(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Black Kos, Week In Review [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-05-31 Commentary from dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor The Songhai Empire is a medieval civilization In the 16th century it became the largest empire ever to have been created in tropical Africa. The Songhai empire is thought to have been started in the 9th century as a small principality (in West Africa) located on both banks of the Niger River referred to as Al-kaw kaw by Islamic scholars. The Niger river is the main river of western Africa. It is over 2500 miles long. It has a crescent shape and it goes through Guinea, Mali, Niger, on the border with Benin and then through Nigeria. The Niger finally reaches the sea at a part of the Atlantic Ocean called the Gulf of Guinea. The Niger is the third-longest river in Africa (only the Nile and the Congo are longer). The Songhai kingdom arose from a fertile area which was very suited for livestock rearing and agriculture. The Niger river is also very suitable for fishing. As early as 800 A.D. the indigenous people of the area made full use of the natural resources of their region and by the time they entered into recorded history, they were already divided into two specialized professional groups, the Gabibi who were agriculturalists and the Sorko who were fishermen. The Songhai kingdom’s borders extended from the central area of Nigeria to the Atlantic coast and included parts of what are now Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea and Mauritania. Its capital was the city of Gao, on the bend of the Niger River in present day Niger and Burkina Faso where a small Songhai state had existed since the 11th century. The Songhain empire was the successor state to both the earlier Ghanain and Malian empires. The Songhai people are thought to have settled at the city of Gao as early as 800 AD, but did not establish it as the capital until the 11th century, during the reign king Dia Kossoi. However, the Dia dynasty soon gave way to the Sunni family, proceeding the ascension of Sulaiman-Mar, who gained independence and hegemony over the city and was a forbearer of Sunni Ali Ber. Mar is often credited with wresting power away from the Mali Empire and gaining independence for the then small Songhai kingdom. Sunni Ali Bar In the 13th century Gao was a tributary of the large and powerful Mali Empire and it was in only 1275 that Gao managed to break Mali's hegemony over its affairs in a rebellion began by a couple of Gaoan princes who were also Manding (Mandingo) military chiefs. Sulayman and Alikolon Narr broke away from the Manding army and drove out them out of Gao and thus established the Za royal lineage. This breaking away however, did not gain Gao complete independence for the time being. Disputes over succession weakened the Mali Empire, and many of its peripheral subjects broke away. The Songhai made Gao their capital and began an imperial expansion of their own throughout the western Sahel. And by 1420, Songhai was strong enough to exact tribute from Masina. In all, the Sunni dynasty would count 18 kings. The first Songhai emperor was Sunni Ali (also known as Sunni Ali Bar), who reigned from about 1464 to 1493. Like the Mali kings before him, Ali was a Muslim. In the late 1460s, he conquered many of the Songhai's neighboring states, including what remained of the then declining Mali Empire. Sunni Ali quickly established himself as the empire's most formidable historical military strategist and conqueror. At its height Ali’s empire encompassed more landmass than all of western Europe and was the largest indigenous empire that Africa has ever seen. With his control of critical trade routes and cities such as Timbuktu, Sonni Ali brought great wealth to the Songhai Empire, which at its height would surpass the wealth of it’s historical predecessor the Malian empire. During his campaigns for expansion, Ali conquered many lands, repelling attacks from the Mossi to the south and overcoming the Dogon people to the north. He annexed Timbuktu in 1468, after Islamic leaders of the town requested his assistance in overthrowing marauding Tuares who had taken the city after the decline of the Malian empire. However, Ali met stark resistance after setting his eyes on the wealthy and renowned trading town of Djenne. After a persistent seven-year siege, he was able to forcefully incorporate it into his vast empire in 1473, but only after having ruthlessly starved them into surrender. Ali imposed Islam on non-Muslims and forced them to abide by Islamic law. Due to his violent sack of Timbuktu, he was described as an intolerant tyrant in many Islamic accounts. Islamic historian Al-Sa'df expresses this sentiment in describing his incursion on Timbuktu: Sonni Ali entered Timbuktu, committed gross iniquity, burned and destroyed the town, and brutally tortured many people there. When Akilu heard of the coming of Sonni Ali, he brought a thousand camels to carry the fuqaha of Sankore and went with them to Walata..... The Godless tyrant was engaged in slaughtering those who remained in Timbuktu and humiliated them. After Ali’s death in around 1494 the Songhai empire fell into a period of civil war and discord between warring factions of generals and sons of Ali. This period of instability continued until the the rise of a general who had served under Sonni Ali named Muhammad. After uniting the warring factions through shrewd use of both political and military means Muhammad claimed the Songhai empire’s crown. After taking the throne Muhammad I would be known as Askia the Great, even though he had no real right to be the king. Not only was he not in the royal family blood line, he did not hold the sacred symbols (scarification) which entitled one to become a ruler. Furthermore, he was most likely a descendant of Soninke lineage rather than Songhay, which mean that by Songhay standards his family background would have not allowed him to be King. But Askia managed to bypass the traditional law and take the throne. Askia the Great Askai’s policies resulted in a rapid expansion of trade with Europe and Asia, the creation of many schools, and made Islam an integral part of the empire. He is reputed to be buried in the Tomb of Askia in Gao, a World Heritage Site. Rumor has it that he gained the name Askia (which means forceful one) after Sunni Ali Ber's daughter heard the news of one of his wars The successor of Sunni Ali Ber, Askia Muhammad was much more astute and farsighted than his predecessor had ever been. The intended successor of Sonni Ali was removed by rebelling Islamic factions. In 1493, one of his generals, Muhammad Toure, later known as Askia Muhammad I or Askia the Great, mounted the throne. He orchestrated a program of expansion and consolidation which extended the empire from Taghaza in the North to the borders of Yatenga in the South; and from Air in the Northeast to Futa Tooro in Guinea. Instead of organizing the empire along Islamic lines, he tempered and improved on the traditional model by instituting a system of bureaucratic government unparalleled in the Weste Africa. In addition, Askia established standardized trade measures and regulations, and initiated the policing of trade routes. He also encouraged learning and literacy, ensuring that Mali's universities produced the most distinguished scholars, many of whom published significant books. To secure the legitimacy of his usurpation of the Sonni dynasty, Askia Muhammad allied himself with the scholars of Timbuktu, ushering in a golden age in the city for Muslim scholarship. Ahmed Baba Institute in Timbuktu The eminent scholar Ahmed Baba, for example, produced books on Islamic law which are still in use today. Muhammad Kati published Tarik al-Fattah and Abdul-Rahman as-Sadi published Tarik ul-Sudan (Chronicle(history) of the Sudan(an ancient reference to Africa, not political Sudan), two history books which are indispensable to present-day scholars reconstructing African history in the Middle Ages. Like Mansa Musa, Askia also completed one of the five Pillars of Islam by taking a hajj to Mecca, and, also like the former, went with an overwhelming amount of gold. He donated some to charity and used the rest for lavish gifts to impress the people of Mecca with the wealth of the Songhay. Islam was so important to him that upon his return he recruited Muslim scholars from Egypt and Morocco to teach at the Sankore Mosque in Timbuktu as well as setting up many other learning centers throughout his empire. Not only was he a patron of Islam, he also was gifted in administration and encouraging trade. He centralized the administration of the empire and established an efficient bureaucracy which was responsible for among other things tax collection and the administration of justice. He also demanded for canals to be built in order to enhance agriculture, which would eventually increase trade. More importantly than anything he did for trade was the introduction of weights and measures and appointing an inspector for each of its important trading centers. During his reign Islam became more widely entrenched, trans-Saharan trade flourished, and the Saharan salt mines of Taghaza were brought within the boundaries of the empire. THE FOLLOWING PICTURES ARE COPIES OF WORKS OF SCHOLARSHIP BY AFRICANS DURING ASKIA THE GREAT REIGN’S Unfortunately as Askia the Great grew older his power declined. Askia Muhammad eventually went blind in his old age, and was deposed (removed from the throne) in 1528 by his son Askia Musa at the age of 80. He died at the age of 96. The Tomb of Askia Mohammed, Ruler of the Songhai Empire from 1493 to 1528, Following Musa’s overthrow in 1531, Songhay’s empire went into decline. Following multiple attempts at governing the Empire by Askia’s various sons and grandsons there was little hope for a return to the power and greatness it once held. Between the political chaos and multiple civil wars within the empire it was a surprise in 1588 that actually ended the great empire. Morocco invaded Songhay unexpectedly that year to seize control of and revive the trans-Saharan trade in gold that the empire’s disorganization had mostly haulted. The Empire fell to the Moroccans and their firearms in 1591. The use of firearms was important because although Askia was an innovator, he never modernized his army and replaced their weapons with new European firearms, which in retrospect may have given them a fighting chance against the Moroccans. It’s speculated that Askia’s impending blindness may have prevented him from viewing their effectiveness before he was deposed. Without the importation though trade and implementation of firearms Africa’s largest empire, never had the chance to prevent the eventual conquest and colonization of West Africa changing the course of history. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NEWS ROUND UP BY DOPPER0189, BLACK KOS MANAGING EDITOR ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After a three-year research project, Gibson became Major League Baseball’s career leader with a .372 batting average, surpassing Ty Cobb’s .367. The Grio: Josh Gibson becomes MLB career and season batting leader as Negro Leagues statistics incorporated ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Josh Gibson became Major League Baseball’s career leader with a .372 batting average, surpassing Ty Cobb’s .367, when Negro Leagues records for more than 2,300 players were incorporated Tuesday after a three-year research project. Gibson’s .466 average for the 1943 Homestead Grays became the season standard, followed by Charlie “Chino” Smith’s .451 for the 1929 New York Lincoln Giants. They overtook the .440 by Hugh Duffy for the National League’s Boston team in 1894. Gibson also became the career leader in slugging percentage (.718) and OPS (1.177), moving ahead of Babe Ruth (.690 and 1.164). “This initiative is focused on ensuring that future generations of fans have access to the statistics and milestones of all those who made the Negro Leagues possible,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “Their accomplishments on the field will be a gateway to broader learning about this triumph in American history and the path that led to Jackie Robinson’s 1947 Dodger debut.” A special committee on baseball records decided in 1969 to recognize six major leagues dating to 1876: the National (which launched in 1876), the American (1901), the American Association (1882-1891), Union Association (1884), Players’ League (1890), and Federal League (1914-1915). It excluded the National Association (1871-75), citing an “erratic schedule and procedures.” MLB announced in December 2020 that it would be “correcting a longtime oversight” and would add the Negro Leagues. John Thorn, MLB’s official historian, chaired a 17-person committee that included Negro Leagues experts and statisticians. Josh Gibson ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The involvement of Americans in the botched putsch is embarrassing for Washington as it tries to maintain influence. The Economist: A live-streamed attempted coup in Congo shakes the region ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the very early hours of May 19th around 50 armed and camouflaged men screeched through Kinshasa, Congo’s capital. First they attacked the home of Vital Kamerhe, a government minister. After a fruitless 40-minute firefight with his guards, the attackers moved on to the Palais de la Nation, the official residence of Félix Tshisekedi, the president. There, the supposed leader of the coup had ample time to live-stream his rebellion on Facebook. “We can’t put up with Tshisekedi and Kamerhe any longer,” declared Christian Malanga, an eccentric Congolese politician and former army officer, as his men held up flags of the Republic of Zaire, as Congo was named until 1997 when Mobutu Sese Seko, a kleptocrat, was deposed by Rwanda-backed rebels. By dawn this Keystone coup was neutralised and Mr Malanga was dead, according to the army. The security forces said they arrested dozens of people, including three Americans and a British man. Two of the Americans were Mr Malanga’s son, Marcel, and his business associate, Benjamin Zalman-Polun, a convicted marijuana dealer. The president, who has been in office since 2019 and was elected to a second term in chaotic elections in December, was unharmed. But the attack, coming amid an escalating rebellion in the east of the country once again backed by Congo’s neighbour Rwanda, has many on edge. “This was an ambiguous, strange, bizarre but also telling affair,” says Jason Stearns, a former head of the un Security Council’s investigation team in Congo. “Why would you start at Kamerhe’s house and then move to the palace? Who seriously thinks that with 50 people, poorly trained and outfitted, you could overthrow a government?” Many Congolese have asked the same questions. Some suspect domestic politics were at play and point to the bad blood between Mr Kamerhe and Mr Tshisekedi. The two men teamed up before a rigged election in 2018 put them both in power. But the president moved against his former ally after taking office. In 2020 Mr Kamerhe was jailed on charges of embezzling almost $50m, though he was later acquitted on appeal. Mr Kamerhe, who has his own presidential ambitions, is now angling to win a leadership election in the national assembly. That would possibly give him powers to block Mr Tshisekedi’s stated aim of amending the constitution, a move critics say could pave the way for the president to extend his time in office beyond his current term limits. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Canadian journalist Sam Forster allegedly spent last summer “disguised as a Black man” so he could experience and prove that American racism exists – completely ignoring the lived experiences of Black people everywhere. The Grio: A white journalist thought cosplaying as a Black man was the best way to learn about racism ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If (some) white people don’t do anything else, they are going to find a way to center themselves in something they have no business being centered in, and they are going to act like they are doing the world a huge favor by doing it. In the case of white saviors, they will center themselves in something and act like the Black people around them should be so grateful for their actions because, my god, do you understand how hard they are working to make things better for you people? How did Forster do his research on this important topic, you ask? If you think he actually spoke to Black people about their experiences, you are incorrect. No, our friend Sam Forster decided to do things differently. Tuesday, on Twitter, Forster wrote, “Last summer, I disguised myself as a Black man and traveled throughout the United States to document how racism persists in American society. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A former producer on The Apprentice has exposed what it was like to work with Donald Trump—and how he was so racist he rigged the show. TNR: Racist Trump’s Shocking Apprentice Secrets Revealed ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As if any more proof was needed, a former producer for The Apprentice just revealed the depths of Donald Trump’s racism. Recently freed from a 20-year nondisclosure agreement, Bill Pruitt, who worked on the television show that christened Trump as America’s Boss and arguably shaped the savvy businessman persona that he rode to the presidency in 2016, told the story of The Apprentice’s early days for the first time for Slate. Most notably, he recounted a 2004 incident in which Trump refused to hire Kwame Jackson, the Black finalist on the series’ first season. His reason, according to Pruitt? “I mean, would America buy a n— winning?” Trump reportedly told the show’s producers. The comment was reportedly caught on tape, though Pruitt said he’s sure the evidence will never be found. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/5/31/2240829/-Black-Kos-Week-In-Review?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/