Introduction

One of the outstanding facts of the history of Central, Eastern and Southern Africa is the Bantu migration, which occurred from the beginning of the Christian era until the 19^th century. The people of Bantu languages were organised in States of which the most important are Kongo, Kuba, Luba, Lunda kingdoms, monarchies of the Great Lakes region, Zimbabwe and Monomotapa.

Some of them entered in contact with the Arabs who had settled along the Indian Ocean and with the descendants of Europeans in Southern Africa.

What is in this block?

There are 3 sections in this block:

Section 1: Central Africa 

Section 2: Eastern Africa 

Section 3: Southern Africa 

Estimated study time

We think that you will need 7 or 8 hours to achieve all the activities, which are proposed to you in this block.

Learning objectives

By the end of this block, you should be able to:

• analyse the socio-political organisation of Kongo, Angola, Louango kingdoms, that of the peoples of Cameroon and Ogue and Congo basins, as well as Kuba, Luba and Lunda kingdoms;
• explain the outstanding facts of the relations between the Arabs and the populations of the interior of the African continent; 
• discuss the monarchical model of the Interlake  region;
• describe the socio-political organisation of Zimbabwe and Monomotapa;
• account for the way in which Europeans settled in Southern Africa.

How will I assess my learning?

This block comprises of 3 activities. They are designed to help you to evaluate your progress in the study of the contents of the block. After having studied each section, do the activities, which are proposed to you. Then compare your answers with those suggested at the end of the block. If you have difficulties in finding the answers, please review the section.

If difficulties persist, ask for assistance from a colleague or your tutor.