Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1912-06-21
EDUCATIONAL CONDITIONS OF The
GOLD COAST OF WEST AFRICA;
ITS GREAT PAST And HOPEFUL
FUTURE. ~

PAPER READ At THE iNTERNA.
TloNAL CONFERENCE ON THE
NEGRO AT THE TuskEGse
NORMAL AND INDUSTRIAL IN.
sTiTuTE, UNDER THE PRINCE.
PAIsHiP or RookFo T. WASH.
lNGToN, A. NJ, II
MARK C. HAYFORD, ID. D.. F. II. @. s.
am to deaf with the section OF Al
RIGA which constitutes part OF its most
distinctive negro or black zone, and 1t
will be useful, before dwelling upon
the conditions existing thee at the
present time, to review the past lis
tory Of the whole country OF which it
forms an integral part. The review
will help US in determining what con-
Gitions may. with benefit, be intro.
duced in the Work of the future Tor
the good of this region OF Africa.
whose fortunes, as affecting not only
the well-being OF the neg:o there and
elsewhere, but also the general prog
ress and welfare of the world, every
one may rightly seek.
propose, then, to deal with the
past and present conditions of the
country and the conditions which may
best subserve its interests in the fu-
ture:- and the discussion will bear
upon the eGucauye tendencies that
these conditions have had, and may
be expected to have, upon the people
there, temporarily and spiritually.
The Gold Coast which is to be re-
garded and treated as representing
the rest Of thesnegre. land. of Africa,
and as true type thereof, occupies
the southern part of the Sudan Tor
Country of the Blacks" which is the
meaning of the word "SudanD,, be-
ing bounded on the south by the At
lantic--the Gulf of Guinea; on the
west by the French Ivory Coast and
Liberia; on the east of the German
Togoland. the French protectorate OF
Dahomey and the British dependency
of Nigeria, while its northern parts
or territories extend right into the
Sudan, with which it forms one great
whole. 1t lies between s. and IL
degrees north of the equator, stretch
ing from longitude degrees east to
longitude degrees west, and is about
500 miles long, it's greatest breadth
being about $50 miles.
In our day the question has often
been asked, HAS Negroland or the
Country OF the Blacks, really had any
past worthy of the historians atten-
ton, or the students consideration?
Has 1t ever taken part in the race of
the nations for that which ennobles
humanity in political government, in
society, or in religicn?"
The answer to this question can
best give in the words of a descrip-
tive note In a publication connected
with the work OF the Church Mission
airy society of England:
before England was a monarchy,
and whilst the Heptarchy was still
a troublesome fact, there existed In
the northern part Of the Sudan sew
eral large and well-ordered native
negro states, which had developed In
digenously a comparatively high con-
dition Of civilization, Some of these
states attained to- vast proportions,
one, for instance, that of Shonghay,
was nearly half the size of Europe,
stretching from the Atlantic to what
10 now called Sokoto, and from Bornu
to Morocco. The empire of 'Bornu
was also very nearly as large. But
now little remains Of these ancient
glories.
1T was about the middle of the
thirteenth century, that is, when the
Third Henry reigned In: England. that
the empire of Bornu rose to its zenith.
The seat Of its government was then
in Kanem, and is" So shown on Ell
Edrisrs map published in 1853, but
Its name subsequently became changed
to that Of Bornu, which has continued
for many centuries until this day.
Now, Bornu, or rather, as the natives
spell it, Bar-noa, means the land of
Noah, and its people are called Ka-
nuri, that Is. the people of light
THE greatest extent Of the empire
was from the Niger to the Nile, that
Is, about 1,40O miles, embracing what
are now known as Wadai, Baghirmi,
Darfur, Kordofun and Kanem, which
is now tributary to Wadi 1t remain
ed prosperous, although occasionally
suffering vicissitudes, until the mid
die Of the last (eighteenth) century,
when an Arab seized the throne, and
civil wars and discords ensued, which
have resulted in its present deca-
dence,
although Bornu has been reduced
to about the size of England. 1t Is by
no means an unimportant state. Its
form Of government is constitutional.
but It's sultan is practically despotic,
being the head of both the church and
state, and the mirror of al excellence
and infallibility. He has a special
body guard of horsemen still coated
in suits of armor, manufactured in
the country He has 20 metal can.
mons which wero cast in the canitol