Glossary

Afrocentric: Viewing the world from an African-centred perspective

Anthropology: The study of human physiological, cultural and societal characteristics

Apartheid: The racist segregation laws applied across Africa. Usually used in reference to South Africa

Askiya: Ruler of Songhai

Bureau: A government agency

Bureaucrat: An official working for a government agency

Capitalism: A political and economic system that places profits ahead of human life

Caste (African): Groups of families that all performed the same duties within African society

Caste (Euro-American): A particular class in society

Chattel: An item of property

Colonialism: The practice of acquiring rule over others through violent means

Colony: Country or territory under colonial rule

Constitution: Written principles that allow for the governance of a country

Corporation: A large company that is recognised as a single entity by law

Creole: Captives born into slavery in the French colonies. Also the name of the Africanised French they spoke

Deity: A term for god or goddess

Diaspora: The Black population of the world outside of Africa

Dynasty: A succession of rulers usually from the same family line

Eurocentric: Viewing the world from a European perspective

Financial Institutions: Corporations that restrict economies and negotiate loans

Griot: African musician, poet, storyteller and historian

Hieroglyphics: Ancient African writing scripts

Houngan: Voudon priest

Imperialism: The practice of extending a country’s power through violence

Indenture: To bind one to labour

Indigenous: Native to a particular land

Intermediate Period: Times of political turmoil in Kemet (Ancient Egypt)

Jihad: A holy war

Maafa: Term for the African Holocaust

Maangamizi: Term for the African Holocaust

Mai: Ruler of Kanem-Borno

Mani Kongo: Ruler of the Kongo

Mansa: Ruler of Mali

Manuscript: Hand-written document

Mambo: Voudon priestess

Marxism: The political and economic philosophy credited to Karl Marx that views world development through socioeconomic classes and predicts an eventual end to capitalism via working class solidarity

Matrilineal: Based along the female line of society

Microaggression: Daily interpersonal acts of racism

Middle Kingdom: Dynasties 11 and 12 of Kemet

Middle Passage: The journey from West Africa to the Americas

Miscegenation: The “interbreeding” of people from different races

Monarchy: A form of government with a royal family at the head

Mutapa: Ruler of Munhumutapa

Negus Nagaste: Ruler of Axum, translated as “king of kings”

New Kingdom: Dynasties 18 to 20 of Kemet

Nomad: A people who travel with no permanent living place

Oba: Ruler of the Oyo

Old Kingdom: The first 6 dynasties of Kemet

Oni: Ruler of Ile-Ife

Pan-Africanism: The political and cultural ideology that calls for unity of all Black people and the end of all forms of oppression

Patois: Africanised English spoken in the British Caribbean colonies

Patriarchy: The system of sexism that places men ahead of women

Pharaoh: Ruler of the Nile Valley civilisations

Predynastic: Before the emergence of kings or queens

Proletariat: Marxist terminology. The working class in an industrialised society

Public Sector: Part of an economy that is controlled by the state

Renaissance: A revival or development of interests and ideas

Republic: A nation where power is held by elected representatives

Revolution: Forcible overthrow of a system to replace it with a new one

Sanctions: A penalty for disobeying the law

Sarki: Ruler of one of the Hausa States

Seasoning: Physical and mental abuses enacted on captive Africans

Self-sufficiency: The ability for a community to work and produce for itself without outside help

Socialism: A political and economic theory that calls for shared ownership of the production and distribution of goods

Sociopolitical: A combination of social and political factors

Tariffs: Taxes paid on specific imported or exported goods

Taxonomy: Classifications of the animal kingdom, developed by Carl Linnaeus

Terracotta: Material used to make pottery and art

Terrorism: The use of violence against civilians for ideological means

Triangular Trade: The slaving network across Europe, West Africa and the Americas

Underdevelopment: Usually in reference to the deliberate restriction of socioeconomic and political development within a country

Voudon: Spiritual practice born from African culture