Unit: West African Civilizations

Lesson Title:Historical and Artistic Traditions of West Africa

(See textbook pages 147–153)

West African Traditions and Culture

Can you think of ways in which our American culture has been influenced by African culture?

As a start, think about our music, art,

fashion, and dance.

Definition – Tradition: a practice handed down through generations of a people.

Lack of a Written Language

Most of the people in the societies we have studied in West Africa (Ghana, Mali and Songhai) did not have a written language except for government and religious leaders and scholars who learned Arabic because of Islam.

These societies handed down their knowledge and beliefs from one generation to another through storytelling, music, dance, symbols and visual art.

Historical and Artistic Traditions

Organize your study of how the peoples of West Africa passed down their histories and beliefs through generations with the chart below. List examples of traditions as we review the slides and textbook.

Historical Traditions Artistic Traditions

Oral Histories

The early societies of West Africa used oral histories (spoken records of past events) to record and keep information about their pasts.

Official storytellers in Africa

were called Griots.

Griots memorized stories

about the past of their villages

and peoples , heroes, kings,

and empires.

Griots

The stories of the Griots were informative,

structured, and entertaining.

Some stories were long poems

called epics about important

historical events.

Some stories were legends and folktales that exaggerated events or made up details to teach lessons, and included villains and super heroes.

Can you think of stories or poems you learned

as a child that were like stories Griots told?

Proverbs

The stories told by Griots often contained proverbs. Proverbs are sayings of wisdom and truth. Here are examples:

--A talkative bird will not build a nest.

--Silence is also speech.

--When the rain falls on the leopard it wets its spots but does not wash them off.

Music

The early peoples of West Africa also used music and songs to keep their histories and teach their beliefs and values.

The music of the West Africans often stressed rhythm and drumming. Popular instruments included these:

balafon kora

Do they resemble instruments we use today in America?

Music

The theme and style of the early West African music has influenced American music, especially gospel, jazz, blues, rock and roll, and rap.

A common style of music used “call and response.”

Dance

West Africans also used dance to tell their stories and pass on their beliefs and values.

Visual Arts

In class reading activity:

Read “West Africans Value Arts”on pages 150-151.

Answer these questions:

1. A traditional religion in early West Africa was worship of ancestors. How did West Africans use art to connect to their ancestors?

2. Another traditional religion of West Africa was called animism (believing there are powers in the spirits of animals). How did the art of West Africans reflect animism?

3. Why were singing and dancing so important in West Africa?

Right Side Notebook Activity

Creating an Oral History

In our last lesson we created a newspaper article (a written history) of the Battle of Tondibi and the fall of the Songhai Empire. Now change this written history into an oral history form that could be passed on to others. Convert your newspaper story into a “call and response” song or rap. Write the lyrics in your notebook.