People of Africa | Page 2

most African peoples were shut off from the other people of
the world by the sea and the great sandy desert. Only the people of

Egypt could meet and learn from the people of Europe and Asia. So
while the Egyptians grew wise and clever, all the other Africans, south
of the desert, knew nothing except what they had learnt by themselves.
Then Arabs began to cross the desert to get gold and slaves from the
dark-skinned Africans. These Arabs taught them a little. But, later still,
Europeans began to come in great ships over the sea. These came at
first like the Arabs to trade, and afterwards began to plant great fields
of cotton and tobacco, which will not grow in their own lands. But they
found the dark-skinned Africans were still ignorant, and afraid of
people of other races. They were always fighting among themselves,
and no one could settle among them until there was peace and safety.
At last the European nations made agreements with the chiefs, so that
now in nearly every part of Africa there is a European governor to
prevent wars and fighting. Thus in North Africa the governors are sent
by France, in the Congo lands by Belgium, in East Africa by England,
in some other parts by Portugal. These are different European nations
who send men to keep peace, and to make it possible to carry on trade.
Of course, the coming of the Europeans has made great changes in the
lives of the Africans. In the old times all the men were busy fighting,
and often whole villages of people were killed or made slaves. Now
there is no fighting, but there is more need to work than before. There
are more people, and less land for each family. Europeans want
workmen to help on their great fields. The Africans want many things
now, which they did not know about before, and they must have money
to buy them. So work for money has taken the place of fighting. Again,
in some ways the Europeans, enforcing peace and making many quick
ways of travel, such as good roads and bridges, have helped to weaken
the power of the chiefs. Nobody likes changes to come, and the old
people are always sorry when their children begin new customs; but on
the whole it is good for Africans that other nations came to their
country, because they have brought peace in the place of war, and
safety and freedom instead of the old fear of death or slavery.
II ----------- EGYPT
1. The Country and its River

Egypt is a country in the north of Africa. It has sea to the north and sea
to the east. On the north it is called the Mediterranean Sea, and on the
east the Red Sea. On the west is the great sandy desert called the Sahara,
and to the south are great forests and mountains. Egypt itself is the land
of the great River Nile. There is very seldom any rain there, and
everyone has to get water from the great river. So all the people live
near the Nile or the canals which lead out of it. A "canal" is a waterway,
the channel of which has been dug by men. The big towns are where
the river flows out into the sea, or where a canal meets the main stream,
because the people bring their merchandise to market in boats. All over
the land are little villages, where many people live and work in the
fields to grow food. Year by year when there is heavy rain in the
mountains far away south, the River Nile rises and floods the fields.
Then the people plant their seed quickly and get a good harvest. It is
not difficult to understand why the Egyptians love their great river,
which gives them water for their fields and carries them in their boats
from place to place.
2. Its Past History
Egypt is the only part of Africa that could be reached easily by people
in Europe and Asia, because in Egypt is the only place where men
could walk from Asia and Europe into Africa. Even if they did not want
to walk, the sea was not too wide to cross in small boats. In the Bible
we read how Abraham, who lived in Asia, walked to Egypt, and later
how Moses led the Children of Israel back to Asia. Since that time
Europeans have cut a waterway for ships through this narrow neck of
land, which is called the Suez Canal. So now people can no longer
walk from Asia to Africa, but in the old days the Egyptians grew wiser
than others in Africa, because they were more able to meet men from
other lands in