Page 145 - Empires of Medieval West Africa

Empir E s of m E di E v al w E st africa

Zurlo, Tony, West Africa: Indigenous Peoples of Three chapters of the very large documentary
Africa (Farmington Hills, Mich.: Lucent Books, “The Story of Africa,” produced by the BBC,
2001) were about the three medieval empires. This
The book begins with coverage of the rich his- companion site features history, maps, links,
tory shared by hundreds of West African ethnic and reading lists.
groups. Other chapters illustrate how religion,
the family, and the arts are combined, from the Mali Empire and Djenne Figures
African viewpoint. The last chapter takes a look http://africa.si.edu//exhibits/resources/mali/index.
at the future of development in West Africa. htm
Produced by the Smithsonian Institution, this
site features basics about the history of the Mali
DVD Empire. It also has information on artwork
A V
A V found at archaeological sites in Jenne (Djenne)
A Visit to Ali Farka Toure (Kultur Films, 2006)isit to Ali Farka Toure (Kultur Films, 2006)isit to Ali Farka Toure
This film was made by French director Marc one of the major cities of the Mali Empire.
Huraux in 2002. Huraux visited Touré in Mali, National Museum of African Art
and the musician acted as a kind of tour guide, http://africa.si.edu/index2.html
taking Huraux everywhere from a boat ride on This is the main site of the Smithsonian Institu-
the river to the place where he recorded one of tion National Museum of African Art. Click on
his albums. The film also includes live music “Radio Africa” to get free downloads of African
performances and conversations between the music and interviews with experts. Click on
two men. Touré shares many of his life experi- “Collections” to explore the museum’s extensive
ences and desires. This film is in French with art collection. To find pieces specifically from
English subtitles.
the medieval empires, search by country, region,
or ethnic group.
WEB SITES Timbuktu, Mali
African Empires www.history.com/classroom/unesco/timbuktu/
www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum211/timelines/ The History Channel has partnered with
htimeline2.htm UNESCO’s World Heritage Center to look
This site gathers a long series of time lines of at some of the world’s endangered historical
African history in one place. Each time period sites. This section reviews Timbuktu’s early
includes links to other sites with more informa- history, its golden age under the Songhay
tion. The medieval period is covered in this sec- Empire, the contribution of Mansa Musa, the
tion of the site. city’s long decline, and current threats to its
survival. The site has photos of present-day
Al-Bakri’s Online Guide to the Ghana Empire
www.worldbookonline.com/np/na/surf/middle/ Timbuktu, maps, a time line, a study guide,
hippodrome/ghana/saihng01.htm and a quick quiz.
This Web site is presented as if al-Bakri, the Trekking to Timbuktu
Arab geographer, had written it. It includes all http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.
kinds of information about the Ghana Empire, asp?id=510
including the capital and the king, the empire’s Produced by the National Endowment for the
economy and justice system, and religious prac- Humanities, this site is an overview of trade in
tices of the time.
ancient West Africa. It includes maps, photos,
BBC “The Story of Africa” questions to answer and suggestions for activ-
www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyof ities and projects that put knowledge of medi-
af eval West Africa to use.
africa/4chapter1.shtmlrica/4chapter1.shtml
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