ABSTRACT
Like whitecaps on the sea, kingdoms and empires have danced on the bosom of the African continent, expressing their individual gifts, longer than anyone can remember. The Empire of Kanem-Borno, located in the region of Lake Chad, played a major role in the expansion of Islam in Africa. The greatest of all Mais was the noble Idris Alooma, who came to power in 1569 and established a reputation for fairness, justice, and sternness with the enemies of Kanem-Borno. Probably more because of Idris Alooma than any other Mai, the world knows about Kanem-Borno. Kanem-Borno was originally ruled by a Mai who appointed princes to govern the territories. Hausa cities were formed from the merger of villages in an effort to create settlements large enough to defend themselves. The ruling elite of the Hausa city-states accepted taxes from the masses that lived in the interstices between city-states.
