Diogo Cão and the Portuguese in West Africa

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Diogo Cão and the Portuguese in West Africa

Overview

The voyage of Diogo Cão (1450-1487) up the Congo River established the Portuguese as a major power in West Africa, and especially in the Congo. As a result of this journey, political and economic alliances would be created that would change the history of both West Africa and South America, the most important of which centered on plantation agriculture and the use of slave labor. This would eventually result in the establishment of new cultures on both continents.

Background

By the late fifteenth century, the Portuguese established themselves as a naval presence in the Atlantic Ocean and had developed a highly successful fishing industry that extended into Northern Europe. The Reconquest or wars against the Islamic presence on the Iberian Peninsula also played a major role in their maritime policy. The initial success against the Muslims in Europe gave the Lisbon government the confidence to extend the battle to North Africa. Landings against Islamic strongholds were carried out for two reasons. Initially they were conducted to reestablish Christianity in the area, but eventually the Portuguese began fighting a fifteenth-century "Cold War" against the Islamic empire. Their long-range goals were to contain any future spread of Islam and eventually to roll back Muslim presence in North Africa. In time the Portuguese would come to recognize their presence in the area as a way to gain control of the lucrative African gold trade. After years of failing to penetrate the interior of the continent, the monarchy hoped it could acquire gold by controlling the caravan routes of North Africa. The Portuguese also found a new and growing market for pepper in Northern Europe. By the 1450s, the cattle herds of the continent were so large that the farmers were unable to keep them fed throughout the winter. Every autumn hundreds of livestock were butchered and pepper was used to preserve the meat. The attempt to control the flow of this precious substance became the third reason for the aggressive expansionist policy of the Lisbon government.

The Portuguese were also at the forefront of research and development in navigational and marine technology. Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460) created the first modern think tank and invited experts from all over Europe to come to Lisbon to work and research under optimum conditions. His scholars collected a wealth of information about the winds and currents of the Atlantic. He also created an extensive library dedicated to the science of cartography. Although Henry was a fierce nationalist and anti-Muslim, he did respect the scientific accomplishments of other civilizations. He encouraged his scholars to research in the fields of both Chinese and Islamic marine technology. This enabled the European Community to become proficient with both the compass and the astrolabe. These two instruments gave Portuguese navigators the ability to acquire accurate information concerning direction and location north or south of the equator, which gave Portuguese captains greater opportunity to successfully sail the world's oceans. Members of Henry's group also helped perfect the most important advancement in fifteenth century marine engineering, the caravel. This ship was the state-of-the-art vessel of exploration; it was both fast and reliable. The triangular lateen sail allowed the pilot of the ship to take advantage of the wind no matter what direction it was blowing. Improvements in the construction of the hull, including the ability to manufacture the keel from one piece of lumber, enabled the caravel to successfully sail the rough waters of the Atlantic. Finally, the size of the ship allowed it to navigate very narrow and shallow harbors without running aground. These advancements gave the Portuguese the technological advantage they needed to dominate the world's sea-lanes in the middle of the fifteenth century. Their influence was extended first by Bartolomeu Dias (1450-1500) when he rounded the Cape of Good Hope and again by Vasco da Gama (1460-1524) when he reached India.

Based upon the success of da Gama, the Portuguese intended to dominate trade in the Indian Ocean. This body of water provided a route for goods moving from China, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, and Africa. It was truly the world's first international sea-lane. The country or civilization that dominated the area would control a significant portion of the world's trade. This also allowed the Portuguese to strike another blow for Christianity in its struggle against Islam. Until the arrival of da Gama the Indian Ocean was alternatively dominated by the Chinese and Moslem civilizations, with Islam the most recent. The Moslem navy was no match for Portuguese technology, therefore the balance of power in the area shifted to the Lisbon government. This new geostragetic situation transferred the control of the trade in spice and other commodities to the Portuguese, and they quickly established themselves as the dominant power in the region. They created a series of strategic fortifications to control this trade. Some were constructed to control the flow of goods from the interior of Asia and Africa to ports on the Indian Ocean. Among the most important were Macao in China, Goa in India, and Mombassa in Africa. The Portuguese also gained control of strategic "choke points" where the flow of trade could be shut down by the nation that dominated these waterways. The Strait of Hormuz at the eastern end of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Malacca at the tip of the Mayla Peninsula were two of the most critical points. The Portuguese soon discovered that despite their technological superiority, the task of controlling such a wide expanse of territory so far from the Iberian Peninsula was impossible to maintain. The government in Lisbon decided to concentrate its attention closer to home.

Impact

Brazil and West Africa were perceived to be more promising areas of economic growth and would eventually become linked to Portuguese imperialistic ambitions. The turning point in Africa came when Diogo Cão began to explore the Congo River in 1482 and eventually came into contact with the tribal state of Kongo. The leaders of this African political unit were strong and confident, thus they were able to deal with the Portuguese on an equal footing. The power of the government was based upon its control of the flow of important goods from across Africa. A single ruler, referred to as a "Big Man," attempted to regulate this important business. He was far from an absolute ruler, and like his European counterparts he had to deal with many challenges to his power. Two groups, which could prove to be a particular danger, were the secular elite running the government and the religious leadership. When the Portuguese arrived in 1485 the Kongo was locked in a struggle over succession. They were soon perceived as potential political allies, and when Cão threw his support behind the successful pretender Portugal's position in the area was solidified.

An alliance was established between the crown and Kongo government. The Portuguese supported the new leadership with military assistance and in turn they received slaves. The success of plantation agriculture in Brazil created a market for slave labor. The work was so strenuous that the lifespan of the slaves was very short. The work was performed predominately by men, so there were few women to provide replacements for the plantation. This would significantly impact the cultural and historical development of both South America and West Africa. Disease from both Europe and Africa reduced the indigenous population by as much as 80%. A new Latin American culture was produced from the influx of people from Europe and Africa. West Africa on the other hand was completely torn apart by the slave trade. The "Big Men" from the Kongo extended their slave raids deeper and deeper into the interior. Year after year young, strong, and intelligent African males would be taken to satisfy the needs of plantation agriculture. This produced history's greatest population drain and deprived Africa of its youth and vitality. In time it also helped to destabilize the Kongo government. So profitable was the slave trade that individual merchants tried to undercut the Portuguese government's monopoly. They provided anti-government forces with weapons that could be used to overthrow the existing power structure. This established a culture of rebellion that destroyed the peace and security of the region. In the end, the populations of both Africa and Brazil suffered greatly from the imperialistic drive of the Portuguese.

These problems would extend into the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. When Europe's second age of imperialism began in the 1870s, Africa was still recovering from the disruption of this fifteenth century invasion. The vast damage that was caused to the continent as a result of slavery, disease, and political destabilization prevented the African people from defending themselves against another wave of colonization. Much of the current political, social, and economic turmoil found on the continent today can be traced historically to this first wave of imperialism.

RICHARD D. FITZGERALD