UNESCO Ancient Civilizations of Africa (Editor G. Mokhtar)

Ancient Civilizations of Africa
when international trading links were established, the initiative lay with
the mariners from the northern rim of the Indian Ocean, with all the
consequences that followed from that situation.
The oceanic factor
If accessibility from the land has made the East African coast historically
an integral part of Africa, accessibility from the sea has subjected it to
a long history of commercial contact, cultural influence and population
movements from the lands across the Indian Ocean. In considering that
history it is necessary to examine both the potential and the opportunities
for inter-regional communication. Kirk defines in broad terms three
geographical environments around the Indian Ocean: the south-western
'forest' region, comprising the coastlands of Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique
and Madagascar; the intermediate 'desert' region extending from
the Somali Horn to the Indus basin; and the south-eastern 'forest' region
from India to Indonesia. 20 Obviously the potential for exchange between
the two 'forest' regions is small in staples, though it may be enlarged if
we include luxuries or manufactured goods whose provenance is more
localized by natural or historical circumstances. On the other hand, the
potential for exchange between the 'desert' and the two 'forest' regions
is much greater for, besides the exchange of luxuries and manufactured
goods, the 'desert' region is often seriously deficient in the foodstuffs and
timber obtainable from the 'forest' regions. Moreover the 'desert' region
occupies a strategically intermediate position between the two 'forest'
regions, and also between them and the Mediterranean world. The history
of the western Indian Ocean until the seventh century is therefore to a
considerable extent the history of interaction along two distinct lines,
between East Africa and the Middle East, and between the latter and India;
and also of the intermediary role played by the Middle East between the
Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean.
Such interaction was made possible by the development of a suitable
marine technology and the harnessing of the winds and currents of the
Indian Ocean. The most important geographical characteristic of the Indian
Ocean is the seasonal reversal of the monsoon winds. During the northern
winter the north-east monsoon prevails steadily as far as Zanzibar but with
decreasing constancy southwards, and is seldom reliable beyond Cape
Delgado. This pattern of circulation is reinforced by the Equatorial current,
which flows southwards after striking the Somali coast and thus facilitates
the voyage of the dhows from the Arabian coast. Arab dhows can leave
their home ports in late November, though the majority leave in early
January, when the monsoon is fully established, and take twenty to twentyfive
days for the voyage. By March the north-east monsoon begins to break
20. W. Kirk, pp. 265-6.
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