Module Number: AF02

Date: June 26, 2007

Title:

Introduction: Outside religions began making themselves known in Africa close to 2,000 years ago.  The first Christian bishops and church emerged in Alexandria, Egypt in 61AD.  Egypt and Ethiopia had large Christian states from the earliest days.  Islam also came to Africa within two decades of its emergence as a monotheistic religion, in 622AD.  

Christian churches and missionaries established by European traders and explorers started on the coasts of the southern half of Africa, spreading inland while Islam started in the north and pushed south throughout the continent as well as along the East African Coast.  While Islam continuously grew from 650AD until today, Christianity did not make large growths until the late 1800s and 1900s.  These comparisons can be seen by looking at the two maps side by side.

It is important to note that where Christianity or Islam was accepted into African culture, traditional beliefs were not disregarded.  There was often a dualism of religious beliefs; they could be combined or both followed simultaneously.  Along these same lines, it is important to understand that the maps focus on Islam and Christianity, but other outside religions were present and accepted in Africa as well.

Current borders of Africa are represented in a faded format, and are there for navigational purposes only and do not represent any historical claim to national identity. The spread of religion did not proceed by the expansion of clearly marked borders, but was much more subtle. Hense, transitions is more uncertain than the map may represent.

 

Legend/key/instructions to artist: Don't take our colors too seriously; we made do with wht we had. there is porbably a better combination of colors to use, and maybe certain chading techniques that will better represent the data.

We were thinking of having the series overlap, where you could start with Chirstianity, and overlay Islam on this, while using crosshatching to represent where the two colors would overlap. If this doesn't work, we were thinking of having the two map series side-by-side, to better compare the two religions.

It may be better to change the legend of each map to read "Predominance" (of whatever religion).

There are a couple of years with no change. They are marked by a blank sheet with the year and "no change" written on it. The map on these particular years is the same as the map in the previous time frame.

The primary focus of this is the spread of Christianity and Islam in Africa. Tribal polytheistic tribal religions continued to be practiced in many parts of the continent throughout this period, but are not differentiated in this context.

 

Legend for the maps of the creation of the provinces: Use green for Islam. Use Red for Christianity. Use blue for polytheistic religions (but in a lighter shading since this is not our focus).

 

 

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Section 1 Title: Islam

Frame No: 1.1

• Caption: 650
• Use Map Inventory number(s):Islam650; map feature: Borders should be blurred
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Shortly after the Prophet Mohammed fled with his followers to Medina, he appointed caliphates who ruled, through religious rite, over thier communiteis and also influenced the expansion into and settlement in surrounding areas.

Frame No: 1.2

• Caption: 750s
• Use Map Inventory number(s): Islam750; map feature: Borders should be blurred; balloon feature: (Swahili Coast)Islam on Swahili Coast was established by Omani traders
• Text Box:

Islam continues to expand throughout Northern Africa, mostly along the coasts of the Mediterranean and Red Seas. A separate establishment of Islam arose on the Swahili coast (the coastal regions of modern Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania) that was brought to the region by Arab and Persian traders who eventually relocated to the area.

Frame No: 1.3

• Caption: 1500
• Use Map Inventory number(s): Islam1500; map feature: Borders should be blurred
• Text Box:

The influence of Islam continues to grow, especially throughout the Swahili Coast, while European traders and explorers begin to move around the West coast of Africa.

Frame No: 1.4

• Caption: 1850s
• Use Map Inventory number(s): Islam1850; map feature: Borders should be blurred
• Text Box:

Through a series of jihads, African rulers establish a number of caliphate kingdoms in West Africa. Popular conversion was also a moral reaction against state involvement in the slave trade. With colonial activity becoming more prevalent during this time period, Islam now has to compete with Christianity, as well as indigenous beliefs for religious influence.

Frame No: 1.5

• Caption: Present
• Use Map Inventory number(s): Islam_pres
• Text Box:

The historical patterns of Islam are still very visible in the present-day distribution of Islam. The density of Islam adherents increases in the northern regions of the continent, indicating the initial spread that originated in the North and gradually moved South.

Section 2 Title: Christianity

Frame No: 2.1

• Caption: 600
• Use Map Inventory number(s): Christianity600; balloon feature: (On Egypt) First bishops and church in Alexandria, Egypt, 61AD; (On Ethiopia)
  Establishment of Christianity on a firm and permanent basis in the Kingdom of Aksum (not northern Ethiopia) in 327AD
• Text Box:

Christianity originated and spread from the North, as Christian influences from Europe and the Roman Empire began to take hold on the African continent. The region in what is now Ethiopia had a Christian presence beyond recorded history and has remained so throughout much of African history since 600 AD.

Frame No: 2.2

• Caption: 1500
• Use Map Inventory number(s): Christianity1500
• Text Box:

Islam was quite prevalent in North Africa during this era, but pockets of Christianity remained throughout North and Northeast Africa.

Frame No: 2.3

• Caption: 1800
• Use Map Inventory number(s): Christianity1800
• Text Box:

European empires began to send expeditions South to the African Continent, and thus establishments of christian influence arose as European traders brought their religion to the area. The voyages of Europeans around the continent is quite visible on this map as indicated by the presence of Christianity in various European outposts.

Frame No: 2.4

• Caption: 1885
• Use Map Inventory number(s): Christianity1885
• Text box:

Christianity begins a vast expansion inward as European colonizers establish Christian missions with the specific intention of converting indigenous Africans.

Frame No: 2.5

• Caption: 1993 Distribution of Christianity
• Use Map Inventory number(s): Christianity present; balloon feature: (Button for whole map) Dots covering map showing areas in which traditional and local beliefs are held by significant numbers (see photocopy of map with leaves on Africa)
• Text Box:

Christianity remains prevalent in the African nations that were colonized by the British and French. The density of Christians fades as one travels North, signifying the pattern of Christian establishment through sea rather than land.

Section 3 Title: Comparing Islam and Christianity

note to artist: for this section apply both section 1 and section 2 side by side.

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Legend of the map “End of the minting of coins in the provinces of Asia Minor”

 

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