History
Map
East Africa
Your Guides
Jambo! I’m Amina and this is my friend Kima. We’ll be your guides to East Africa, our home.
If you want to really understand East Africa, you should start by learning about our history. Many of the problems my friends face today can be traced back to events that happened hundreds of years ago! Follow me and Kima through this timeline of important West African events to learn more.
Ancient Times: Trading Begins
East African resources like gold and ivory are traded with Egypt, West Asia and India. This trade affects how the coast develops, because ports are developed for ships and settlements of people are formed around these ports. The Swahili language develops as local African languages mix with the Arabic spoken by traders.
Mid 1400s: Slave Trade Grows
More and more East Africans are traded as slaves during this period, though some experts think the slave trade started as far back as the 2nd century (that’s more than 1,800 years ago!).
1500: European Rulers
Portugal pushes local East African traders aside. Portugal now controls both the slave trade, and the trade of natural resources, which means East Africa isn’t seeing any of the profits.
Early 1800s: Slave Trade Ends
Slavery becomes illegal in Europe and the Americas and the slave-trade ends.
Late 1800s: Scramble for Africa
Other European countries follow Portugal and take over East African countries, often through violence. This is called the “Scramble for Africa."
Mid 1900s: Independence
After the Second World War, East African countries gain independence from their European rulers, one by one.
1994: Civil War
In Rwanda, a conflict between the Hutus and the Tutsis, two ethnic tribes, leads to the killing of 800,000 Tutsis. This is known as the Rwandan genocide.
Today: Weak Governments
Governments of East African countries aren’t very strong yet, because these countries have not been independent for very long. Some of these governments are not honest and don’t always put people first.