Before Columbus sailed to the New World and before Europe reached their “Enlightenment Era” two significant kingdoms flourished on the west coast of what some refer to as the motherland: Africa. The name of these two mighty states are Ghana and Mali. Ghana was the first West African state of which their was any record. After the downfall near the end of the eleventh century, Mali rose up to take their place as the economic, …showed first 75 words of 432 total…

…showed last 75 words of 432 total…signs of declination became apparent. The decline was brought on by a series of invasions by the Songhay and Mossi people. Mali continued to exist as a small, semi-independent state for many years. Ghana and Mali were two very important kingdoms in the history of the continent as well as the world as a whole. Researching their times of prosperity and also their decline can be keys in unlocking the mysteries of the twenty-first century.