Mfecane Causes

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THE CAUSES OF THE MFECANE AND WHY IT SPREAD SO FAR The Mfecane refers to a period of time in Southern Africa where there was political transformation and population migration during the 1820s and 1830s. The word Mfecane is a Zulu word meaning "crushing" or "scattering",which was exactly what happened during the Mfecane. There are various reasons about what led to the Mfecane,such as environmental factors,lack of food and certain chiefdoms expanding and extending their power,some of these reasons have even been outdated. These reasons could also explain why the Mfecane spread as far the Cape Colony up to East and Central Africa. But one reason most historian believe led to the Mfeacne was the depletion of natural resources. Most people during the 17th Century were self-sufficient,therefore environmental changes affected them directly as it meant that they wouldn't have have access to food. This was the case in Southern Africa when the amount of rainfall declined,causing a drought, which put most chiefdoms under stressful situations because without water crops couldn't grow. This was also during the time when the Portugese introduced maize to Southern Africa. Maize soon became the best and main source of food,but it required a lot of water to grow. So when the drought…show more content…
An example of an outdated reason would be,Shaka being held liable for the Mfecane and its violence. And as mentioned above,the more accurate reasons include environmental factors,which left many in devasting and desperate circumstances. Another accurate reason is the expansion and extension of chiefdoms,such as the Sotho Kingdom under Moshoeshoe,which led to political transformations. It can also be agreed that the exact reasons why it spread so far aren't very clear. But ones that seem more accurate,are that the Mfecane spread due to trading and migration of
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