Crossing Borders and Frontiers

Uhuru brother! Thanks for becoming my friend. Enjoy the site and meet all these wonderful people ... hopefully we'll be chatting in the future ... until next time take care ...

Welcome brother to this wonderful site! Glad you joined us. It’s packed with equally wonderful and interesting people (including me!). There’s a lot going on like online chat with friends, jobs, events and even Black History courses that I think has got to be a must for anyone wanting to know about Africa’s glorious past with its great empires and kingdoms. Did you know that the kingdom of Ghana was so rich that the dogs in the king’s palace wore collars made out of gold! Or that the city of Timbuktu, on the Niger River, was a centre of learning. Or that the wealthy empires of Songhai and Benin dominated the area. When Europeans first went to Africa in the 1460s, the continent was made up of many different states and kingdoms. They had their own trade networks and practiced advanced forms of farming. In some areas gold and copper were mined and in others cloth making and metal-casting were important activities. This was a great period of history that is until … well you know what happened next. However, it should be noted that as the British and French advanced into West Africa, they came into conflict with well established Islamic kingdoms that were strong enough to repel the invaders. Anyway, I hope everyone will see this platform as a means of uniting people and bringing together minds and thoughts with a view to building a better future not just our for children but for ourselves as well with hope, peace and unity. Anyway, whatever you do, please do check out my profile details where you’ll be surprised at how much is on this single page! Even my avatar and ‘status’ say something for the African people. Here, you’ll also see friends listed; they really are a great bunch so please get in touch with them; they’ll be glad to be your friend! There’s also an uplifting message for the African people and indeed for all of mankind that quite frankly is an answer to many of the world’s problems if only people took the time and effort to read it properly. One Africa! One Nation! One God Almighty! That says it all! Need I say more brother?

Welcome brother to this wonderful, cool site! Well, it’s got to be cool if it’s got me on it! Anyway, glad you joined us. It’s packed with equally wonderful and interesting people (including me!). There’s a lot going on like online chat with friends, jobs, events and even Black History courses that I think has got to be a must for anyone wanting to know about Africa’s glorious past with its great empires and kingdoms. The powerful (yes! powerful) West African kingdom of Ghana, which had dominated West Africa for centuries since around 500, prospered from its gold trade; Arab writers later called Ghana “the land of gold” because of its great wealth; the Ghana Empire increased its wealth through its gold trade with the Muslim North Africa and other smaller cultures grew up such as at Igbo-Ukwu. Indeed, the kingdom of Ghana was so rich that the dogs in the king’s palace wore collars made out of gold! Trade was important in West Africa and this increased when traders began to use camels to cross the Sahara Desert with gold and salt. In the grasslands south of the Sahara, city states grew rich and powerful. Many of their kings adopted the Islamic religion. Mansa Musa, the king of Mali, went to Mecca in Arabia in the 14th Century, paying everyone with gold on the way. Other states grew up in the forest areas nearer to the coast. These were also rich, from trading in gold, leather goods and cloth. City states on the east coast, such as Kilwa and Sofala, sent ivory, gold, copper and gum by sea to Arabia, India and China. The gold came from the powerful inland state of Zimbabwe. Kilwa had grand houses and a large Muslim mosque built of coral stone. Wow what a rich and great history! … that is until … well I think you know what happened next. Regrettably, during the 16th Century Portuguese guns and ships destroyed the wealth of these coastal states. Needless to say the Portuguese empire was based on slavery. Anyway, whatever you do, please do check out my profile details where you’ll be surprised at how much is on this single page! Even my avatar and ‘status’ say something for the African people. Here, you’ll also see friends listed; they really are a great bunch so please get in touch with them; they’ll be glad to be your friend; there’s also an uplifting message for the African people and indeed for all of mankind that quite frankly is an answer to many of the world’s problems if only people took the time and effort to read it properly! One Africa! One Nation! One Billion Strong! One God Almighty! That says it all! Need I say more brother?