A Brief History of Marijuana Use in Ancient Africa

Also known as hemp or cannabis, marijuana is the oldest known psychoactive plant.  It grows in many parts of the world is successfully cultivated in a wide range of soil types and climates.  In ancient times, marijuana was known to have been used in religious rituals, as well as in medicinal preparations.  It was highly revered for its ability to improve mood, alter perception and consciousness, as well as treating symptoms such as nausea, respiratory ailments, fever, and pain. 

Cannabis Comes to Africa

The use of marijuana by the indigenous people of Africa can be traced back to 14^th century Ethiopia.  Since marijuana did not originate in Africa, the ancient tribes who used it had to acquire it through trading with outsiders.  Archaeologists now believe that marijuana was introduced to African societies by trading goods with their Arab neighbors.  Soon, through seed sharing and careful cultivation practices, cannabis culture had spread to other tribes throughout Africa, giving birth to a commodity that would become more valuable than gold.

Originally, African tribesmen chewed cannabis leaves, but they soon learned the art of smoking the plant, which changed African culture in many ways.  New skills, like pipe-making, had to be learned and smoking marijuana became a large part of ritual and recreation which was performed in groups. 

The Riamba Cult

One tribe, the Bashilenge, formed their entire religion around the use of cannabis.  The Bashilenge call themselves Bena-Riamba, which is translated “the sons of hemp”.  This ancient culture regarded marijuana as a god and the pipe as a symbol of peace.  They believed that cannabis had universal magical powers and was used extensively to ward off evil spirits. 

Deeply engrained in the fabric of African culture, cannabis was used in ancient times in a medicinal capacity to treat common conditions such as dysentery and malaria.  In some tribes, marijuana was worshipped as a god and its use permeated almost every other aspect of societal life, as well.

References: 

H. von Wissman, My Second Journey Through Equatorial Africa (London: Chatto & Windus, 1891), p. 312; cf: K. Zetterstrom, "Bena Riamba, Brothers of the Hemp", Studia Ethnographica Upsaliensia, 26 (1966): 151-65.

J.E. Morley and A.D. Bensusan, "Dagga: Tribal Uses and Customs", Medical Proceedings 17 (1971): 409-12.