Book Creator

Emeka

Bringing the past to the present

Wednesday 21 April 2021

Cultural Heritage of the Songhai

Economic
- trade and farming

Songhai Empire today covers modern day Nigeria, Mali, Senegal and Mauritania. These countries have inherited a system of trade from the Songhai empire. One of the trading goods the Songhai empire and Nigeria trade are kola nuts. Kola nuts are native to tropical rainforests of Africa. They are chewed by West African people either in social settings or important life events. Modern day Nigerians (Igbo) inherited the use of kola nuts in sacred offerings, during prayers, ancestor veneration and traditional worship. Kola nuts were also used as a form of currency in Mali and Senegal. Slave trade was important for the economic development of the Songhai, Nigeria has a history of slavery before the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Culture

Religion and Art

Songhai was ruled by a dynasty or royal family of Sonni from the 13th century to the 15th century . Islam was then introduced too the royal court.After some time the Songhai culture became a blend of the religion of Islam and of traditional West African beliefs.Now in the modern day world Mali’s (which is were Songhai was situated) religion is 95% islam and 5% African traditional religions (which was the first religion in Songhai).Songhai had a huge role in the religions used in Mali today because if they didn’t introduce Islam then Mali would be a very different place.

Art was also a big part of culture in Songhai because they had access to plentiful clay which they used for a variety of pottery and ceramic work.In the trading cities you would of found jewelry,weaving,ceramics,sculptures and other occupations .Even today those same techniques of making sculptures,pottery and ceramics are still used ,as well as being sold.You can even find pottery from Songahi at the National Museum in Bamako.

Art

Ceramic, Pottery work, music

Songhai's art was a combination of Muslim and African influences. African art is as vibrant and diverse as the cultures that produced it. African art was a vital component of African life.

The Songhai people not only made artwork for entertainment, but they made it to be used in the civilisation. These objects were instruments for communicating with spirits, for signifying a person's status in the community, for resolving conflicts, and for passing wisdom and traditions on to succeeding generations.

Traditional West African music had many melodies and rhythms occurring simultaneously, making it both polyphonic and polyrhythmic. Many instruments were used, including strings, flutes, and many varieties of drums. This subsequently led to many cultures adopting these inventions and incorporating them into their cultural experiences.

From ceremonial masks to costumes to religious statues, African artifacts and sculptures contributed a powerful influence to the development of the modern art movement during the early 20th century. Their clashing colors, fragmented geometric patterns, and powerful primitive imaginations attracted many to their forms. Their complex pottery and ceramic patterns made pathway for many artworks done in modern day art and sculptures.

Landmark

The architectural remains of the Songhai Empire’s mosques

The landmarks left behind from the Songhai Empire are mostly in the style of traditional West Africa Sahel, along with influences from muslim builders. These buildings were flat roofed, rectangular and built of pear shaped mud bricks and stone called tabali. We can also see the remnants of some decoration, with calligraphy and shapes painted onto the house’s facades.

There are also many mosques still surviving, which often display the merging of the islamic and indigenous ancestral shrines. These are for example the Ziggarut in Gao, the Komoguel Mosque in Mopti, and what is widely considered one of the greatest achievements of this style, the Great Mosque of Djenné.

Perhaps the most well preserved example is connected to a complex of mosques, called the Tomb of Askia, which was built around 1495 by Songhai Emperor Askia Mohamed. The UNESCO site contains two mosques, a necropolis, white stone square, and what is rumoured to be where Askia Mohammed was laid to rest. The tomb is shaped like a pyramid with steps and large wood timbers sticking out, which allowed the builders easy access to reinforce the walls following heavy rains. However, like many landmarks from the past, it faces many challenges in terms of environmental damage, as well as socio-political uncertainty.

Learning

Manuscripts and scholarships

When Askia Mohammed returned from Haji, he brought with scholars from Egypt and Morocco to create learning institutions for the Songhai people. The Sankore Madrasah was one of many religious schools in the empire. Askia was also very interested in astronomy, which led to astronomers living within the capitol.

He encouraged the development of learning and scholarship in Songhai. Scholars traveled from all over the world to the university of Sankore in Timbuktu to study the numerous manuscripts there. The works of ancient philosophers like Aristotle and Plato were translated there in Arabic and made available for study at Sankore. The city of Jenne was another centre of learning in Songhai. It had a university with thousands of teachers that taught and researched medicine, theology, law, grammar, astronomy, history and geography and many other academic subjects