Long before airplanes or trains, Africans had already been on the move—trading, exploring, and connecting with others by boat. In order to trade, explore, and establish connections with other cultures, people travelled by boat across vast rivers like the Nile and the open waters of the Indian Ocean. These journeys weren't quick ones. Travel times ranged from days to weeks!
In this week's blog post, we'll go back in time to see how boats influenced African trade and travel.
Rivers Were Africa's Highways
Africa is home to many powerful rivers, including the Nile, Niger, and Congo. Simple boats were once built out of reeds, wood, or tree bark. These boats were lightweight and portable. Some were fishing canoes, while others were large enough to carry salt bags, gold baskets, or cloth bundles.
Some of the oldest boats in the world come from Africa. For example, the Dufuna Canoe, found in Nigeria, is about 8,000 years old and was made from a single mahogany tree trunk. It was rowed by one or two people and shows how early Africans used rivers for travel and trade.
The Dufana Canoe (left) and its excavation scene (right). The African history via Wikipedia
Boats made it easier to move goods between villages, kingdoms, and faraway lands. In ancient Egypt and Nubia, people used boats made from papyrus reeds and later wooden vessels to travel the Nile River. The Nile was like a highway for trade, carrying goods such as grain, cattle, and gold between towns and cities. Egyptians even built bigger ships with sails made from cedar wood to sail in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.
How Important are these Boats?
These boats were essential to ancient African trade and functioned as more than just a means of transportation. They made it possible for people to share culture, ideas, and goods. We can learn from the stories of the African rivers how people used water to build trade routes and travel long distances between different areas, even continents. Teaching the history of African transportation enables us to understand how developed and interconnected African societies were long before the modern era.
African Boats on the Sea
On the eastern coast of the Indian Ocean, African traders traveled by dhow, a type of boat with triangular sails. Even big waves didn't scare these sailors. The wind and stars were their guides. They stopped and traded goods and stories in China, India, and even Arabia. The Swahili Coast trade included some of these sea routes, which connected cities like Kilwa, Mombasa, and Zanzibar.
An image of a dhow in the Indian Ocean. By Sajjadf via Wikipedia
In West Africa, people used surf canoes and canoes to transport people and goods between the coast and ships. The small, fast boats were important because the difficult West African coast often prevented European ships from landing directly. Because African sailors were skilled at navigating these waters, they helped to ensure that trade ran smoothly. It is believed that in 1310, Emperor Abu Bakr II of Mali led a fleet of 2,000 ships across the Atlantic Ocean. Some think he might have arrived in the Americas before Columbus! This demonstrates how skilled and daring African sailors were.
What Kids Can Learn from Ancient Boats
- People in ancient Africa travelled wisely.
- Boats were built with local tools and natural materials.
- Trade was about sharing cultures, not just about material possessions.
- Travel enabled Africans to discover, create, and engage with the world.
If you could build your own ancient African trade boat, what would it look like? Would it have sails like a dhow or be a strong canoe for river travel? Tell us in the comments!
