Knowra History of Southern Africa History of Southern Africa The study of southern Africa’s peoples, societies, and political developments from prehistory to the present, including changing regional connections and boundaries.
Blombos Cave : An archaeological site on South Africa’s southern coast with Middle Stone Age evidence of symbolic behavior and modern human activity. Its artifacts illuminate early human lives in the region tens of thousands of years ago.
Southern Africa : The southernmost region of Africa, commonly including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Angola, and Mozambique. Its boundaries vary, so the region’s definition affects which histories are included.
Cape Colony : A Dutch and later British colony established at the Cape of Good Hope, lasting from 1652 to 1910 in successive forms. Its expansion brought land seizure, coerced labor, and new political boundaries.
David Livingstone : A Scottish missionary and explorer whose journeys in nineteenth-century Africa influenced European geographical knowledge and imperial interest. His travels and writings helped shape outside perceptions of the region.
Namibian War of Independence : An armed struggle from 1966 to 1989 against South African rule in Namibia, led principally by SWAPO. It linked decolonization to regional warfare and Namibia’s independence in 1990.
Mapungubwe : A medieval southern African kingdom centered at a hilltop settlement near the Limpopo River. Its rise and long-distance trade show the development of complex states before European rule.
San peoples : Indigenous peoples of southern Africa whose diverse communities have long histories of hunting, gathering, and pastoralism. Their histories and knowledge systems predate written records and continue into the present.
Great Trek : The migration of Boer settlers from the Cape Colony into the southern African interior during the 1830s and 1840s. It extended settler rule inland and contributed to conflicts with African states.
Sol Plaatje : A South African writer, journalist, and political organizer who helped found the South African Native National Congress. His work documented dispossession and challenged racial exclusion in the early twentieth century.
Mozambican War of Independence : The 1964–1974 armed struggle by FRELIMO against Portuguese colonial rule in Mozambique. Its outcome ended Portuguese rule and ushered in an independent state.
Show all 29