What could have happened for African countries to colonize the Americas? Countries like the Mali Empire seemed to have enough resources at home to focus on, as well as lacking the naval capabilities to travel west. It seems the criteria would be a country with a strong navy (or the potential for one) and a need for resources to be used to go up against its neighbors. Does anyone know an African state, during the 13-1500s, that fits this criteria?
African colonization of the Americas
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Morroco would be in the best position for American colonization from Africa, although they would have to deal with the Iberians to their north. A solid European alliance with France or England would definitely help them in the long term.
According to oral traditions - in both Africa and The Americas - reported in Columbus log, Africans had travelled to the Americas centuries before Columbus did. If true (oral traditions arent always) then African civilizations did have the naval capabilities.
I guess what would be needed is a motive to invest resources in colonisation. Norse explorers travelled to the America's but it would seem couldnt find a reason to come in large numbers and/or stay.
en.wikipedia.org
I guess what would be needed is a motive to invest resources in colonisation. Norse explorers travelled to the America's but it would seem couldnt find a reason to come in large numbers and/or stay.
Pre-Columbian transoceanic contact theories - Wikipedia
West Africa (especially Morocco, which would be the most likely one IMO) didn't have anywhere close to as many trees as Europe did for shipbuilding, besides some areas of rainforest that (from what I know) didn't seem to be under the control of any large states like Mali. They also had much less developed boats. It's possible, but much less likely than Europe.
There is this alternate history book called Lion's blood is set in a world where an Islamic Africa is the technologically advanced civilization on earth, while Europe remains tribal and unadvanced. Africa in this world would colonize America and use Europeans as slaves. I just thought it would be a cool idea to share on this thread.
en.wikipedia.org
Lion's Blood - Wikipedia
twovultures
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An alt-Jolof kingdom which manages to avoid becoming vassalized by the Mali Empire has the potential for this-being most likely surrounded by a hostile Mali could give it incentive to take to sea to gain resources, and it would be relatively close to Brazil.
Oral traditions most likely misinterpreted or taken out of context. There isn't any evidence of this theory that can't be explained away by more plausible reasons, and as far as I know no serious historian backs up these claims.According to oral traditions - in both Africa and The Americas - reported in Columbus log, Africans had travelled to the Americas centuries before Columbus did. If true (oral traditions arent always) then African civilizations did have the naval capabilities.
I guess what would be needed is a motive to invest resources in colonisation. Norse explorers travelled to the America's but it would seem couldnt find a reason to come in large numbers and/or stay.
Pre-Columbian transoceanic contact theories - Wikipedia
Most of those claims are either baseless or completely false (there is no oral tradition in Africa about Abu Bakr supposed sea travel for example), simply there is no evidence of trans-atlantic contact between Vinlandsaga and Colombus.According to oral traditions - in both Africa and The Americas - reported in Columbus log, Africans had travelled to the Americas centuries before Columbus did. If true (oral traditions arent always) then African civilizations did have the naval capabilities.
I guess what would be needed is a motive to invest resources in colonisation. Norse explorers travelled to the America's but it would seem couldnt find a reason to come in large numbers and/or stay.
Pre-Columbian transoceanic contact theories - Wikipedia
EDIT: Forgot about the Polynesians lol. Although it is still debated.
Every thread about pre-Colombian contact and colonization reaches the road block of "why bother" in crossing the great ocean blue, and contrary to common sense (or rather in favor it) the "spirit of adventure and curiosity" isn't remotely enough. Colombus' borderline suicidal voyage was based on Castillian demands to find a way around the Treaty of Zaragoza that placed voyage and exploration bellow Madeira as Portuguese, so a Western route for the highly valuable India trade was a gamble worth risking, even if the base for it was complete bananas.
So for the African kingdoms (Morocco and some Senegambian polity have the best shots) they need to find a politco-economical reason to go west (or south and stumbling west like Cabral did).
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I always thought of Carthage having a shot. Descending from the Phoenicians with both ships and navigational package to cross the Atlantic. It'd be interesting to see their interaction with the Olmec and early Mayans. I don't know about conquest, but maybe trade and intermarriage leading to solid alliances.
Maybe not Now there isn't, but the existence of such a tradition was noted by Columbus.
Not really, this claim has no veritable source (speaking from the Wikipedia ones) and those who do are either frauds or hearsay, the only source for the supposed Malian adventure is a third-hand account by a Syrian scholar who heard some gossip from a member of Mansa Musa's entourage on his hajj through Egypt, not the most reliable, and there isn't a "now", Malian oral tradition have been know by scholars for centuries (notably Ibn Khaldun) and there was never a mention of such voyage.
Sorry there is no evidence whatsoever of a successful African contact with the Americas before the slave trade, sure it was possible, but history isn't made of possibilities but verifiable facts, just think for a second, the Portuguese were the first to settle many islands on the West African coast, Madeira, Cape Verde, São Tomé, if there was an West African active maritime activity would they simply never contact those islands even though they pass through prominent wind routes?