The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay: Life in Medieval Africa

by Patricia C. McKissack, Fredrick L. McKissack

For more than a thousand years, from A.D. 500 to 1700, the medieval kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay grew rich on the gold, salt, and slave trade that stretched across Africa. Scraping away hundreds of years of ignorance, prejudice, and mythology, award-winnnig authors Patricia and Fredrick McKissack reveal the glory of these forgotten empires while inviting us to share in the inspiring process of historical recovery that is taking place today.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Africa, Medieval, Western Africa, Mali, Middle Grade

160 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1993

About the author

Patricia C. McKissack was the Newbery Honor, Coretta Scott King Award-winning author of The Dark-Thirty and Porch Lies an ALA Notable Book. She collaborated with Jerry Pinkney on Goin' Someplace Special (Coretta Scott King Award winner) and Mirandy and Brother Wind (Coretta Scott King Award winner and Caldecott Honor Book).

Reviews

[Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship · Rating 3 out of 5]

An informative short work of nonfiction summarizing the history of three consecutive empires in West Africa, roughly the region that is now Mali (despite the name, the Ghana Empire did not overlap with the present-day country of Ghana) during the medieval period. Though published in 1994, it doesn’t feel overly dated. The authors provide an overview of information from different sources—oral histories, archaeology, written histories mostly from Arab visitors—all while noting the biases of the sources. Likewise, the book covers many aspects of history, from origin myths to the doings of kings to the workings of the economy and lives of ordinary people.

This is classified as juvenile nonfiction (sadly I’m not aware of an adult book covering the same material), and while it doesn’t feel overly simplified or dumbed-down, you do see it in places. The authors—an African-American couple—wrote the book at least in part to give black children pride in their origins, which is a laudable goal, particularly since this is a part of history that schools tend to ignore. (These empires, though evidently without leaving much in the way of written records, were powerful and incredibly wealthy: it took Egyptian financial markets more than a decade to recover from the amount of gold Mansa Musa threw around while on hajj.) But there are passages that tend toward defensive stereotyping: for instance, after noting that Timbuktu’s universities and professions were all closed to women, the authors argue that the same was true everywhere. I imagine there are in fact kids in the 9-12 bracket who might not know how sexist medieval Europe was, for instance, so this isn’t a worthless caveat, but the “women have been completely oppressed everywhere always” stereotype also needs to die. Women in medieval Europe did on occasion practice medicine, produce scholarship, run businesses, and occasionally even attend university. Meanwhile, a frequent bone of contention between West Africa and the Arab world seems to have been the West African comfort level with women mingling with men in the street and the market, which the Arabs heartily disapproved. Not everywhere was the same, so some comparison and contrast would have been more interesting than simple refuge in stereotypes.

When reviewing very factual nonfiction I wasn’t thrilled with, I often make comparisons to Wikipedia, generally to the detriment of the books. In this case, the Wikipedia articles on these three empires seem reasonably fleshed-out, so you might indeed go there instead, but on the other hand, the book is short (the text is only 118 pages, and that’s with maps and illustrations). And personally, I’d rather read a book than a webpage, so this one was worth my time as an overview of some history I knew little about. I’d be interested in a more recent take on the material, aimed at adults.

Also: I appreciate that while aimed at children, the book nevertheless includes endnotes with sources and expanding on some of the material, as well as a bibliography. Citing your sources matters, and just because your readers might be young doesn’t mean they don’t think critically. This is better done than in certain adult nonfiction I’ve read.

[Ardyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book full of interesting information, although sometimes stylistically more interesting than others.

Those of us raised in the US may flounder a bit at first -- the first section, on Ghana, was disorienting. I knew before starting that I knew almost nothing about West African history; I didn't know how little I knew about what I'll call "middle-man cultures" -- the links between Western Euro / Euro-heritage North America and West Africa. My knowledge of North African history is even thinner than I'd realized...

As the book progressed, I felt better grounded because the portions on Mali and Songhay refer to peoples and events I picked up in the section on Ghana.

What I appreciate most about this book, though, is that it is very careful to point out the many situations in which history is not definitive but speculative. Scientists disagree, writers of the time disagree, thinkers of today disagree. Understanding the perspective (bias, if you prefer) of the source is an inherent and necessary act when consuming the source. Responding to that bias is also inherent and necessary. The writers guide the reader through dealing with ambiguities very well, and it sets an excellent example/standard for children.

Although not always the most engaging prose, it's still quite readable and hits that sweet spot of "not how much does she know, but how much does she care?" I gained enough new hooks for history that I feel ready to read more in-depth texts about West Africa and surrounds than I did before.

I can recommend this for pretty much any family in the US, since connections to West Africa run deep. Maybe someday I'll find a more narrative option, but for now this is significantly better than a textbook imo.

The rest of this review is mostly thoughts on how to use the book with US children -- personal thoughts which may be helpful for parents:

The maps are great, and really helped address that disoriented feeling I mentioned above. Keep them handy, maybe reproduced so young kids aren't distracted while flipping back and forth?

Hunt down proper pronunciation -- there are a number of words in this text which I'm pretty sure my US English would sound out incorrectly, and there is no pronunciation guide within the book. Margin notes is plenty. This doesn't need to be a ton of work, and isn't even a showstopper issue... just a recommendation to model basic courtesy and respect for whole personhood (i.e. nobody expects perfection but at least try to say things correctly.)

There is a timeline in the back, but I'd really recommend doing your own (in a notebook or century chart on the wall or whatever) to help kids hook what's in this book to what they know from elsewhere.

Although the subtitle of the book is "Life in Medieval Africa," each section talks about the origins of the people group, legendary or factual. As such, the first few portions of each section (Ghana, Mali and Songhay) would be suitable for inclusion earlier in chronological studies.

In terms of reading level, it's geared towards 9yo - 12yo, I guess. Read aloud would be fine younger. Regardless of age, plan to progress SLOWLY -- there is a lot of content in each couple of pages. Also strongly recommend looking for supplements on some of the passing references.

[Mike Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

A history of three West African kingdoms, covering roughly the period between 800 and 1600--more or less it starts with the introduction of Islam and ends with the introduction of the European slave trade. The book is a very short--just over 100 pages--overview, and is written for a young audience; a 4th grader could easily read, understand, and appreciate everything said in it. For an adult reader, it is not worthless either--certainly this isn't the place to go for an in-depth understanding of the historical importance of those West African kingdoms, but as a primer in West African history, it does a very good job of giving the reader a sense of the most vital information, while simultaneously keeping in mind that a good historian's job is to tell good stories.

[Catiana Cartwright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty easy read, but it was more a disjointed collection of anecdotes than a smooth or immersive narrative like I expected. That's probably just due to the limited research that had been done in this region when the book was published in 1994; plus the scope of this was a high-level overview. Maybe I'll pick up a more detailed book on Mansa Musa or something, now that I've been introduced to the major players.

I like reading history, it's totally mind-blowing to look at the long timeline of humans on earth and have your perspective rocked.

[Linda Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

If the intention of the McKissacks was to change the reader's perception of Western Africa, they accomplished that goal and more in this remarkable book. As I read about the royal kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay, I kept wondering why I had never learned about Africa's history while growing up. I studied world history, but I was mainly fed information about western civilizations. How might this awareness of the rich and sophisticated medieval history of Africa changed the self-esteem of my young African-American self? I probably would have felt less inferior to the majority. I would have understood the greatness of my ancestors that began ages ago and how that same greatness flowed through to produce people who achieve in the modern era despite all odds. The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay: Life in Medieval Africa should be required reading in any course on world history. It is easy to read and filled with helpful maps and illustrations. The McKissacks should be commended for the extraordinary research and scholarship they put into this book. Kudos!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rich history runs through Africa. Life in Medieval Africa describes the unique lives of those living in medieval Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. The book is easy enough for an upper elementary to middle schooler to understand while still giving lots of details and information. I highly recommend it to kids studying or interested in Africa during the medieval period.

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A petty noble emerges; a void or a vacuum, leftovers of a great war or famine is filled by his dominion and something new is born. It grows, consuming all in its path, for stability in empire is mostly secured through violence – expanding out in glory and power until it becomes unwieldy and unstable, obese and arrogant and finally brittle, collapsing in upon itself.

And another emerges.

Human history has been dominated by these cycles, the rise and fall of empire; patterns repeated in the north and south, in the east and the west. Everything was the same for everyone in the pre-modern world. Empire, built by kings through invasion and conquest. Stratified society, kings and nobles and serfs and slaves: with artisans and merchants slipped between like lubricant which made the civilizations move. And this was the same the world over, from the Persians to the Inca; from the Vikings to the Celts and the Garamantians and the ancient Egyptians. Lords and peasants; Divine Right of Kings meeting noblesse oblige to the brief bitterness of the peasants.

Humans most usually consider our own histories, the stories of us and ours. Its natural, and there’s nothing wrong with that; which doesn’t mean there’s nothing to learn from the paths of those who are foreign, though they are not our paths. Sometimes, unfortunately, this ignorance leads to contempt, for we humans are a judgmental lot, aren’t we? This is often the case with Africa. A history-less place of tribal wars until the arrival of the Arabs, of the colonists. Right? Wrong. Truth of the matter is that medieval Africa is not that different of a place from medieval Europe, or medieval India, or medieval China. Empires and civilizations and the waxing and waning of significance. West Africa, Western Sudan as it was initially called, had all of this; linked more closely to the fate of the East – though the little Arab children in Riyadh probably don’t learn this. Islam and the caliphates of old – the Almoravids and the Almohads, the Berbers and Tuaregs and Arabs. Jihads to expand the reach of the Abbasids. Western Sudan is part of all these ancient stories.

I’ve been re-reading “The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali and Songhay”. This simple book is about three kingdoms we rarely read about in America – the old kingdoms of Western Sudan. Kingdoms which were built in gold and slaves and salt; kingdoms that expanded and shrank, invaded others and were themselves invaded. It’s a fascinating story. Of Mansa Musa, one of the most imposing emperors in world history, the richest monarch of all time with a kingdom larger than western Europe that rivaled the great Khans of Mongolia; decentralized and administered by civil servants, taxation and conscription. A Muslim king taking an entourage of 60,000 to Mecca with so much gold that it sparked a twelve-year inflationary period for Cairo. Stories of a privileged city beyond the sand which inspired 400 years of explorers.

Of course that was then; Mali and Ghana these days are desperately poor West African countries; Songhai disappeared, although Gao is still there, empty but for jihadis and a contingent of Chinese peacekeepers peering nervously through concertina wire to a desert they cannot understand.

So why the great divergence? Why did some societies recover from empire to build strata-less places that respond to the consent of their people, while others just fell away – never experiencing the benefits of modernity which itself has already passed away? Why did enlightenment create prosperity for so many; while others languished? Those, of course, are the greatest questions of all time. This book won’t answer them, no one book will because there is no one answer – but being reminded that 400 years ago almost everybody was miserable, cargo on the same brutal boat, should serve as a starting point to ask ourselves, “Why the divergence of our fates?” Especially for those who of us who would have been peasants and wish not to return the old days of empire.

[Sinyee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly digestible and informative, this history book gives a brief overview on the region that make up modern Ghana, Mali, and the West African region. A lot is made up of the winners of military and royal conflicts but also includes economic and cultural developments, and myths.

[Orgeluse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have just finished Patricia C. McKissack's The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay: Life in Medieval Africa. It was a 3.5 star read for me as it was an easy-to-read introduction into the three kingdoms mentioned in the title that were situated in West Africa.
Though it is a quick read, I would not recommend it for 9-12 year-olds but it is labeled as such by Amazon strangely enough. It was published in 1994 and thus it reflects the level of historical knowledge on African history at that time. It includes almost 30 pages of time line, reference notes and bibliography from the 1960s-1980s.
Although it is in parts dated, the approach that the book is based on is an entirely modern one, namely to let African sources speak for themselves instead of merely "whitewashing" African history by only relying on accounts of Arab chroniclers and foreign travellers having (allegedly) visited the region.
This more adequate approach leads among other things to the unusual circumstance (and unusual is here meant from a European perspective) that beside archaeological findings also orally preserved history is equally taken into consideration when it comes to reconstructing the past. Due to the fact that West African history was passed on not in writing but mainly in an oral form via so called griots (= bards), legends, myths and stories told over generations are given equal status and are compared to written documents and archaeological finds. This way, a much more interesting and complex picture of West African medieval history is conveyed.
This book is by no means thorough but it is a good starting point for readers not at all familiar with West African history. Having read this book you simply want to read further and dive deeper into African history told by Africans themselves!

[martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history of pre-colonial sub-Saharan Africa is not widely known or taught, even among the communities who own that legacy, those traditions and events. A lot of what is written is the work of outsiders, often with either too many preconceptions of “primitive” Africa or worse a desire to justify slavery, colonialism or apartheid. This book was intended to fill that gap.

It’s written to be accessible for schoolchildren and, I suspect, also for adults in the sub-Saharan diaspora whose educational opportunities or achievements have been limited but who still wish to learn something about their past. That style sometimes makes it feel a little simplistic and superficial but a quick look at the sources shows the authors did plenty of research.

The history of the three great periods of black history in the then Sudan (now sub-Saharan west Africa) depends on two major sources, although archaeology and linguistics etc are recently providing more and more inputs.
The first is the oral history passed down through the generations by the griots - the custodians of traditional legends, stories and histories. This has its pitfalls obviously but we shouldn’t condemn it as unreliable without considering how much of our own dark age European history is dependent on people who wrote from a distance, often long after the event and on the basis of oral traditions. The other source is more conventional - the written records of primarily Arab Muslim scholars who knew of or visited Ghana, Mali and Songhay. As the authors point out these too often have their bias and their political objectives, supporting Muslim converts and denigrating local beliefs and traditions.

The various sources point to the three states having reached a significant level of culture and education and a developed economic and social structure. There is nothing primitive about what each kingdom built and managed. In fact the societies achieved levels comparable to their European contemporaries - with the key difference being in the area of military technology, which here as in Central and South America eventually led to disaster.

The book deliberately doesn’t offer much detail on the post Songhay period when pressure from Europe and the Arab world tore sub-Saharan African communities and social structure apart. I found that disappointing but it simply means I need to do more reading.

I learned a lot from this and recommend it to anyone who wants to learn why our historical tradition of pre-colonial African “savages” is unjust and wrong. However I am left wanting to read more and in more detail and complexity. This is a great starter, but now I need a main course.

[Hannahcomb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book portrays a lot of information in an elegant manner. Especially interesting is the reconciliations between oral culture and archaeology, between mythology and technology. This book has given me some great keywords and names to lead me towards other books and articles about medieval Africa. I am confused as to why these histories never made it in to my high school and middle school history classes. I'd have been really into the seven-headed snake god, secret gold mines, and blacksmith magi.

I greatly recommend this as a quick (and even entertaining) way to expand an understanding of the medieval time period as a global affair, not restricted to any one place across one thousand years. Also, due to its clean writing style, this is a great pick for younger readers.

[Matt G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short book but by no means a poor quality book. I found the content highly informative and worth the read. I especially enjoyed reading about the folklore and the histories of the Songhay Empire. I'm new to learning about African histories and sought to expand my knowledge of it. I was not disappointed.

That said, Patricia McKissack is an African children's writer and for someone who has a deep understanding of Africa, this book may or may not appeal to them. I can't say either way because I'm just starting to learn of these histories. Of the other continents, I have a reasonable knowledge, but I knew woefully little about Africa, so I wanted to learn more. I was not disappointed. Give this book a shot.

[Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read. I learned so much about medieval history in Africa. The information about Timbuktu was so interesting and provided context for Western Africa that I did not have before. Timbuktu functioned much like Babylon did, and was an important seat of learning and knowledge. The artisans of the area specialized in many crafts including gold smithing and ironsmithing. I knew a little about some of this, but certainly not as much. The writing itself was very easy to read and engaging.

[Emily Crouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A source used by Jordan Ifueko for the Raybearer series

Very interesting and concise. This books lays out West African history in an easy, short read. Very good footnotes and list of sources. I definitely want to learn more and will be consulting with the other sources in the bibliography.

[Mealz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very simple and quick history of medieval Africa, but a history I'm sure many people are not aware of and should educate themselves on! A bit dated at this point (published in 1994), but there are so very few books about medieval Africa.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This was a good introduction to Medieval Africa. I am a middle school teacher, and we are going to study this for a bit before we dive into post Columbus American History. This gave me some good background knowledge that I can use in my classes.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic read for school. I was not expecting to learn quite as much as I did about medieval Africa. In many ways, the behaviors reminded me of the strife and conflict found in Europe during the same time frame.

[ISRA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detailed summaries of the kingdoms that spanned the Sudan from their origins, developments, religions, lifestyles, social/cultural exchanges and socioeconomic history that provide a full picture of what life was like prior to colonization (and erasure).

[Malcom Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A high level look at Medieval Africa. The book is a tad dated (1994), but gives a good look at a time period in Africa that is often overlooked.

[Michael Toler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief introduction

This book provides a concise and interesting, if not necessarily compelling, history of the region. It could use more illustrations, especially maps.

[Maxine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of information; easily accessible to the reader. Contains a timeline, endnotes, a bibliography, and an index.

Made me want to read more on the subject.

[Z. Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really easy read! There are so many things we are never told about Africa and it's mighty empires. I truly wish they taught this in schools.

[Shaleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is worthwhile history, but it is not well written. The book is good about stating where the facts are coming from, but the narrative is not smooth nor interesting.

[Julian Abagond · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is aimed at schoolchildren, but since most of us have never learned about this part of history, it serves as a good introduction. What we should have learned.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with my 10 year old. We learned so much about the empires of Africa in the middle ages. I knew nothing about these impressive empires!

[D]

school

[♥ Ava · Rating 3 out of 5]

good info and stuff.

[TexanTomeSmith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, apt, and general history of medieval Africa

[Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy-to-read overview to gain valuable perspective.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great historical overview. I'm so glad the authors never dumbed things down for their younger audience. I'm going to have to look up more history books like this that go into more detail.