Mu bihe bya kera cyane, mbere y’uko abazungu barenga inyanja bakagera ku mugabane wa Afurika, hariho ubuzima bwagutse kandi butunganye, buhuriweho n’ubwoko bwinshi bwatuye ku butaka bwiswe Alkebulan — izina ry’umugabane wa Afurika mbere y’uko ribagirwa maze hakimikwa iritava mu mizi z’abo bawutuye.

Alkebulan Inkomoko n’Icyo Ryari Risobanuye

Izina Alkebulan, rituruka mu rurimi rwa Kiswahili ruvanze n’imizi y’amagambo ya Amazigh na Arabic, risobanura “Ubutaka bw’abantu ba mbere” cyangwa “Aho ubuzima bwatangiriye”. Ni izina ryari rifite ireme n’icyubahiro, rishingiye ku mateka y’imiryango n’inkomoko y’ubwoko bwa muntu. Muri ubwo buryo, Afurika ni yo yakomotsemo amateka y’ubuzima bwa muntu — umuryango w’abanyafurika ukaba ari wo wa mbere utuye isi.

Amazina nk’Africa, uko tuyazi uyu munsi, ni umusaruro w’abakoroni baturutse i Burayi, ahanini Abaromani n’Abagiriki, baha igice kimwe cy’amajyaruguru y’uyu mugabane izina “Ifriqiya”, rikazaguka rikitwa Africa yose. Ariko izina ry’ukuri, ryakoreshejwe n’abahatuye, ni Alkebulan.

Imibereho n’Imiyoborere

Afurika yari ifite uburyo bwihariye bwo kwiyobora no kubana. Imibereho ya muntu yashingiraga ku miryango migari, ku bwoko no ku bwami. Ibihugu byinshi bya Afurika byari bifite imiryango ifite ububasha, ibihugu bito n’ingoma zibarizwa ku nkingi y’imico gakondo. Umwami yabaga ari umutware w’igihugu, ariko agengwa n’inama y’abakuru, n’abapfumu cyangwa abahanga mu mateka n’imigenzo.

Ibwami hatangirwaga ubutabera, hakemurirwaga amakimbirane, kandi hakemezwa imihango y’ibanze igenga imibanire y’abantu n’ibidukikije. Ibi byose byagenderaga ku mategeko atanditse, ariko yubahirizwa kurusha ayanditse, kuko yasobanurwaga, akigishwa, akanarindwa n’abakuru b’imiryango.

Ubwami nka Mali, Ghana, Songhai, Kongo, Nubia, Axum n’ubwa Ethiopia bwari ubukire bw’amateka, ubwenge n’imiyoborere bwihariye. Muri ibi bihugu, ubukungu bwashorwaga mu bucukuzi bw’amabuye y’agaciro, ubucuruzi, uburezi no guteza imbere inyigisho zishingiye ku ndangagaciro n’imigenzo ya Afurika.

Ururimi n’Itumanaho

Afurika yavugwagamo indimi nyinshi — zibarirwa mu macumbi ane manini y’indimi: Afroasiatic, Niger-Congo, Nilo-Saharan, na Khoisan. Izo ndimi zatumaga habaho itumanaho ryagutse hagati y’ingo, ubwoko n’uturere.

Mu Burasirazuba, Kiswahili cyari ururimi rw’ubucuruzi n’itumanaho rusange. Mu Majyaruguru, Amazigh (Berber) na Arabic byari indimi z’ibanze. Mu Buseruko n’Amajyepfo, indimi za Bantu nk’Ikinyarwanda, Zulu, Lingala, n’izindi zabagaho nk’umutima w’imibanire n’itumanaho.

Nubwo abanyaburayi bazanye inyuguti n’imyandikire yabo, abanyafurika bari bafite inyandiko zabo bwite:

Ge’ez mu Burasirazuba (Ethiopia)

Ajami mu Burengerazuba (Arabic ikoreshwa mu ndimi kavukire)

Tifinagh mu Majyaruguru (indimi za Amazigh)

Ubukungu n’Imirimo

Afurika yari umugabane w’ubukire n’ubwigenge mu bukungu. Abaturage bari bateye imbere mu:

Ubuhinzi n’ubworozi: Hategekwaga imyaka nk’amasaka, ibigori, n’ibindi; inka, intama n’amase y’inka byabaga igicumbi cy’ubukire.

Ubucuruzi: Hazwi cyane ubucuruzi bwambukiranya Sahara (Trans-Saharan Trade), aho zahabu, umunyu, imyenda, ibikoresho by’ubutare n’ubundi bucuruzi byajyanwaga mu Burayi, Aziya n’AbarabuUbukorikori: Harimo ubudozi, ububumbyi, ubucuzi n’indi mirimo ivanze n’ubugeni.Ubucukuzi bw’amabuye y’agaciro: Zahabu, umuringa, ibuye ry’agaciro (onyx, rubies, diyama n’ibindi) byarangwaga mu bice bitandukanye by’umugabane.

Timbuktu, Gao, Djenné na Kilwa zari imijyi y’ubukungu, y’uburezi n’inyandiko, izwiho kuba igicumbi cy’ubuhanga n’ubumenyi mu mateka y’isi.

Imyemerere n’Umuco

Nubwo amadini nk’Islam n’Ubukirisitu bw’Abayuda byageze muri Afurika mbere y’umwaduko w’Abazungu, abenshi bari bagifite imyemerere gakondo. Bemeraga Imana imwe, bafitanye ubusabane bukomeye n’abakurambere babo. Amazina ya Nyagasani atandukanye bitewe n’akarere

Imana (u Rwanda),Nyame (Ghana),

Mulungu (Zambia/Malawi),Olodumare (Nigeria),Ruhanga (Uganda)…

Umuco w’Abanyafurika wubakirwaga ku migenzo, imihango y’ubukwe, ubusore n’ubugore, ibirori by’amahoro, no gusangira nk’ikimenyetso cy’ubwumvikane. Ubumwe bw’abantu bwari umusingi w’imibereho yabo.

Afurika yubatse ibikorwa binini bitangaje bikigaragara n’uyu munsi:

Insengero za Lalibela (Ethiopia), zacukuwe mu rutare rimwe.

Great Zimbabwe, inzu z’amabuye zitagira sima, zikaba zarubatse hagati ya 1100–1500

Piramide za Nubia (Sudan), ziruta iza Misiri mu bwinshi.

Ibitekerezo n’ubumenyi byerekanwa no kuba Timbuktu yarigeze kuba ifite ibitabo birenga 700,000 bigizwe n’amategeko, imibare, ubugenge n’amateka y’isi

Mbere y’umwaduko w’Abazungu, Afurika yari igihugu cyisanzuye, cyuzuye ubwenge, ubumenyi, umuco n’ubuyobozi. Alkebulan ntiyari umugabane w’inzego ziciriritse nk’uko abayikolonije bayisobanuye nyuma — ahubwo yari inkomoko y’ubuzima n’ubwenge bw’abantu.

Kugaruka kuri ayo mateka no kuyigisha ni intwaro yo kongera kubaka agaciro k’umugabane wa Afurika — ntabwo ari amateka y’ikinamico, ahubwo ni isoko y’ukuri kw’icyo twari cyo, icyo turi cyo n’icyo tugomba kuba.