On this page there will be a G-GREASES chart on each of the 3 African Kingdoms at the time detailing each of the specific categories in each of the kingdoms Mali, Ghana, and Songhai. The G-GREASES chart is mainly used to specify a civilization and to call the kingdom a proper civilization by these outlines below.

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Mali

Geography- Mali was located in the Western part of Africa that lies in the Sahara. Mali was located next to the Niger river. Mali lies across trade routes between the sources of salt in the Sahara Dessert and the gold mine regions.

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Government-The government of Mali then was a kingdom. One of the most powerful and well-known kings in the history of Mali was Mansa Musa who was the king of Mali from 1312 to 1337 AD. Mansa Musa made Mali bigger and better. Mansa Musa also made a pilgrimage to Makkah. He made his capital city Timbuktu, which was a center of Islamic learning and culture. In the 15th century the Songhai Empire was beginning to surpass Mali.

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Religion-One of the most well-known kings (Mansa Musa) of Mali was a devoted Muslim but he made his capital city of Timbuktu a center of Islamic learning and culture so most of Mali's people were influenced by the Islamic religion. Therefor most of Mali were Islamic.

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Economics-Mali's economy consisted of salt and gold trade through the Sahara Dessert. Mali was recognized for its vast wealth and rich economy. Also Mali's agriculture was very good because of irrigation from the Niger river.

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Arts and Architecture-Mali had a few versions of art. They made wood carvings, sculptures, and architecture. These forms of arts were used to show things that the citizens of Mali saw in their daily lives. These forms of art were also used to show symbols of their religion such as buildings or architecture dedicated to gods or spiritual idols they worshipped. 

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Science and Technology-In Mali and other parts of Africa tools were a big part of life. These tools were used a lot because they made everyday tasks easier to fix or accomplish. Also the citizens of Mali used math to make things easier when trading so people knew the amount of objects they were receiving and the amount of things they  were giving away. They also used astronomy in Mali to tell the time of day and developed a way to tell the year, month, and day through a stellar calendar. 

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Education-Mansa Musa the king of Mali from 1312 to 1337 made the capital of Mali (Timbuktu) a center if learning the Islamic religion and culture. As a result of this   a lot of people from Mali have a lot of knowledge about the Islamic culture.

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Social or Cultural Values-Mali's culture was based on the learnings of the Islamic culture. Lineage groups were basic units in the African society. Mali's people provided a distinctive culture in wood carving, sculpture, music, and architecture. But because of the lack of written records, little is known about about early African society and culture.

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Ghana

Government-Monarchy, Ghana would be the title of kings that ruled. The king was the supreme judge. 

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Religion- Islam, there was a spread of Islam in West Africa which kingdoms began to adopt like Songhai and Mali.

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Economics-Gold caused the kingdom of Ghana to be prosperous. The location of Ghana sat on top of all the gold. 

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Arts and Architecture-Items made out of gold like collars. Silk rope halters for horses.

Science and Technology-N/A

Education-N/A

Social or Cultural Values-Kings, warrior tribes, local governors, and citizens.

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Songhai

Geography-The Songhai Empire was the largest and last of the three major pre-colonial empires to emerge in West Africa. From its capital at Gao on the Niger River, Songhai expanded in all directions until it stretched from the Atlantic Ocean  to what is now Northwest Nigeria and central Niger.

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Government-The government of Songhai was a kingdom. Zuwa Alayaman was one of the first kings who ruled from 690 AD onwards. He was the founder of the Songhai Empire. Zuwa ruled from Kukiya which was the first Songhai capital. Another well known king of the Songhai Empire was Sunni Sulayman who ruled all the way up to 1463 AD. He was the founder of the second Songhai Empire. An achievement of Sunni's was seizing the province of Mina in Masina.

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Religion-The religion of the Songhai Empire was Islam which was first introduced in 1019 AD. Lower class citizens of Songhai stayed true to their traditional religion, while the upper class of Songhai were mostly Muslim.

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Economics-The Empire of Songhai relied heavily on trade. The economy thrived on the trade of gold and salt. The Songhai Empire participated in regional and global trade with the Mediterranean world and across the Indian Ocean. The Songhai Empire made religious artifacts as well as practical tools, this also helped their economy grow.

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Arts and Architecture-The Songhai Empire, along with most of what is now Africa made wood carvings, sculptures, and architecture. They also made clothing that was made fro cotton and many other colorful materials.   

Geography-Africa, located south of the Sahara desert and northwest of the Niger river. Ghana in modern day is located/culturally different then it originally was. 

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Science and Technology-The science of technology of the Songhai Empire was very good and successful. They made many things such as canoes, calvary, protective armor, and iron tipped weapons. With these advancements in technology and science, the Songhai Empire was able to build new mosques, conquered new land, and were finally able to educate the empire.

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Education- Scholars in the Songhai Empire started to create learning institutions for the Songhai people. The Sankore Madrassah was a religious school that was all throughout the empire. Astronomy was an interest in the empire which led to many astronomers that were in the empire.

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Social or Cultural Values-The social structure in the Songhai Empire was based on a caste system. The social society looked for the emperor for leadership. The elite class of the empire influenced governmental affairs even though they were not apart of the actual government. The normal citizens worked in the agricultural industry or the military. The lowest class were the slaves who were often traded and treated terribly. 

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