers.