Civ'ed
I ain't gotta explain a thing
For me, a spectre is haunting civ VI. The spectre of the possibility of Afonso's Kongo in Civ VI.
Now, I'm not actually opposed to the idea of subsaharan civs. In fact, people who know me can pretty much confirm I'd rather have 45 subsaharan civs, and maybe one or two token western civs.
But Kongo, and especially Kongo under Afonso, is a patently bad choice - not just from the perspective of what he actually achieved, but also because of various historiographical reasons related to the specific pick that is Kongo.
Why Afonso is a bad choice
A cursory glance at the list of Manikongo shows we know of 5 different Manikongo called Afonso, and another who was ruler of Kongo and Nkondo. Since we don't know anything about II, II, III, IV, and V, other than that their reigns were brief and uneventful, this means Afonso in Civ would most likely be Afonso I, also known as Nzinga Mbemba (I'll refer to him as Mbemba, to distinguish from all the other Afonsos).
So what is Mbemba actually known for? Effectively, selling off half of his country to Portuguese interests. Most of what we know comes from letters between Mbemba and the Kings of Portugal, and it doesn't quite leave a good impression on the man. A list of his accomplishments comes out rather badly for him:
Most Civ leaders are chosen for being considered important to their country - Washington and William of Orange as independence fighters, Victoria as ruler of the largest empire ever, etc. Mbemba, however, did none of these. Effectively, his claim to fame is emulating Portugal.
So why is this an issue?
Africa is a continent with a lot of history, sadly very little of it recorded. While we may know a lot about the Kongo from Mbemba's letters, it gives the impression that he was chosen for leader of Kongo because he tried to be a European country where he wasn't one - which leaves a bitter aftertaste. With Mali, Songhai, and even most iterations of the Zulu, it was undeniable that they became strong due to being themselves - Mali and Songhai as great West African empires capable of destabilizing the world economy, and the Zulu as military reformers and one of the most influential groups in South African history in general. Afonso's Kongo is none of this - it would literally be the equivalent of picking Petain as leader of France - none of the actual country, a whole lot of the conqueror. Add to this that Afonso is hardly a heroic character - like most Manikongo, he came to power with some fairly dirty play, and his death caused a minor civil war - and you don't really have civilization-tier material.
Unless civs are picked for being similar to Europe.
In the case of the above, Afonso is the perfect choice for the Kongo. But this doesn't add up - why wouldn't we pick Sun-Yat-Sen for China, or just leave the middle east out entirely because it's not European enough? Is Afonso being picked because Firaxis feels that most African civilizations are old hat after one go, and that there's a need for difference? That's a rather bad excuse for adding a civ.
To summarize this part, Afonso is a bad choice for leader unless "trying to be European" is an important category for African leader choices. He achieved little more than to allow Portugal to dominate the kingdom, and other than that is no different from most Manikongo. Literally any Manikongo would be better than Afonso.
Counterarguments to leaving Kongo out
Of course, this is more of a rant against the pick of Afonso in particular. Personally, out of several conversations with people, I've picked up on a few counterarguments to removing Kongo completely.
Obscurity
It's a fact we're going to have to face that no matter what, African history is not well recorded until the colonial period. We know various kingdoms existed, mostly through the oral tradition of the people in the area. It's undeniable that the Kongo is one of the best recorded sub-saharan kingdoms.
Obscurity can be a problem when picking African civs. Let's say, for example, that Firaxis didn't pick Kongo, but picked the Khoisan. Ignoring the fact that only half of this blanket term refers to sedentary cultures, what would you do for the Khoisan leader? The UU? Any unique districts? Agenda? It's simply not possible to make a civ for EVERY African nation. This doesn't mean, however, that Firaxis can't try. If we can have the Maasai in Empire Earth, we can have a reasonably obscure African civ in Civilization.
Influence
Kongo is also pretty influential in Central African politics. Kongo simply proved to be the gateway for European ideas into other Central African kingdoms, and that does merit some consideration - although again, my issue isn't really Kongo, it's Afonso. In addition, some African countries were equally, if not more influential - I'll go into this later on when I suggest other possible civs.
Kongo isn't even confirmed yet
I know Kongo isn't even confirmed yet. It might not even be in the game. But this doesn't mean I can't be worried. Neither scenario particularly appeals to me - Kongo not in the game might mean we don't have a single sub-saharan civ in the base game (we've always had one so far), while Kongo with Afonso in the game is bad because of the implications of picking Afonso mentioned above.
You're being unfair to Afonso
Although I may seem to be "unfair" or deliberately mean to a historical figure, I'd like to counterpoint that this is a community that got nitpicky over the fact that Attila wasn't speaking Hunnic, a language so dead we don't even know what it sounded like! Nitpicking is the greatest thing known to mankind when it comes to accuracy in Civ, so this counterargument doesn't hold a lot of water.
You read too much into the leader/civ pick
Perhaps I do. Doesn't mean I can't lay out my issues with it. Civ is a game that can actually influence pop history - I feel that I have some faint right to present why I think something's wrong.
Suggestions for replacement civs
Reintroductions
Sometimes, a good civ's already been used.
New Civs - West Africa
Other than Mali and Songhai, the homeland of the Bantu in general offers much more.
New Civs - East Africa
The East has more cultures that would make excellent civs.
New Civs - Central Africa
Isn't this where we began this discussion?
New Civs - Southern Africa
More than warlike civs.
There's a lot of cool African civs. These are just the "easiest" ones to do.
Conclusion
I don't know what I was trying to achieve here. I guess I felt a need to vent, but to do so in a way that also provided alternatives to fixing my main problem with the current pick of Afonso.
Did I achieve anything? Probably not. Still, I feel a bit better now that I've actually addressed what is surprisingly enough my biggest issue with VI right now.
And hey, if the modding tools work, I know what I'm doing upon release...
Now, I'm not actually opposed to the idea of subsaharan civs. In fact, people who know me can pretty much confirm I'd rather have 45 subsaharan civs, and maybe one or two token western civs.
But Kongo, and especially Kongo under Afonso, is a patently bad choice - not just from the perspective of what he actually achieved, but also because of various historiographical reasons related to the specific pick that is Kongo.
Why Afonso is a bad choice
A cursory glance at the list of Manikongo shows we know of 5 different Manikongo called Afonso, and another who was ruler of Kongo and Nkondo. Since we don't know anything about II, II, III, IV, and V, other than that their reigns were brief and uneventful, this means Afonso in Civ would most likely be Afonso I, also known as Nzinga Mbemba (I'll refer to him as Mbemba, to distinguish from all the other Afonsos).
So what is Mbemba actually known for? Effectively, selling off half of his country to Portuguese interests. Most of what we know comes from letters between Mbemba and the Kings of Portugal, and it doesn't quite leave a good impression on the man. A list of his accomplishments comes out rather badly for him:
- Heavy attempts to convert Kongo to Catholicism
- Threatening to ban the slave trade but caving to Portuguese interests
- Just generally caving to Portuguese interests piecemeal
Most Civ leaders are chosen for being considered important to their country - Washington and William of Orange as independence fighters, Victoria as ruler of the largest empire ever, etc. Mbemba, however, did none of these. Effectively, his claim to fame is emulating Portugal.
So why is this an issue?
Africa is a continent with a lot of history, sadly very little of it recorded. While we may know a lot about the Kongo from Mbemba's letters, it gives the impression that he was chosen for leader of Kongo because he tried to be a European country where he wasn't one - which leaves a bitter aftertaste. With Mali, Songhai, and even most iterations of the Zulu, it was undeniable that they became strong due to being themselves - Mali and Songhai as great West African empires capable of destabilizing the world economy, and the Zulu as military reformers and one of the most influential groups in South African history in general. Afonso's Kongo is none of this - it would literally be the equivalent of picking Petain as leader of France - none of the actual country, a whole lot of the conqueror. Add to this that Afonso is hardly a heroic character - like most Manikongo, he came to power with some fairly dirty play, and his death caused a minor civil war - and you don't really have civilization-tier material.
Unless civs are picked for being similar to Europe.
In the case of the above, Afonso is the perfect choice for the Kongo. But this doesn't add up - why wouldn't we pick Sun-Yat-Sen for China, or just leave the middle east out entirely because it's not European enough? Is Afonso being picked because Firaxis feels that most African civilizations are old hat after one go, and that there's a need for difference? That's a rather bad excuse for adding a civ.
To summarize this part, Afonso is a bad choice for leader unless "trying to be European" is an important category for African leader choices. He achieved little more than to allow Portugal to dominate the kingdom, and other than that is no different from most Manikongo. Literally any Manikongo would be better than Afonso.
Counterarguments to leaving Kongo out
Of course, this is more of a rant against the pick of Afonso in particular. Personally, out of several conversations with people, I've picked up on a few counterarguments to removing Kongo completely.
Obscurity
It's a fact we're going to have to face that no matter what, African history is not well recorded until the colonial period. We know various kingdoms existed, mostly through the oral tradition of the people in the area. It's undeniable that the Kongo is one of the best recorded sub-saharan kingdoms.
Obscurity can be a problem when picking African civs. Let's say, for example, that Firaxis didn't pick Kongo, but picked the Khoisan. Ignoring the fact that only half of this blanket term refers to sedentary cultures, what would you do for the Khoisan leader? The UU? Any unique districts? Agenda? It's simply not possible to make a civ for EVERY African nation. This doesn't mean, however, that Firaxis can't try. If we can have the Maasai in Empire Earth, we can have a reasonably obscure African civ in Civilization.
Influence
Kongo is also pretty influential in Central African politics. Kongo simply proved to be the gateway for European ideas into other Central African kingdoms, and that does merit some consideration - although again, my issue isn't really Kongo, it's Afonso. In addition, some African countries were equally, if not more influential - I'll go into this later on when I suggest other possible civs.
Kongo isn't even confirmed yet
I know Kongo isn't even confirmed yet. It might not even be in the game. But this doesn't mean I can't be worried. Neither scenario particularly appeals to me - Kongo not in the game might mean we don't have a single sub-saharan civ in the base game (we've always had one so far), while Kongo with Afonso in the game is bad because of the implications of picking Afonso mentioned above.
You're being unfair to Afonso
Although I may seem to be "unfair" or deliberately mean to a historical figure, I'd like to counterpoint that this is a community that got nitpicky over the fact that Attila wasn't speaking Hunnic, a language so dead we don't even know what it sounded like! Nitpicking is the greatest thing known to mankind when it comes to accuracy in Civ, so this counterargument doesn't hold a lot of water.
You read too much into the leader/civ pick
Perhaps I do. Doesn't mean I can't lay out my issues with it. Civ is a game that can actually influence pop history - I feel that I have some faint right to present why I think something's wrong.
Suggestions for replacement civs
Reintroductions
Sometimes, a good civ's already been used.
- The Zulu, as always led by Shaka, are a mainstay of Civ. Aggressively challenging to play against, fun to play with, the Zulu have a special place in civ.
- Mali, led by Musa I, was arguably the best civ of IV. Musa I was officially declared the richest person to ever live, and I think his influence stretched far beyond the borders of his kingdom - some would argue his excessive charity on Hajj led to the rise of Venice. A solid pick for an African country with far-reaching influence.
- Songhai, led by Askia Muhammad Ture, is not as important as Mali, despite occupying roughly the same territory. Songhai was quite possibly one of the most modern states in West Africa during Askia's reign, however. Some law books written during the Songhai period are still used today in Islamic law, while the Songhai bureaucracy was quite possibly the best in Western Africa while still managing to stay true to the Songhai's original roots.
- Ethiopia led by, well, there's plenty to pick from. Ethiopia is a country best served by a combination of her Civ IV iteration as a strong East African empire, and her Civ V iteration as capable of overcoming even as the underdog.
New Civs - West Africa
Other than Mali and Songhai, the homeland of the Bantu in general offers much more.
- Sokoto, led by Usman dan Fodio, is the main reason you find Fulani all over Western Africa. The Fulani Jihad was one of the most establishment-upsetting events in pre-colonial West Africa. Usman was more than just a religious warrior, however - he criticized other African leaders of the time for corruption and neglect of the common man, and wrote more than 400 poets too. This gives us a good idea of his UA, Leader Ability, UU, UB and Agenda - detesting those who have his religion but allow religious minorities in their empire, culture boosts, unique cultural districts, and of course his soldiers fighting with increased fervor against those of different religions.
- Ghana, and it should be clear I'm not discussing the modern state here, ruled by Ghana Kaya Magan or Bassi, is certainly an interesting choice in the vein of Mali and Songhai. Lasting for nearly 1000 years, the capital of Koumbi Saleh was one of splendor, with Arab travellers reporting that everything in the palace was covered in gold - Ghana probably had a better claim to being El Dorado than any South American country ever had. Supposedly, Ghana was sacked by the Almoravids - but tradition also maintains they held out for a decade first, which is a feat in and of itself.
- Ashanti, led by Osei Kofi Tutu, is another very interesting choice. A federation of various Ashanti kingdoms led by Kumasi, the Ashanti Empire was the centrepiece in Western Africa's precarious balance of power. It's a testament to the Ashanti that it took the brits 3 wars to actually defeat the Ashanti, thus swiftly causing the collapse of hegemony in modern-day Ghana. Ashanti grew on the slave trade, and the importance placed on both the Golden Stool and stools in general means that there is still a unique culture in place. Ashanti would definitely be an interesting choice.
- Dahomey under king Ghezo was an interesting state. First fully independent under Ghezo, he is also credited with the formation of the Dahomey Amazons as a proper fighting force - the Amazons would be an interesting UU for sure. He also maneuvered around British demands rather skillfully, something the British did very little about. The king of loophole abuse, Ghezo would be an amazing trickster AI to play against if he were added.
- Nok - we don't actually have a leader of the Nok, which is where the obscurity clause comes in. However, this doesn't mean the Nok weren't important - their culture was highly refined and, as contemporaries of several major civilizations further north, their use of Iron was developed independently from other countries and could well have been started around 1000 BC. A cool early game civ with focus on culture.
New Civs - East Africa
The East has more cultures that would make excellent civs.
- Zanzibar or Kilwa - both of these Swahili states were extremely powerful in their heyday, practically controlling trade from Yemen to Mozambique. If there's a reason Swahili is the lingua france of Eastern Africa, it's these two. Although eventually subsumed within the Omani, British and German colonial empires, they were some of the wealthiest states on the coast at the time.
- Somalia would be an almalgation of various Somali states throughout history. Somalia's leader, Maxamed Cabdille Xasan, founded the Dervish State, one that would give Italy and the UK headaches until 1920. The capital of Somalia could be Mogadishu, Taleex, or Laasqoray. Dervish forts still dot Somalia, and the various clans could give an interesting take on the Great Person UU concept introduced in civ V.
- Madagascar is counted amongst the East and not the South, because it is most definitely an East African civ. Led by either Andrianampoinimerina or Radama the Great, the men who respectively started and finished the unification of Madagascar, Madagascar could get a bonus from natural wonders, or access to unique resources to represent its position as an isolate from most of Africa. The Menalamba rebellion against French rule provides an excellent UU.
New Civs - Central Africa
Isn't this where we began this discussion?
- Ndongo - Also known as Angola, this state lead by Ana Nzinga is everything the Kongo civ could be, but won't be. Nzinga was a shrewd negotiator, and even fought tooth and nail against the Portuguese when they decided to impose more strict dominion on the Ndongo. Even though she eventually lost, she didn't give up - she just moved country. Allying herself with various powers, she is still remembered in Angola today for her diplomatic acumen and military aptitude. This makes Nzinga not only a good choice for a female leader, but the choice for a female leader.
- Buganda, led by Muteesa I, is another of those shrewd civs you find a lot in these suggestions. Muteesa successfully juggled missionaries and trade, establishing Buganda as a kingdom that would not be colonized while keeping Baganda traditions afloat. Popular both in Buganda and in Europe, Muteesa is a leader who deserves his spot in a civ game.
- Kongo - surprised to see them here? Kongo is influential no doubt, but Afonso is just a bad pick for a leader. Any other leader would be better.
New Civs - Southern Africa
More than warlike civs.
- Sotho, or Lesotho, is not specifically important today, but its very existence is to the credit of one man - Moshoeshoe I. Realizing he could not defeat the Boers on flat land, he willingly ceded a large chunk of what is now the Free State province in favor of the highly defensible Drakensberg. From the fortress of Thaba Bosiu, he ended up negotiating deals with the Brits, thus ensuring that the people of Lesotho would be spared from the Apartheid. Moshoeshoe is a national hero in Lesotho, and for good reason - a clever negotiator and excellent propagandist.
- Xhosa - The Xhosa have but one man who can ever be their leader, and it's not Nelson Mandela - it's Hintsa kaKhawuta. Paramount chief of but one Xhosa clan, he managed to unite all the clans against the Brits, but was eventually killed in captivity while negotiating a peace deal. The Xhosa were well known for their marksmanship, leaving an excellent UU; while the old Nguni Kraals pop up time and time again.
There's a lot of cool African civs. These are just the "easiest" ones to do.
Conclusion
I don't know what I was trying to achieve here. I guess I felt a need to vent, but to do so in a way that also provided alternatives to fixing my main problem with the current pick of Afonso.
Did I achieve anything? Probably not. Still, I feel a bit better now that I've actually addressed what is surprisingly enough my biggest issue with VI right now.
And hey, if the modding tools work, I know what I'm doing upon release...
) you are preaching to the choir here, but I'll chime in to agree!
)
