Final answer:
European societies had advantages over African societies by 1500 CE in gunpowder and printing, metalworking, mining, and shipbuilding but not in cultural and linguistic unity.
Step-by-step explanation:
By 1500 CE, the advantages that European societies had over African societies included gunpowder and printing, metalworking and mining, and shipbuilding and sea navigation. The one area where Europeans did not have an advantage was in cultural and linguistic unity. In stark contrast to the fragmented and often competing states of Europe, some African and Asian empires, like the Qing Dynasty, displayed a greater level of political unification and controlled economic systems. Moreover, Europe's prowess concerning technology had less to do with inherent cultural superiority, and more with their access to energy sources like coal and oil, which fueled their industrialization and military capabilities.
Africa itself had a variety of successful civilizations with rich cultures and trade networks. However, the devastation of the transatlantic slave trade and European colonization brought widespread disruption to African societies, which later faced challenges in maintaining unity in the face of external pressures and internal diversities.