Western Africa

Western Africa is a region on the Niger River, in the western Sahel climate zone. North of it lies the Sahara, south of it lie jungles. Civilization here emerged at least twice independantly.

Manden and the first rise
The earliest centralized nations here where the military and agruicultural alliance of the Manden state and its semi-nomadic northern rivals in Fez, consisting of enslaved Manden’ka and Northern nomads. South of this where independant tribes and city states similar to Manden. This early civilization would last until 2900 BCE, when for unknown reasons, probalby due to crop faliure and nomadic incursion, it collapsed.

Amir and the second rise
Many many years later, some of the tribes that gianed power after the end of Manden began to for coalitions. Not yet city states, but a ghost of their former glory. These tribes included the fanatical Gahaza, and the Amir and Marid. No dates can be percisely placed on these early tribal conflicts. The dates given by locals correspond to the Manden period, which may indicate that Gahaza is a later word for the Fez horde, and Amir and Marid correspond to the various  Manden’ka. However that is purely speculative.

By 1907 BCE, Amir and had established a hegemony over the region, along with its vassal Arin. Bloody tribal warfare gave way to agruiculture and mutual trade. A centralized religion was established, with primary deities as Afrast and Ofek. Afrast is good and civilized while Ofek corresponds to the nations primary enemies, eastern tribesmen and hordes, who provide a constant threat. This religion would become highly traditionalist in places.