The World Turned Upside Down: The Chronicles of the Kongo Kingdom
Brief information:
The Kongo Kingdom (Kongo dya Ntotila or Wene wa Kongo) was an African kingdom located in west central Africa in what are now northern Angola, Cabinda, Republic of the Congo, and the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At its greatest extent, it reached from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Kwango River in the east, and from the Congo River in the north to the Kwanza River in the south. The kingdom consisted of several core provinces ruled by a monarch, the Manikongo (sixteenth century spelling of 'Mwene Kongo) of the Bakongo (Kongo peoples, also known as the Essikongo), but its sphere of influence extended to the neighboring states such as Ngoyo, Kakongo, Ndongo and Matamba as well.
Editors note:
This AAR is dedicated to all Africans were enslaved, deported, and killed in the name of Western imperialism. By this AAR, I will show what the world would be like if the world is turned upside down.
Chapter I: In the Beginning
Kongo was ruled the tribal chief Nkwuzu. The kingdom's income solely depended on ivory trade and some occassional raiding on neighboring chiefdoms.
Despite, the apparent "backwardness" of Kongo, it has a rich maritime trading relations with other rich kingdoms of Mali, Songhai, and Portuguese. Because of this situation, they tended to look the power and strengths of these kingdoms as their yardstick for success. For Nkwuzu, the adoption of new and sophisticated technologies is a break from tradition but such technologies are tools for future empire-building aspirations.
The Army of Kongo expanded their realm to the coastal region of Luanda in the winter of 1453. The region seemed to be a strategic location to establish a maritime center for its growing trade with the outside world. With this position of strength, Nkwuzu can enforce his will on the global demand for ivory.
Because of the importance of this ivory trade, it is also imperative that they protect their maritime center with the establishment of a coastal fort. Pirates were everywhere in West Africa. The fort of Sao Salvador was established to protect this vital nerve center.
That year was start of a new era in world history. Large European ships have been sighted, the appearance of white men intensified and now raised fears on what their intentions they may have on Kongo. The advisors of Nkwuzu feared that these men might enslave them.
"We must act now!" an adviser said.
"It is in the prophecy that they will destroy our people!" another one added.
Nkwuzu was angered by the statements of his advisors. "SILENCE...." he said.
The advisors were executed. "Anyone who will make such statements would be executed immediately," Nkwuzu said.
Nkwuzu has no choice but to adopt the technologies and ideas of these white men so that he can protect his people. The only way he has to do is to make good relations with them and convince them to have a good trading relations. So as long as they have good relations with the white men, his kingdom will be adopting their ways and master it so that the Kongolese can fight the white men with the way they fight and the technologies that they can acquire from them.
Brief information:
The Kongo Kingdom (Kongo dya Ntotila or Wene wa Kongo) was an African kingdom located in west central Africa in what are now northern Angola, Cabinda, Republic of the Congo, and the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At its greatest extent, it reached from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Kwango River in the east, and from the Congo River in the north to the Kwanza River in the south. The kingdom consisted of several core provinces ruled by a monarch, the Manikongo (sixteenth century spelling of 'Mwene Kongo) of the Bakongo (Kongo peoples, also known as the Essikongo), but its sphere of influence extended to the neighboring states such as Ngoyo, Kakongo, Ndongo and Matamba as well.
Editors note:
This AAR is dedicated to all Africans were enslaved, deported, and killed in the name of Western imperialism. By this AAR, I will show what the world would be like if the world is turned upside down.
Chapter I: In the Beginning
Kongo was ruled the tribal chief Nkwuzu. The kingdom's income solely depended on ivory trade and some occassional raiding on neighboring chiefdoms.
Nkwuzu and his entourage
Despite, the apparent "backwardness" of Kongo, it has a rich maritime trading relations with other rich kingdoms of Mali, Songhai, and Portuguese. Because of this situation, they tended to look the power and strengths of these kingdoms as their yardstick for success. For Nkwuzu, the adoption of new and sophisticated technologies is a break from tradition but such technologies are tools for future empire-building aspirations.
Expansion to Luanda
The Army of Kongo expanded their realm to the coastal region of Luanda in the winter of 1453. The region seemed to be a strategic location to establish a maritime center for its growing trade with the outside world. With this position of strength, Nkwuzu can enforce his will on the global demand for ivory.
Because of the importance of this ivory trade, it is also imperative that they protect their maritime center with the establishment of a coastal fort. Pirates were everywhere in West Africa. The fort of Sao Salvador was established to protect this vital nerve center.
The fort of Sao Salvador
That year was start of a new era in world history. Large European ships have been sighted, the appearance of white men intensified and now raised fears on what their intentions they may have on Kongo. The advisors of Nkwuzu feared that these men might enslave them.
"We must act now!" an adviser said.
"It is in the prophecy that they will destroy our people!" another one added.
Nkwuzu was angered by the statements of his advisors. "SILENCE...." he said.
The advisors were executed. "Anyone who will make such statements would be executed immediately," Nkwuzu said.
Nkwuzu has no choice but to adopt the technologies and ideas of these white men so that he can protect his people. The only way he has to do is to make good relations with them and convince them to have a good trading relations. So as long as they have good relations with the white men, his kingdom will be adopting their ways and master it so that the Kongolese can fight the white men with the way they fight and the technologies that they can acquire from them.
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