Cls. 5 Social Studies | Effects of Migration and Settlement

Description

Effects of migration can be classified into two broad groups as follows:

• Positive effects and
• Negative effects.

1. Positive effects of migration

This refers to positive developments as a result of migration and interaction of different communities.  They include:

• New cultural practices borrowed from other cultures g. Bantus borrowed the practice of circumcision and age sets from Cushites, exchange of names e.g. between the Luo and the Luhya
• New economic activities. the Bantu introduced use of iron to make tools, Nilotes and Cushites introduced livestock keeping to the Bantu, the Bantu introduced crop farming to Highland Nilotes, Asians introduced sugarcane farming.
• New languages as a result of interaction or intermarriages. For example, the interaction between Arabs and Bantu gave rise to Kiswahili language.  Intermarriage between the Luhya and Nandi gave rise to the Tiriki language.
• Promotion of trading activities among communities with different resources and economic.

2. Negative effects of migration

• Intercommunal conflicts/insecurity/war/raids. The hostilities were mainly caused by competition for resources, fight for control and cultural differences.  For example, the Galla/Oromo who are Cushites attacked and dispersed the Eastern Bantu from Shungwaya in Somalia. The Ngoni from South Africa clashed with the Chagga.
• Displacement of communities by the migrants. For example, the Abagusii were displaced by the Luo and Kalenjin.
• Overpopulation: Areas with reliable rainfall became more densely than those with unreliable and inadequate rainfall.  This led to scarcity of essential resources like food, water, land; overexploitation hence destruction of the environment as well as insecurity caused by competition for resources.