Paper Instruments in Early African Economies and the Debated Role of the Suftaja

Abstract

This article provides a longitudinal reflection on the institutional history of African economies from the earliest times until the 1300s. It examines paper instruments or documents that facilitated exchange and the delegation of obligations, property and capital. The essay analyses the evidence from Pharaonic Egypt to medieval Northwest Africa, with a focus on paper instruments used in long-distance financial transfers. Medieval Muslim legal scholars described and oftentimes rigorously debated the nature of written contracts, including those used in finance. Based on a manuscript composed by a legal scholar from Mauritania, I examine Islamic debates concerning the lawfulness of the suftaja, a form of long-distance payment or check. By reviewing the history of early paper economies, this essay seeks to highlight the contributions of African societies to world economic history.