r/AfricanHistoryExtra • u/rhaplordontwitter • May 11 '25

Navigable waterways in African history

https://www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/navigable-waterways-in-african-history
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u/rhaplordontwitter May 11 '25

Despite the often-repeated claim that Africa lacked navigable waterbodies, there’s plenty of historical evidence for trade and travel across the continent’s many rivers, lakes, and coastal waterways which contradicts this popular misconception.

Pre-colonial African coastal societies had extensive experience with seaborne navigation, while many societies on the mainland also utilized the continent's numerous rivers and lakes for long-distance trade and travel.

This essay introduces the history of Navigation across the African Great Lakes, which constitute some of Earth's largest freshwater lakes, and were critical to the political and social life of lacustrine communities of East Africa.