In the teaching of history in Western countries, for a long time no real serious attention was paid to the study of African cultures and civilizations. The interest and appreciation of the study of African history is recent and that is why most of current history textbooks contain large sections or entire chapters about this contents.
One of the most important themes in African history is the KingdomofCongo. This realm, as well as the realm of benin it's from mali, is among the most important and most powerful to form on the African continent. Its development took place on the west coast of Africa along the course of the Zaire River. Like many other cultures in this region, the Kingdom of Congo was culturally based on ethnicity. banto, whose origin is linked to the mythical narratives about the city of Ife.
The state centralization of the Kingdom of Congo and its control over economic production on the west coast Africa occurred throughout the 15th century, thus coinciding with the consolidation of the Overseas Empire Portuguese. It is important to point out this comparison, given that it was with the Congolese, in addition to other peoples, that the Portuguese made commercial contact in Africa during most of modernity. The slave trade, in fact, was moved through the articulations made between these two empires.
In addition to the slave trade, the main commercial activities of the Kingdom of Congo revolved around the barter of goods such as salt, fabrics and metals. One of the main kings of the Congo, known as Manicongo, converted to Christianity in the 1480s. This conversion transformed Congolese civilization due to the incorporation of elements of Catholicism into its cultural repertoire.
By Me. Cláudio Fernandes
