Mu gihe isi itekereza Afurika nk’umugabane ukeneye iterambere, bake ni bo bazi ko uyu mugabane ari wo wigeze kuba umutima w’ubukire n’iterambere ku isi. Mbere y’ubukoloni, mbere y’ubucuruzi bw’abacakara, Afurika yari ifite ubukungu buhamye, imico yihariye, n’ubumenyi. Ni inkuru y’amateka, ariko nanone ni isomo rikomeye ku rubyiruko rw’Afurika rw’ubu rukeneye kumenya aho rwavuye kugira ngo rumenye aho rugana.
Mu kinyejana cya 13 n’icya 14, Afurika y’Iburengerazuba yari ifite ubukire bw’umurengera. Ubwami bwa Mali, buyobowe na Mansa Musa, bwari bumaze kuba intangarugero ku isi yose. Uwo Mwami yagiye mu rugendo i Maka (Hajj) ajyanye umutungo utirigeze uhagaragara. Bivugwa ko mu nzira zose yaciyemo, mu Misiri n’ahandi, yahatanze zahabu nyinshi ku buryo amasoko y’ayo mahanga yahise agira ihungabana ry’ubukungu (inflation).
Timbuktu, umujyi wari umutima wa Mali, wari ufite amasomero, za kaminuza, n’abahanga bamenyekanye mu by’imibare, siyansi n’amategeko. Muri icyo gihe, Abanyaburayi benshi bataramenya kwandika neza, mu gihe Abanyafurika bamwe bari bamaze kugira amasomero akomeye.
Mbere y’ubwami bwa Mali, hariho Ubwami bwa Ghana, bwari bwarabaye intangarugero mu bucuruzi bwa zahabu n’umunyu. Abacuruzi bavuye mu majyaruguru y’Afurika n’Abarabu bazanaga ibicuruzwa bitandukanye bakabihahirana n’Abanyafurika. Umunyu, icyo gihe, wari ifaranga rikomeye rigereranywa n’amasaha y’ubu cyangwa zahabu.
Nyuma yaho, Ubwami bwa Songhai bwaje gufata intebe, bwagura imipaka kugeza ku majyaruguru n’uburengerazuba bwa Afurika. Ubwami bwa Songhai bwari bufite ubutegetsi bwagutse, inzego z’ubucamanza n’ubuyobozi bunoze, ndetse n’abanyabwenge bigishaga mu masomero yo muri Timbuktu. Ubu bwami bwari icyitegererezo cy’uko Afurika ishobora kwiyobora neza kandi igatera imbere mu bwisanzure bwayo.
Mu majyaruguru ya Afurika, Misiri na Nubia ni ho havukiye imwe mu mico ya mbere y’iterambere ku isi (civilization). Abanyamisiri ba kera bari baramaze kumenya imbaraga z’amazi y’umugezi wa Nili, bakubaka imirima yuhirwa, ibiraro, amazu n’inzu z’amabuye z’ikirenga — za pyramids. Bari bafite ubuvuzi, ibarurishamibare, ndetse n’imiyoborere ishingiye ku bumenyi.
Mu gihe ibindi bihugu by’isi byari bikiri mu buzima bw’ubuhinzi bw’ibanze, Afurika yari yamaze kuba ikicaro cy’ubumenyi, ubuhanga n’ubukungu.
Mu majyepfo y’Afurika, hagati y’ikinyejana cya 11 n’icya 15, Ubwami bwa Great Zimbabwe bwabaye igitangaza. Bwubatse inzu n’ibirindiro bikomeye by’amabuye bitarimo sima, ariko bikaba bigihagaze n’ubu. Uwo mujyi wari icyicaro cy’ubutegetsi n’ubucuruzi bwifashishaga inyanja y’Ubuhinde mu gucuruza n’Abahinde n’Abarabu.
Afurika y’icyo gihe yari ifite uburyo bwayo bwo kwishakamo ibisubizo, bukagaragaza ubwenge, ubwubahane n’iterambere ritagendeye ku mahanga.
Ibihe byiza by’Afurika byatangiye guhinduka mu kinyejana cya 15, ubwo Abanyaburayi batangiye kugera ku nkombe zayo. Ubucuruzi bw’abacakara n’ubukoloni byasubije umugabane inyuma. Imirimo, umutungo, n’abantu ubwabo byatangiye kujyanwa hanze. Ubumenyi n’ubuyobozi bwaho byaracitse, hasigara ubukene n’imitekerereze yo gukorera abandi.
Icyo gihe, aho Afurika yigeze kuba isoko y’ubukire, yahindutse isoko y’abacakara n’amabuye y’agaciro. Abandi bagiye bigira, mu gihe Abanyafurika basigaye bibeshya ko iterambere ryavuye ahandi.
Uyu munsi, Afurika iri kongera kubyuka. Ikoranabuhanga, ubucuruzi, n’ubumenyi biragaruka mu biganza by’Abanyafurika. Ariko kugira ngo uyu mugabane wongere kugaruka aho wari uri, bisaba kwiyumvamo icyizere no kumenya amateka yawo.
Iyo umusore cyangwa inkumi bamenye ko hari igihe abakurambere babo bari bakize kurusha Isi yose, bituma bumva ko nabo bashobora kubigeraho. Afurika ifite imbaraga, ifite umutungo, kandi ifite abantu bafite ubwenge. Icyo ikeneye gusa ni ukwiyumvamo ko ibyo byose bishoboka.
