Latest / The Songhai Empire: Africa's Powerful Forgotten Kingdom — Fexingo History
Songhai's River Navy: The Niger Fleet That Defended an Empire
Most histories of the Songhai Empire focus on its land armies and trans-Saharan trade, but the empire's real strategic backbone may have been its river fleet. In this episode, we explore the Sorko boatmen—the Niger's indigenous shipbuilders and warriors—who formed the core of Songhai's naval power. We examine how the fari-mondio (admiral) commanded flotillas of war canoes that patrolled the bend of the Niger, transported troops for campaigns against the Mossi and Fulani, and suppressed rebellions like the Kanta uprising. Discover the construction of the massive dugout canoes…
The skinny
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