Economic Interaction

Most African communities practiced agriculture.

Agricultural activities encouraged interactions among different communities.

Exceptions:

• Pastoral communities like the Maasai did not till the land.

Exchange of:

• Farming methods
• Tools
• Crops

Example:

• The Kwari, originally a pastoral community, eventually adopted agriculture, leading to interactions with farming societies.

Fishing was a key economic activity for communities near:

1. Lakes
2. Rivers
3. Seas

Examples of fishing communities:

• The Luo: known for their fishing tradition in pre-colonial East Africa.
• The Ndengereko: fished in the Rufiji River.
• The Zaramo and other coastal people: fished in the Indian Ocean.

Fishing communities interacted with:

• Pastoralists (to obtain animal products)
• Agriculturalists (to exchange for crops)

People migrated in search of:

• Fertile land
• Reliable rainfall

Agricultural societies moved from infertile to fertile areas.

Population distribution examples:

• Densely populated: Interlacustrine regions (areas around lakes).
• Sparsely populated: Central Tanzania and northern Kenya.