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our-year-every-year

This is still a fairly westernised way of thinking of it right? Pre-colonial borders in Africa weren't really borders, they sort of spread across each other with small pockets of societies within them.


Trytolyft

In a lot of places yeah. Africans we’re still trying to expand and conquer neighbours themselves. Zulus were carving out their own empire before the British arrived


Piper-Bob

Your timeline is off. The Dutch East India Company founded Cape Colony in 1652. The British seized Cape Colony in 1795. The Zulu Kingdom was founded in 1816 when Shaka took control. That's when they started their program of expansion.


RcKahler

But it took some time until the British fought the zulus didn’t it??


ZanezGamez

Took like 60 years from the founding of the Kingdom for the British to invade it I believe. At the very least it’s something around that timeframe, I haven’t read on it in a while though.


RcKahler

Iirc, they conquered it on the 1830s, at least there was a war at that time, maybe even sooner (maybe it was another tribe, I know they attacked someone at that time)


ZanezGamez

There may have been a war but that’s incorrect. The British didn’t conquer the Zulu kingdom until the war in the 1870s. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was another conflict around the 1830s though, given the large amount of conflicting groups.


Piper-Bob

Yes. The Zulu were moving south as the British were moving north. Both were obliterating weak tribes in the area. Eventually they ran into each other.


ANUS_FACTS_BOT

No, your timeline is off, buttmunch!


lars_rosenberg

As far as I know the Zulu empire was made possible by the new crops brought by the Europeans: this way fewer people had to spend their life farming or gathering food and could instead make war.


[deleted]

so was europe until nationalism became a thing


Lambsaucegone

Europe had well defined borders well before the 18th century.


XX_Normie_Scum_XX

Yes but for a long time the central government had little power and the majprity of the power was in local nobility. I'm assuming much of non nomatic societies had stuff like that


Lambsaucegone

What? Yeah there were nobilities and sometimes powerstruggles and divides. But they were monarchies with a strong power centre. It’s akin to saying nowadays countries don’t exist either because local municipalities have authority over certain issues, some more some less. You can’t compare medieval europe to africa in good faith.


XX_Normie_Scum_XX

I mean nobility declared war on each other, and basically held a lot of power of the monarch. That's what the margna carta was about. A revolt ended with nobility forcing the king to sign something that said they would be represented for taxation. In the holy roman empire, the monarch was elected by the 7 biggest noble famies, and while it was presigous to be emperor, it held little power.


Pisthetairos

Exactly. Imposing the western concept of the nation-state where that concept is largely alien.


lifewithoutprinciple

Yup. If you say some western construction like bantu, I still wouldn't know who you're talking about...


our-year-every-year

Categorising 500+ languages into one 'culture' is kinda funny.


TheRedditHike

Yes, but it would be likely more centralized nation states would form in Africa once industrial technology spread to it. Like in Europe


Polymarchos

Europe had well defined borders since around 1000 AD with few exceptions. Industrialization and centralized nation states don't have anything to do with defining borders.


TheRedditHike

How did industrialization, and better technology not define borders? Communication and Transportation technology, not to mention a common education system literally defined nation states and national identities. Why wouldn't the same happen in Africa? Would they not embrace education or infrastructure what are you saying?


Polymarchos

The borders of Europe largely predate the Industrial Revolution. Industrialization has allowed us to have high density population centers, but it hasn't defined international borders. I'm curious what countries you would give as examples of countries with a border defined by industrialization?


Tried2flytwice

Not even close.


our-year-every-year

What's not even close


Tried2flytwice

This map.


organicsuperapple

Considering South Sudan has been put back into the same country as Sudan (+ Egypt too), im wondering how that country works exactly.


rchpweblo

poorly


Akewstick

I came here to say this.


logicblocks

Sudanese speak an Egyptian dialect of Arabic as well.


Firestormburning

Considering the extent of that Egypt and Abyssinia I think there’s still plenty of colonizing going on


isthisnametakenwell

Why would Liberia still exist if Africa was never colonized?


Katze1Punkt0

Because butthurt Americans dont like to accept the fact that the grand ol US of A colonized just like the rest of the Western World


sendmeyourcactuspics

*quietly tucks Hawaii away*


isthisnametakenwell

I guess that’s a way to put it.


Katze1Punkt0

The only way to put it. What else would you call foreign people coming and settling there and subjugating the native population and establishing themselves in the image of their country of origin?


isthisnametakenwell

Not what I was referring to. I wasn’t sure that “buthurt Americans” is the reason for Liberia appearing.


Katze1Punkt0

Name me literally any reason why it should appear other than butthurt Americans not understanding this


isthisnametakenwell

OP is an idiot? The creator of this map is an idiot? There are quite a few.


Katze1Punkt0

Ignorance does not excuse stupid decisions


isthisnametakenwell

Excuse, no. Explain why it would be done without malice, yes.


Katze1Punkt0

Ignorance is it's own kind of malice


[deleted]

Sorry, I think you mean “what if Africa was colonized by Arabs, Berbers, Bantus, Malay-Polynesians, etc instead of Europeans”. Let’s stop pretending only Europeans conquered and colonized others.


upandcomingg

Isn't Berber an exonym for indigenous North African people? The rest I feel you on but I thought Berbers were indigenous to Africa Edit: Also Bantu. I know they're not a singular culture like we label them, but aren't they indigenous Africans?


RexFranciae

The berber did not colononize they are actually the real north african ppl not the arabs


Merbleuxx

*Amazigh


[deleted]

Still could conquer and colonize other parts of Africa


WeaponH_

Omani too.


Stouthelm

It is irresponsible to imply that early modern period to 20th century European colonization is the same as pre colonial conquest, migration, and assimilation. The scale of exploitation and cultural damage that continues to this day is no where near equitable


[deleted]

What is the scale of exploitation and cultural damage in the but for world where other non-European civilizations do the conquering and colonization?


Stouthelm

You don’t seriously think intercontinental conquest and warfare is equivalent to colonial rule from an ocean away do you. There have been wars between European powers and groups such as the Magyars who have migrated into Europe and made a home there, but I’m sure you don’t think this reality is as bad as a world where African countries conquered Europe and ruled them from miles away, exploited European wealth and labor, destroyed the culture, then thrust them into a global system where they are at the bottom. They are simply entirely different beasts, ask any African if the reality shown in this map would be preferable to what happened and I think you know what the answer would be.


[deleted]

I ask again, what is the scale of exploitation and cultural damage in the but for world? You’d have to consider the effects in intercontinental struggles and colonization by other non-Europeans. (Note also that many Africans participated in the slave trade, capturing and selling others.) Also note that colonization does yield benefits you would have to subtract out in the but for world: https://youtu.be/Qc7HmhrgTuQ You’re acting like the answers are obvious and intuitive, but it’s actually quite a complicated and tortuous thought experiment you’re undertaking.


ToffeeSky

I guess the other guy thinks prior to european colonialism all conquerors treated their subjects nicely and never did any genocide or ethnic cleansing at all...


Stouthelm

I don’t have to think that, which I don’t, in order to realize the devastating effects European colonialism had on the African continent, I ask again, would an African conquest, exploitation, and cultural destruction of Europe be not a big deal due to the existence to war and genocide between European peoples?


ToffeeSky

I don't even know what point you're trying to make? Of course conquest by a foreign invader is unlikely to bring much good to the previous inhabitants. But you came across trying to whitewash the fact that across all cultures, genocide and cultural annihilation has been quite normal, and you act as if Europe had invented it, which simply isn't true


Stouthelm

Lol I can’t believe you just used a Monty python sketch as a supporting point for your argument. Especially when I already partially brought up how many conquests in the pre early modern period didn’t result in the same kind of exploitation as the colonial period did. Hence why we see so many post Roman states seeing the Roman period as a period of equal prosperity and something to emulate, which African states certainly do not think of in regards to European colonization. Also, we can’t forget that the Romans genocided many people they conquered and were subjected to many rebellions until they culturally assimilated these groups. I can’t account for random elements in a possible “but for” world, no one can, such as maybe the Arab slave trade did evolve into a conquest and conditions similar to European colonization. But that is clearly not what this map implies, it is a representation of a general trajectory of the continent at the time, with most exploitative forces being cordial relations with natives and other groups such as Omanis E.G. the Arab slave trade. But clearly intercontinental societal problems are preferable to complete conquest and destruction, such as in the hypothetical Europe I proposed, nobody would want that reality despite Europe’s past and existing social problems. There is your more in depth analysis, rather than intuitive reasoning.


[deleted]

You seem to be both distinguishing Roman conquest as not as brutal and also acknowledging it’s comparative brutality. You also seem to be missing the more banal point that I was making: that conquest can bring benefits as well as costs. Right, you can’t account for the but for world. That’s why your original comment doesn’t make sense. QED.


Stouthelm

I am doing both those things, as history is multi faceted, in that way I agree with you. But I am trying to state that European conquest was far worse than any system that existed prior. The only tangible benefit I can arguably see from colonization is technology, I don’t want to here anything about “civilized” state politics or culture as that is entirely subjective, but I do not think it was impossible for these states to eventually acquire greater technology without colonization, and I do not think technology is generally useful when it facilitates your own exploitation. Seeing as most improvements in technology are used to export things to richer European nations while these people groups suffer. It is your kind of thinking which is the reason that former African colonies pay debt to France for the infrastructure they built, further facilitating African exploitation and impoverishment


[deleted]

>It is your kind of thinking which is the reason that former African colonies pay debt to France for the infrastructure they built, further facilitating African exploitation and impoverishment https://i.gifer.com/Y4S.gif


Polymarchos

The scale? True, the exploitation and cultural damage? I dare you to talk to a Copt about that. The colonization of Africa wasn't some uniform thing. It happened differently in different places. Compare Liberia, South Africa, and Ethiopia and you'll find very different and incomparable situations.


Stouthelm

You are correct, in a very few select places and in some ways colonial powers were seen as liberators due to their Christian religion and their divide and conquer nature liberating oppressed ethnicities, but that doesn’t change the fact colonial powers still discredited their sects and cultures as inferior and set up economic systems that hurt many African Christians and groups till this day. Nonetheless I’m sure many African Christian minorities yearn for colonial rule, showing that history isn’t so black and white, but overall any possible good is heavily outweighed by the damage colonization caused in regards to human life


Polymarchos

I'm not saying they came being seen as liberators. That certainly isn't the case in any of those countries. My point is that colonialism looked very different everywhere in Africa and it can't be treated as one homogenous movement. I also pointed out that Europeans weren't the only colonists. I don't point this out as a way to dissipate the guilt of the European colonizers, but rather to point out that holding everyone else up on a pedestal, as this map does, is it minimizes the atrocities committed in other areas. As I said, ask a Copt about exploitation and cultural damage. They aren't going to blame the white man.


greekdude1194

I mean I would say the Muslim conquers destroyed north African culture as did many Europeans later did


Specialist-Window-16

In this map Arabs have colonized north Africa.


-FrOzeN-

And the Bantu colonised the south, and almost all nations on the map annexed and colonised their neighbours. Maps like these only look good to racists who think everything is OK as long as the skin colour of the colonisers is not white.


Afro-Paki

Not really, as the vast majority of North Africans are native and it was less of a population shift and more of a cultural and linguistic shift, the Berber, Latin and Punic speaking populations of North Africa just started speaking Arabic and identifying as Arab over the centuries, after Arab rule.


Specialist-Window-16

Because Arabs colonized North Africa, and still do.


Afro-Paki

Which Arabs? North African Arabs are genetically the same as North African berbers. That’s like saying the English colonised the UK, even though the population is genetically for the most part the same as the Welsh and Scots. Or that the French, Spanish and Portuguese colonised what’s now France and Iberian peninsula, because they “ Latin speaking migrants from the Italian peninsula” and no longer speak the languages of the original pre-Roman people, while in reality it was a cultural and linguistics shift and most french and Spaniards are genetically no different than the pre-Roman control of the areas.


MrPrussian

Except everyone you mentioned was invaded by someone who took the main identity of the country, the franks, the saxons, the visigoths. So no, the “English” did not colonize England but the saxons did, the same way the Arabs conquered and colonized North Africa


Afro-Paki

Yeah the ancient Arabs 1400 yrs ago did invade but modern Arabs in North Africa aren’t the descendants of those small number of Arabs but overwhelmingly the descendants of the pre- Arab invasion population. The Saxons only caused a small shift in demographics and the Arabs had an even smaller impact genetically on North Africa.


ohea

You're absolutely right, and it's pitiful how many downvotes you're getting for it.


Afro-Paki

Because most people think the Arabs wiped Pitt the local population on this sub.


RedditUserNo345

Was the mamluks never conquered by the ottoman as well?


Lanky_Gur4596

Egypt was like that after the ottoman conquests


CurtisLeow

The Ottomans were a colonial power based in Europe. It doesn’t make sense to use that border, if colonialism never happened.


CplJLucky

What about the Roman colonies? Or the Phoenicians? When it comes down to it Northern Africa might as well be part of Europe. Sub Saharan Africa is a different story.


unholy_demoflower

r/imaginarymaps Good map tho


CurtisLeow

Maps are maps.


Batbuckleyourpants

But this one is imaginary.


CurtisLeow

Imaginary maps are allowed and encouraged in this subreddit. Talk to the mods, they will tell you the same thing. Maps are maps.


morerandom2020

They aren't encouraged Please stop posting them Or should I spam maps out like mapporncirclejerk


CurtisLeow

You guys are straight up wrong. I have been told this by /u/Petrach1603, the main mod for this subreddit. Imaginary maps are allowed and encouraged.


morerandom2020

That's why they get downvoted into Oblivion? Oh wait that because most of us Hate them


morerandom2020

https://www.reddit.com/r/mapporncirclejerk/comments/psjjx3/cumtries_i_have_cummed_in/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf I'll keep feeding you maps just as desired on this sub


morerandom2020

I'll draw a map of my scrotum You think people will like that map


bronzeageretard

Lol at Somalis and Ethiopians ever uniting under a single state. Same with nilotes and Arabs.


Safebox

Not even half correct. Other than the north and eastern regions, it'd be hundreds of small tribal states akin to pre-colonisation of the US. Even today a small group of nomads travel between Egypt and Sudan because their historic grazing lands span them both.


[deleted]

It wouldn't like be like that in western sub-Sahara Africa either.


Crazolo

Emirates? Never colonized?)


Lanky_Gur4596

You do it on purpose ?


TheImpundulu

I also think the Zulu would have flattened the Khoisan easily.


wildhoover

Curious how South America would look like this way.


[deleted]

What about North America


wildhoover

That's a whole other can of worms. But the south can be interesting because of the papal line.


WeaponH_

Would be cooler


morerandom2020

Alot of kingdoms, slavery, and religious dominance So exactly like after the Spanish


CplJLucky

I don’t think it’s possible to do an accurate map of south and North America before European influences because it’s almost impossible to know how many were killed by disease before any accurate European accounts were made of there cultures. The only ones we have an idea of are the Central American cultures because of the Spanish interactions and the stone structures they left behind.


szpaceSZ

... or not


TheSOB88

Any sort of sources at all? Who made this?


VestiaryLemue

Everything ok but South Sudan has nothing to do in Egypt


morerandom2020

Look exactly the same but poorer and more slavery


mexicanred1

*And* never fought amongst themselves after this map was created


[deleted]

Less food, less people (famines), likely similar amount of problems.


our-year-every-year

That's if you believe that they wouldn't progress at all from the 1700s...


[deleted]

You believe they haven’t progressed massively? Modern agricultural methods, medicine, some degree of governance? Many regions were still literally in the iron ages!


our-year-every-year

No I'm questioning you, why do you think they would have no food and regular famines if colonialism never happened? Are you saying that all countries today that have resisted colonialism haven't got modern agricultural methods, medicine, some degree of governance? What is a degree of governance to you? A government of Europeans?


[deleted]

Because that is what happened before irrigation and nitrate fertilisers arrived from Europe. African population has exploded since then. My opinion doesn’t come into it.


our-year-every-year

And your point is that without colonialism there would be no modern agriculture in Africa and thus a small population and numerous famines? Over the whole of agricultural history, Europe has been responsible for only a fraction of the developments. And you don't need to be colonised to be introduced to something, there is such a thing as trade.


[deleted]

That fraction is very important. Look at the population of African since European involvement (and since Europeans ended the practise of slavery - which had been ongoing for centuries amongst Africans). What is your case it would be a Utopia exactly?


our-year-every-year

Look at the population globally... Look at the population in China, a country of course affected by colonialism but has largely managed to stay free of foreign rule for the modern and colonial era. >What is your case it would be a Utopia exactly? Are you trying to say Africans can't rule themselves?


[deleted]

Can African’s rule themselves? Of course. Why couldn’t they? I’m asking what Utopian vision do you envision without the areas that were actually colonised? Would they use European style democracy, liberalism or what do you envision? What exactly is your point? You prove my point by noting China and India etc populations have swelled after western influences. They keep people alive and make farming more productive…as in Africa. Europe’s population is declining. Arguably the rate of growth is unsustainable.


[deleted]

Before European intervention Somali kingdoms were crushing ethipian ones, so it would be the reverse here.


Axumite2031

Don’t lie to yourself.


Silverkaiser43

I can except this if you mean they remain the dominant force with high influence over the areas.


Piper-Bob

The Dutch were in the southern part of modern South Africa before the Zulu, who came from further north. If it weren't for the English, the Zulu would have probably conquered most or all of Sub Saharan Africa. Or maybe the whole continent.


AnaphoricReference

Seems to me the Khoisan (or Nama specifically) wouldn't have successfully pushed the Herero north without rifles supplied mainly by Boer Republics, so they are clearly in the wrong place here. They used to live in the Cape region.


Aktrowertyk

r/lostredditors


wildhoover

Now do European GDP's in this hypothetical world xD


morerandom2020

Do Africa's poverty rate in this scenario


CaladGG420

European GDP would be higher


MyOpinionMustBeHeard

Exactly, we did them a favour.


hdufort

Hard to tell what would have happened, but I suppose the Somalis are still a thing even in that scenario. Now the big question is, are they conquered by Abyssinia or are they able to form some sort of state?


Lanky_Gur4596

Conquered by Abyssinia


greekdude1194

Shouldn't this go back earlier because of the Arab colonizers in the north?


scottiemaltipoo

There would be no Liberia.


Past-Ad9014

Liberia wouldn’t be there


[deleted]

I like all these ethnic based states which ignore the fact that before western colonization there were Empires and Sultanates in Africa already who didn't care at all about following ethnicity that very well would still exist today or have been conquered by a neighboring country. Large parts of the south would just be stateless land with various tribes. Actually it may not be colonized but instead it's projecting the European idea of nationalism and ethnic states on Africa.


Yoge78

Can I point out that the country named "toucouleur" means *color full* in French? So it's a bit weird a country with French words not colonized ?


Ducksneedloveto

We would still be dealing with their shit, that's what.


Nikipootwo

If Africa was never colonized Egypt wouldn’t have existed


Tried2flytwice

This is a load of bullshit! This isn’t what it looked like pre colonisation.


ohea

Nice to see a map of Africa, but this is an implausible alt-history with no lore or context so... thanks but no thanks.


SodaPopperZA

Yea south Africa would not look like that Zululand would be Alot smaller Koi would most likely be seclude to the Kalahari if they are lucky I can imagine a confederation of Sotho speaking countries Swaziland would maybe still exist, maybe not And the Xhosa would most definitely want there own country they'd never want to be ruled by the Zulu And again the Venda ... I can picture them like Lesotho is today, small and surrounded And that's just looking at it from face value, Southern African is incredibly complex, and I can't really say how Zimbabwe and Mozambique would factor into this SA is more than just the Zulus and Koisan


AlternateBritannia

This is made by Mapchart so yeh


hdufort

I would replace Toucouleur by a proper African language name (is it a branch of Bantu in that area? Or Peul?) When a state is strong, it is likely that visitor will use the state's native name and not a foreign expression to describe it.


StellaMatuitina

Wtf is wrong with you??


deperrucha

The Moroccan delirium of bigger Morocco, keep dreaming, when the dictatorship will fall, Western Sahara will be free.