Continuity and Change of African Capitals

Abstract

The capitals of most African countries were established during the colonial era when imperial powers shifted governmental headquarters according to changing circumstances. Since independence few new capitals have been designated, a reflection of the same conservatism displayed toward boundaries of countries. The exception has been the Republic of South Africa, where segregationist policies have led to both new states and new capitals. THE year 1985 marks the one-hundredth anniversary of the conclusion of the Berlin Conference on African Affairs and the twenty-fifth anniversary of the major year of decolonization in Africa. The colonial era may be placed in some perspective as a relatively short, if vital, episode for much of the continent. Two lasting political legacies of the colonial era have been the basic state structure and the capital cities promoted to serve the newly formed states.1 The great majority of capitals in Africa at independence had been founded by colonial powers. Decolonization led to expectations that independent governments would establish new capitals devoid of the imprint of alien powers. These expectations have not been fulfilled. Since 1960 there has been a remarkable degree of stability in the location of capitals, if the exceptional situation in South Africa is disregarded. The pattern for the continent is worthy of examination on these anniversaries. PRECOLONIAL CAPITALS The precolonial state structure in Africa varied greatly from the centralized entities of North Africa to the kinship groupings of Central Africa. The maintenance and functions of capitals were equally wide-ranging. The ordered capitals of the Egyptians, ranging from Memphis and Heliopolis in pharaonic times through Alexandria to Moslem Fustat and Cairo, represent a continuity of 5,000 years of history unequaled anywhere else on the continent.2 Certain ancient cities like Carthage in northern Africa and Meroe in Nubia were the capitals of powerful states for several centuries. Other countries in medieval times were ruled from a number of capitals. The shifting capitals of Ethiopia or Morocco reflected the relative stability of the state, personal preferences of rulers, and the fortunes of the countries.3 1 A. J. Christopher, Colonial Africa (Totowa, N.J.: Barnes and Noble, 1984). 2 Janet L. Abu-Lughod, Cairo: 1001 Years of the City Victorious (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1971). 3 Ronald J. Horvath, The Wandering Capitals of Ethiopia, Journal of African History, Vol. 10, 1969, pp. 205-219. * DR. CHRISTOPHER is a sabbatical visitor at Mansfield College, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom OX1 3TA. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.120 on Sun, 04 Dec 2016 04:55:37 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms