[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.05,0:00:01.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hi there,\Nmy name’s John Green,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:01.08,0:00:03.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this is Crash Course World History
Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.04,0:00:05.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and today we’re gonna talk\Nabout Africa.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.21,0:00:05.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Mr. Green Mr. Green!
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.92,0:00:07.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We’ve already been talking\Nabout Africa.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:07.40,0:00:08.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Egypt is in Africa,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.01,0:00:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you haven’t shut up\Nabout it the entire course—
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.00,0:00:11.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Yeah that’s true,\NMe from the Past.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.06,0:00:13.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But Africa’s big—\Nit’s like, super big—
Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.04,0:00:15.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,much bigger than it appears\Non most maps, actually.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.06,0:00:16.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.04,0:00:21.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you can fit India and China,\Nand the United States if you fold in Maine.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.35,0:00:22.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All of that fits in Africa.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.60,0:00:24.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Like any huge place,\NAfrica is incredibly diverse,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:24.06,0:00:26.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and its a mistake to focus\Njust on Egypt.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:26.06,0:00:30.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So today let’s go here,\Nsouth of the Sahara desert.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:30.11,0:00:31.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,[music intro]
Dialogue: 0,0:00:31.29,0:00:32.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,[music intro]
Dialogue: 0,0:00:32.05,0:00:33.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,[music intro]
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.07,0:00:34.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,[music intro]
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.08,0:00:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,[music intro]
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.00,0:00:37.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,[music intro]
Dialogue: 0,0:00:37.02,0:00:39.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,First, let’s turn to written record.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.10,0:00:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Oh, right.\NWe don’t have very many.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.00,0:00:43.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At least not written by\NSub-Saharan Africans.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.02,0:00:46.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Much of African history was preserved\Nvia oral rather than written tradition.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.08,0:00:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These days,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.00,0:00:50.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we tend to think of writing as the most accurate\Nand reliable form of description,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.05,0:00:50.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but then again
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.10,0:00:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we do live in a print-based culture.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:53.00,0:00:55.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we’ve already said that writing is one\Nof the markers of civilization,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:55.06,0:00:57.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,implying that people who don’t\Nuse writing aren’t civilized,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.08,0:01:00.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a prejudice that has been applied\Nover and over again to Africa.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:00.09,0:01:02.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But 1.\Nif you need any evidence that it’s possible
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.07,0:01:05.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to produce amazing literary artifacts without\Nthe benefits of writing,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.08,0:01:08.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,let me direct your attention to the Iliad\Nand the Odyssey,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.03,0:01:12.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which were composed and memorized by poets\Nfor centuries before anyone ever wrote them
Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.03,0:01:12.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,down.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.07,0:01:14.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And 2.\NNo less an authority than Plato said that
Dialogue: 0,0:01:14.06,0:01:17.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,writing destroys human memory by alleviating\Nthe need to remember anything.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.09,0:01:20.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And 3.\NYou think the oral tradition is uncivilized
Dialogue: 0,0:01:20.04,0:01:20.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but
Dialogue: 0,0:01:20.04,0:01:22.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,HERE YOU ARE LISTENING\NTO ME TALK.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.09,0:01:25.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But we do have a lot of interesting\Nrecords for some African histories,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.07,0:01:27.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,including the legendary tale
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.16,0:01:28.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of Mansa Musa.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.41,0:01:30.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,By legendary I mean some\Nof it probably isn’t true,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:30.05,0:01:31.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it sure is important.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.66,0:01:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let’s go to the Thought Bubble.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.00,0:01:34.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So there was this king Mansa Musa,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.02,0:01:36.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who ruled the west African empire of Mali,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:36.08,0:01:39.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and in 1324ish he left his home and
Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.02,0:01:41.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,made the hajj,\Nthe pilgrimage to Mecca.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:41.05,0:01:43.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He brought with him an entourage of over 1000
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.04,0:01:45.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(some sources say 60,000)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.03,0:01:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and, most importantly,\N100 camel loads of gold.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.00,0:01:51.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I wish it had been donkeys\Nso I could say he had
Dialogue: 0,0:01:51.06,0:01:53.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,100 assloads of gold,\Nbut no. Camels.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.09,0:01:54.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Right, so along the way
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.08,0:01:58.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Mansa Musa spent freely and\Ngave away lots of his riches.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.03,0:02:00.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Most famously,\Nwhen he reached Alexandria,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.04,0:02:02.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the time one of the most cultured cities\Nin the world,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.10,0:02:06.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he spent so much gold that he caused runaway\Ninflation throughout the city
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.06,0:02:08.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that took years to recover from.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.73,0:02:11.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He built houses in Cairo and in Mecca to house\Nhis attendants,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:11.06,0:02:14.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and as he traveled through\Nthe world, a lot of people—
Dialogue: 0,0:02:14.03,0:02:16.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,notably the merchants of Venice—
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.07,0:02:16.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,no, Thought Bubble,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.10,0:02:19.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like actual merchants of Venice—
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.02,0:02:19.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,right.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.08,0:02:24.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They saw him in Alexandria and returned to\NItaly with tales of Mansa Musa’s ridiculous
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.05,0:02:25.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,wealth,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.03,0:02:27.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which helped create the myth in the minds\Nof Europeans that
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.06,0:02:30.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,West Africa was a land of gold,\Nan El Dorado.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.08,0:02:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The kind of place you’d like to visit.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.00,0:02:36.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And maybe, you know,\Nin five centuries or so,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.02,0:02:37.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,begin to pillage.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:37.03,0:02:38.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thanks Thought Bubble.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.03,0:02:39.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So what’s so important about\Nthe story of Mansa Musa?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.74,0:02:40.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, first,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.04,0:02:42.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it tells us there were African kingdoms,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.32,0:02:45.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ruled by fabulously wealthy African kings.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.02,0:02:47.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Which undermines one of the many stereotypes\Nabout Africa,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:47.03,0:02:48.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that its people were poor
Dialogue: 0,0:02:48.02,0:02:50.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and lived in tribes ruled by chiefs
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.04,0:02:51.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and witch doctors.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.04,0:02:51.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Also,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.08,0:02:54.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,since Mansa Musa was making the hajj,\Nwe know that he was
Dialogue: 0,0:02:54.02,0:02:55.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A. Muslim and
Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.24,0:02:57.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,B. relatively devout.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.02,0:02:59.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this tells us that Africa,\Nat least western Africa,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.05,0:03:03.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was much more connected to the parts of the\Nworld we’ve been talking about than we generally
Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.07,0:03:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are led to believe.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:05.00,0:03:08.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Mansa Musa knew all about the places he was\Ngoing before he got there,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.02,0:03:09.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and after his visits,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.02,0:03:13.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the rest of the Mediterranean world was sure\Ninterested in finding out more about his homeland.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.05,0:03:16.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage also brings up a\Nlot of questions about west Africa,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.01,0:03:20.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,namely, what did his kingdom look like and\Nhow did he come to convert to Islam?
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.07,0:03:22.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The first question is a little easier,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.02,0:03:23.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so we’ll start with that one.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.02,0:03:24.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The empire of Mali,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.02,0:03:27.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which Mansa Musa ruled until\Nthe extremely elite year of 1337,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:27.71,0:03:30.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was a large swath of West Africa,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.07,0:03:34.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,running from the coast hundreds of miles into\Nthe interior and including many significant
Dialogue: 0,0:03:34.08,0:03:34.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,cities,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:34.96,0:03:37.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the largest and best-known\Nof which was Timbuktu.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.46,0:03:39.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The story of the Islamization\Nof the Empire, however,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:39.05,0:03:40.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is a bit more complicated.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.07,0:03:41.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:41.01,0:03:44.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so pastoral North Africans called Berbers\Nhad long traded with West Africans,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.09,0:03:47.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with the Berbers offering\Nsalt in exchange for
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.01,0:03:48.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,West African gold.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.06,0:03:50.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That may seem like a bad deal\Nuntil you consider that
Dialogue: 0,0:03:50.09,0:03:52.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,without salt,\Nwe die,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.08,0:03:53.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whereas without gold,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:53.01,0:03:56.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we only have to face the universe’s depraved\Nindifference to us without
Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.08,0:03:58.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the benefit of metallic adornment.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.52,0:03:59.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That went to an ominous place quickly.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:59.07,0:04:04.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Right, so anyway the Berbers were early converts\Nto Islam, and Islam spread along those pre-existing
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.71,0:04:05.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,trade routes
Dialogue: 0,0:04:05.03,0:04:06.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,between North and West Africa.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.06,0:04:06.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Right,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.66,0:04:08.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so the first converts in Mali were traders,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:08.02,0:04:11.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who benefited from having a religious as well\Nas commercial connection to their trading
Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.09,0:04:14.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,partners in the North and the rest of the\NMediterranean.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:14.16,0:04:15.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then the kings followed the traders,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:15.08,0:04:19.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,maybe because sharing the religion of more\Nestablished kingdoms in the north and east
Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.06,0:04:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,would give them prestige,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.00,0:04:25.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not to mention access to scholars and administrators\Nwho could help them cement their power.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.06,0:04:28.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So Islam became the religion of the elites\Nin West Africa,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.01,0:04:32.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which meant that the Muslim kings were trying\Nto extend their power over largely non-Muslim
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.04,0:04:33.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,populations that
Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.06,0:04:35.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,worshipped traditional\NAfrican gods and spirits.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.10,0:04:37.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In order not to seem too foreign,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:37.05,0:04:41.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,these African Muslim kings would often blend\Ntraditional religion with Islam.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.03,0:04:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For instance, giving women more equality than\Nwas seen in Islam’s birthplace.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.00,0:04:45.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Anyway,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.04,0:04:48.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the first kings we have a record of adopting\NIslam were from Ghana,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.03,0:04:50.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which was the first “empire”\Nin western Africa.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.05,0:04:52.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It really took off in the 11th century.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.05,0:04:54.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As with all empires,\Nand also everything else,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.03,0:04:56.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ghana rose and then fell,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:56.02,0:04:57.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it was replaced by Mali.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.07,0:05:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The kings of Mali,\Nespecially Mansa Musa
Dialogue: 0,0:05:00.00,0:05:02.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but also Mansa Sulayman\Nhis successor,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:02.08,0:05:05.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,tried to increase the knowledge\Nand practice of Islam
Dialogue: 0,0:05:05.02,0:05:05.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in their territory.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:05.09,0:05:06.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So for example,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.08,0:05:08.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when Mansa Musa returned from his hajj,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.51,0:05:10.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he brought back scholars and\Narchitects to build mosques.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.10,0:05:14.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the reason we know a lot about Mali is\Nbecause it was visited by Ibn Battuta,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:14.26,0:05:15.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Moroccan cleric and scholar
Dialogue: 0,0:05:15.08,0:05:17.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who kinda had the best life ever.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:17.04,0:05:20.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He was particularly fascinated by gender roles\Nin the Malian empire—
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.07,0:05:22.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and by Malian women—\Nwriting:
Dialogue: 0,0:05:22.03,0:05:25.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,“They are extremely beautiful, and\Nmore important than the men.”
Dialogue: 0,0:05:25.08,0:05:27.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Oh. It must be time\Nfor the open letter.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:27.04,0:05:31.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,[rolls with wild, reckless abandon to the\Ncaged inferno]
Dialogue: 0,0:05:31.01,0:05:32.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,An Open Letter\Nto Ibn Battuta:
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.51,0:05:34.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I wonder what’s in the\NSecret Compartment today.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:34.05,0:05:37.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Oh. I appears to be\Nsome kind of fake beard...
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.05,0:05:39.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,[a hirsute wish is made]
Dialogue: 0,0:05:39.01,0:05:40.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Movie magic!\N[John = L4D Bill]
Dialogue: 0,0:05:40.06,0:05:42.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Stan,\Nwhy did you do this to me?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.08,0:05:43.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Dear Ibn Battuta,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.01,0:05:44.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Bro, I love twitter and
Dialogue: 0,0:05:44.03,0:05:46.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my x-box and\NHawaiian pizza,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.08,0:05:50.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but if I had to go into the\Npast and live anyone’s life,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:50.01,0:05:51.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it would be yours!
Dialogue: 0,0:05:51.01,0:05:54.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because you were this outlandishly learned\Nscholar who managed to parlay your knowledge
Dialogue: 0,0:05:54.09,0:05:55.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of Islam into the
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.64,0:05:57.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,greatest road trip in history.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:57.70,0:06:01.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You went from Mali to Constantinople to India\Nto Russia to Indonesia;
Dialogue: 0,0:06:01.54,0:06:04.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you were probably the most widely traveled\Nperson before the
Dialogue: 0,0:06:04.39,0:06:05.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,invention of the steam engine.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:05.05,0:06:06.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And everywhere you went,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:06.07,0:06:10.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you were treated like a king and then you\Nwent home and wrote a really famous book
Dialogue: 0,0:06:10.23,0:06:10.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,called the Rihla,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:10.08,0:06:12.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which people still read today
Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.04,0:06:14.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and also you could grow a real beard and
Dialogue: 0,0:06:14.29,0:06:15.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'M JEALOUS!
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.95,0:06:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Best wishes,\NJohn Green
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.00,0:06:17.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That was a great open letter.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.02,0:06:17.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Not to brag er anything,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.02,0:06:17.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but you know,\Nit was.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.29,0:06:18.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One more thing about Mansa Musa:
Dialogue: 0,0:06:18.03,0:06:21.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are lots of stories that Mansa Musa\Nattempted to engage in maritime trade across
Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.07,0:06:23.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Atlantic Ocean,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:23.42,0:06:26.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and some historians even believe that Malians\Nreached the Americas.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:26.07,0:06:29.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,DNA investigation may one day\Nprove it, but until then,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.06,0:06:30.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we’ll only have oral tradition.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:30.01,0:06:34.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Malian Empire eventually fell to the Songhay,\Nwhich was eventually overthrown for being
Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.06,0:06:35.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,insufficiently Islamic, meaning that centuries\Nafter his death
Dialogue: 0,0:06:35.01,0:06:36.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Mansa Musa had succeeded at bringing Islamic\Npiety to his people.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:36.03,0:06:37.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All of which is to say that—
Dialogue: 0,0:06:37.14,0:06:38.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like China or India or Europe—
Dialogue: 0,0:06:38.09,0:06:43.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,West Africa had its own empires that relied\Nupon religion and war and incredibly boring
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.05,0:06:44.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,dynastic politics.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:44.04,0:06:46.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Man,\NI hate dynastic politics.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:46.01,0:06:49.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If I wanted to live in an ostensibly independent\Ncountry that can’t let go of Monarchy,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:49.23,0:06:50.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I’d be like Thought Bubble\Nand move to Canada.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:50.08,0:06:52.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Oh, come on,\NThought Bubble-
Dialogue: 0,0:06:52.01,0:06:52.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that’s not fair.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:52.01,0:06:54.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Shut up and take back Celine Dion!
Dialogue: 0,0:06:54.04,0:06:57.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Alright, now let’s move to the other side\Nof Africa where there was an alternative model
Dialogue: 0,0:06:57.06,0:06:58.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of “civilizational” development.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:58.09,0:07:02.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The eastern coast of Africa saw the rise of\Nwhat historians called the Swahili civilization,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:02.01,0:07:05.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which was not an empire or a kingdom but a\Ncollection of city states—
Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.76,0:07:08.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like Zanzibar and\NMombasa and Mogadishu--
Dialogue: 0,0:07:08.51,0:07:10.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,— All of which formed\Na network of trade ports.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:10.26,0:07:11.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There was no central authority –
Dialogue: 0,0:07:11.04,0:07:13.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,each of these cities was autonomous ruled,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:13.26,0:07:14.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,usually, but not always,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:14.09,0:07:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by a king.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:15.00,0:07:17.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But there were three things that linked these\Ncity states such that we can consider them
Dialogue: 0,0:07:17.09,0:07:18.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a common culture:
Dialogue: 0,0:07:18.92,0:07:20.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,language, trade and religion.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:20.10,0:07:23.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Swahili language is part of a language\Ngroup called Bantu,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.23,0:07:25.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and its original speakers\Nwere from West Africa.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:25.08,0:07:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Their migration to East Africa not only changed\Nthe linguistic traditions of Africa but everything
Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.00,0:07:33.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,else, because they brought with them iron\Nwork and agriculture.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:33.08,0:07:36.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Until then, most of the people living in the\NEast had been hunter gatherers or herders,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.07,0:07:37.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but once introduced,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:37.54,0:07:40.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,agriculture took hold as it almost always\Ndoes.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:40.06,0:07:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Unless,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:41.00,0:07:42.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,wait for it--
Dialogue: 0,0:07:42.01,0:07:45.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,--you’re the Mongols.\N[Mongol-tage horns sound]
Dialogue: 0,0:07:45.09,0:07:46.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Modern day Swahili,\Nby the way,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:46.09,0:07:48.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is still a Bantu based language,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:48.14,0:07:50.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,although it’s been heavily influenced by\NArabic.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:50.04,0:07:50.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On that topic:
Dialogue: 0,0:07:50.10,0:07:54.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For a long time historians believed that the\NEast African cities were all started by Arab
Dialogue: 0,0:07:54.09,0:07:56.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or Persian traders,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:56.02,0:07:57.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which was basically just racist:
Dialogue: 0,0:07:57.35,0:08:01.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they didn’t believe that Africans were sophisticated\Nenough to found these great cities,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:01.76,0:08:02.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like Mogadishu and Mombasa.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:02.14,0:08:06.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now scholars recognize that all the major\NSwahili cities were founded well before Islam
Dialogue: 0,0:08:06.03,0:08:10.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,arrived in the region and then in fact trade\Nhad been going on since the first century
Dialogue: 0,0:08:10.02,0:08:10.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,CE.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:10.07,0:08:14.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But Swahili civilization didn’t begin its\Nrapid development until the 8th century when
Dialogue: 0,0:08:14.03,0:08:19.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Arab traders arrived seeking goods that they\Ncould trade in the vast Indian Ocean network,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:19.05,0:08:20.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Silk Road of the sea.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:20.10,0:08:22.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And of course those merchants brought Islam\Nwith them, which,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:22.01,0:08:27.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just like in West Africa was adopted by the\Nelites who wanted religious as well as commercial
Dialogue: 0,0:08:27.85,0:08:28.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,connections to the rest of
Dialogue: 0,0:08:28.04,0:08:29.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Mediterranean world.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:29.64,0:08:32.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In many of the Swahili states these Muslim\Ncommunities started out quite small,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:32.06,0:08:35.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but at their height between\Nthe 13th and 16th century
Dialogue: 0,0:08:35.57,0:08:37.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,most of the cities boasted large mosques.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:37.35,0:08:41.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The one in Kilwa even impressed Ibn Battuta,\Nwho of course visited the city,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:41.37,0:08:43.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because he was having\Nthe best life ever.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:43.45,0:08:45.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Most of the goods exported\Nwere raw materials,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:45.08,0:08:46.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like ivory, animal hides and timber—
Dialogue: 0,0:08:46.89,0:08:47.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it’s worth noting, by the way,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:47.95,0:08:51.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that when you’re moving trees around, you\Nhave a level of sophistication to your trade
Dialogue: 0,0:08:51.82,0:08:53.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that goes way beyond the Silk Road.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:53.83,0:08:55.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean, if you’ll recall they weren’t\Njust
Dialogue: 0,0:08:55.28,0:08:57.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,trading tortoise shells and stuff---\N[Pouf-dodges with cat-like agility]
Dialogue: 0,0:08:57.03,0:08:57.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Not again!
Dialogue: 0,0:08:57.87,0:08:59.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Africans also exported\Nslaves along the east coast,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:59.87,0:09:01.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,although not in HUGE numbers,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:01.20,0:09:02.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they exported gold,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:02.39,0:09:05.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they imported finished luxury goods like\Nporcelain and books.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:05.06,0:09:06.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:06.25,0:09:10.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,archaeological digs in Kilwa have revealed\Nthat houses often featured a kind of built-in
Dialogue: 0,0:09:10.63,0:09:12.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,bookshelf.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:12.56,0:09:14.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Learning of books through architecture nicely\Ncaptures
Dialogue: 0,0:09:14.96,0:09:17.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the magic of studying history.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:17.13,0:09:18.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Archaeology, writing,\Nand oral tradition
Dialogue: 0,0:09:18.76,0:09:21.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all intermingle to give\Nus glimpses of the past.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:21.38,0:09:23.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And each of those lenses may show us the past\Nas
Dialogue: 0,0:09:23.05,0:09:25.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if through some funhouse mirror,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:25.01,0:09:26.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but if we’re conscious about it,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:26.39,0:09:28.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we can at least recognize\Nthe distortions.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:28.84,0:09:31.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Studying Africa reminds us that we need to\Nlook at lots of sources,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:31.43,0:09:32.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and lots of kinds of sources
Dialogue: 0,0:09:32.83,0:09:35.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if we want to get a fuller\Npicture of the past.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:35.03,0:09:36.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If we relied on only\Nwritten sources,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:36.09,0:09:41.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it would be far too easy to fall into the\Nold trap of seeing Africa as backwards and
Dialogue: 0,0:09:41.24,0:09:42.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,uncivilized.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:42.18,0:09:43.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Through approaching it\Nwith multiple lenses,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:43.77,0:09:46.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we discover a complicated,\Ndiverse place that was
Dialogue: 0,0:09:46.02,0:09:48.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sometimes rich and sometimes not—
Dialogue: 0,0:09:48.64,0:09:50.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and when you think of it that way,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:50.02,0:09:51.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it becomes not\Nseparate from,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:51.01,0:09:54.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but part of,\Nour history.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:54.40,0:09:56.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thanks for watching.\NWe’ll see you next week.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:56.46,0:09:56.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,CrashCourse is
Dialogue: 0,0:09:56.96,0:09:58.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,produced and directed by Stan Muller,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:58.13,0:09:59.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Our script supervisor\Nis Danica Johnson,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:59.68,0:10:01.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The show is written by my\Nhigh school history teacher
Dialogue: 0,0:10:01.76,0:10:03.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Raoul Meyer and myself
Dialogue: 0,0:10:03.19,0:10:04.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And our Graphics Team is
Dialogue: 0,0:10:04.25,0:10:04.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ThoughtBubble\N[Perhaps hanging at the Hoser Hut?]
Dialogue: 0,0:10:04.99,0:10:06.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Last week's\NPhrase Of The Week was
Dialogue: 0,0:10:06.33,0:10:06.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Animal Crackers
Dialogue: 0,0:10:06.76,0:10:08.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you want to suggest future\Nphrases of the week
Dialogue: 0,0:10:08.05,0:10:10.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or guess at this one,\Nyou can do so in comments
Dialogue: 0,0:10:10.77,0:10:12.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Also, if you have questions\Nabout today's video
Dialogue: 0,0:10:12.05,0:10:14.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ask them, and our team\Nof historians will endeavor
Dialogue: 0,0:10:14.69,0:10:15.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to answer them.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:15.04,0:10:16.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thanks for watching and\Nsupporting CrashCourse
Dialogue: 0,0:10:16.78,0:10:17.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And as we say in my hometown,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:17.75,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Don't forget there's always\Nmoney in the Banana Stand.