THE KANEM BORNO EMPIRE ( AN ACADEMIC EXPLORATION)
The Kanem Borno Empire a pre-colonial West African state has its historical roots in the area of the Lake Chad where it was established as a center of trade and political authority in the early 9th century.
It was established by the Kanuri people and developed through a chain of effective rulers who strengthened the authority and enlarged the area of the empire.
The empire had placed itself in a position that made it possible to regulate trade between North Africa and the sub-Saharan markets and business as well as cultural interaction thus promoting the economy.
Dynastical transformation of the Kanem Borno Empire was periodically through the centuries of change in leadership styles which were quite evident with the great rulers like Mai Dunama and his successors who were known to be military strategists and visionary leaders.
These leaders successfully combined military strength with diplomacy, taking advantages of a multiethnic territory and, at the same time, assimilating foreign traditions while preserving a specifically regional identity.
Kanem Borno Empire was also characterised by a highly differentiated social organization with the ruling class, military and the rest of the population all of which played very crucial roles in supporting the economic needs of the empire.
The economy was mainly based on subsistence farming with most farmers growing crops like millet and sorghum as well as non-commercial pastoralism to feed the families and supply livestock for sale.
Trade relations were intensive under the empire since it depended on exchanges of textiles, salt, and gold for the development of both local and imperial merchants and for supporting the imperial aristocracy.
The empire also had good locations for long distance trade with the North African traders, a factor which developed an inter connected economy beyond the regional level.
It was through this economic interdependence that the empire was able to foster a strong market economy that enriched the lives of both the aristocracy and the ordinary citizens of the empire, and helped them to discharge their social functions and to contribute to the economy.
The Kanem Borno Empire’s culture was another area of achievement in west Africa education, arts and literature. Education was also affected by the introduction of Islam as other learning centres, as well as mosques were established to encourage literacy and scholarship.
Empire scholars wrote histories, religious treatises, and scientific tracts, and so the empire was a locus of scholarship that extended beyond geographic boundaries.
The arts also received a boost and many shoes, metals and pottery that were made emanated the best of the Roman empire. In this respect, the Tuareg monuments in the area – such as the mosque construction and the city planning – complied with both the Islamic and indigenous directions which were the essential markers of the Kanem Borno culture.
Military oragerisation of the Kanem Borno Empire was a landmark in the enhancement of the empire and the defence of its territories. It had a strong military force, which was skilled in conducting both offense and defense as well as retreat which was vital in protecting the empire from invasions by other empires and as well as in the conquest of other territories.
Some of their military tactics included constant movements and secrecy and they had mounted units who were unique suitable for desert warfare. Thus, such a powerful military also contributed not only to the conquest of new territories but also led to increased influence of the empire throughout extensive territories of West Africa.
The ability to use both offence and defence and the development of such tactics illustrated the level of clarity of the warfare selection by the Kanem Borno leaders to which the empire benefitted substantially during periods of conflict.
