Beginnings in Africa

On which continent did the first modern humans appear?

• Africa

• Asia

• Australia

• North America

Why might students of African American history want to start by studying African history?

• Many African American customs and traditions have their roots in Africa.

• Africa is a tiny continent with only a few people

• No people lived in Africa until a few centuries ago.

• Africa’s history is very simple and easy to learn.

Where is Nubia located?

• east of Mali on the Red Sea

• south of Egypt on the Nile

• west of Ghana on the Atlantic Ocean

• south of the Sahara on the Congo

How did the rulers of Ghana grow wealthy?

• They owned vast farmlands.

• They taxed all the trade that moved through their kingdom

• They owned large salt mines.

• They borrowed heavily from other kingdoms.

What was one change Mansa Musa brought to Mali?

• He required all his subjects to be Christian.

• He forced people to start speaking Arabic

• He closed all schools and libraries in the empire

• He helped spread Islam through the empire.

What role did the griots play in West African society?

• They ruled the kingdoms.

• They preserved history and traditions

• They collected taxes.

• They were warriors

What do historians hope to learn by studying the society and culture of West Africa today?

• why people live in West Africa

• how the Swahili language developed

• what society and culture were like in the past

• where the first humans lived

Which group blended customs with Africans to form the Swahili culture?

• Persians

• Egyptians

• Chinese

• Arabs

the first West African empire, known as the kingdom of gold

one of the world’s oldest civilizations, ruled by the pharaohs