Mali from Timbuktu to Washington >> Educational Resources

Folklife Festival 2003 > Mali > Educational Resources


educational resources



These resources were compiled for the Teachers Symposium, "Mali: From Timbuktu to Washington" held during the Folklife Festival. You will find books, and other materials to use in your classroom, or for your own interest.

Books

Diouf. Kings and Queens of West Africa Watts Library/Grolier McKissack. The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali and Songhay Henry Holt & Co. Nelson. West African Kingdoms. Steadwell Books/Harcourt. Shuter. Ancient West African Kingdoms Heinemann Library Publishers, 1999. Part of series, Understanding People in the Past, Grades 4-6. Wisniewski. Sundiata, Lion King of Mali Clarion Books.

Websites

General Information:
www.africaguide.com/country/mali (general info, topics: people, religion, music, etc.) www.worldatlas.com (general info, map and country statistics) www.geographia.com (short text, no images) www.sagatours.com (tours of Mali: "places to visit" "things to do" "things to see" includes artisans and traditional culture. Images and contemporary music clips.

Ancient Kingdom:
www.vmfa.state.va.us/mali_vmfa_collect1.html (information and images)

Art:
www.nmafa.si.edu/educ/mali (Smithsonian National Museum of African Art -- Mali Empire and Djenne figures, with curriculum unit) www.jembetat.com (a gallery of African art searchable by country) www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/bwa.htm (lessons on Malian art, masks and the art of related African cultures)

Architecture:
www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/csq/csq_article.cfm? id=38ED12ED-499C-41A1-A94922E9DBB79F9C&region _id=5&subregion_id=12&issue_id=25 (The Djenne mosque in Mali, the world's largest adobe structure, images and text)

Music:
www.coraconnection.com (site for musical instrument/catalogue sales - nice images of current musicians, instruments and explanations of regional styles) www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Instruments/Anglais/mnm_c_ txt02_en.html (National Museum of Mali -- each musical instrument has a page with image, text and sound clip. A terrific site!!!)

Curriculum Resources:
www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/K-12/menu_EduMEDI.html (K-12 Electronic guide for African resources in the internet)

Other Sites:
www.geographia.com For grades 6-12. Brief paragraphs describing geography and climate; history and people. Focuses on the Niger River, Timbuktu, Djenne and the Dogon culture. www.siris.si.edu Smithsonian site. Lists books, manuscripts, periodicals, archival and photographic collections. www.mnh.si.edu/africanvoices/ Excellent interactive Smithsonian site examining the themes of family, work, community and natural environment. www.bbc.co.uk BBC site. Includes 145 items on Mali. www.wsu.edu/~dee/CIVAFRCA/CIVAFRCA.HTM Washington State University site. Described as a "research textbook," appropriate for college freshmen. Traces Malian history. Includes glossary of African terms and concepts. Good Internet links for Africa. www.xula.edu/~jrotondo/Kingdoms/ Xavier University site. Kingdoms of Medieval Sudan. Regional history of Mali from its beginnings to 1600. Great photos of the Dogon. Internet links listed. www.learner.org/exhibits/collapse/mali.html For high school. Discusses rise and fall of Mali and Songhai as two medieval kingdoms in West Africa. www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0859453.html Short encyclopedia article discussing Malian history from antiquity to independence. Bibliography included.

Sites in Mali:
www.unesco.org/whc/sites/116.htm UNESCO site. Djenne is discussed as a World Heritage site. www.unesco.org/whc/sites/119.htm UNESCO site. Timbuktu is discussed as a World Heritage site. www.encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?z=1&pg=2&ti= 761551823 MSN site. Three short encyclopedia articles on Timbuktu history from the 11th century www.sacredsites.com/africa/djenne.html Djenne. Great photographs and text of anthropologist and photographer, Martin Gray. www.sacredsites.com/africa/dogon.html Dogon. Great photographs - including rock art - and text of anthropologist and photographer, Martin Gray. www.mande.net Mande Nation (West Africa) web site. www.lam.mus.ca.us/africa/main.htm Collaborative site of several museums. Africa: One Continent, Many Worlds. Explains African cultures through video, photos and cultural objects.

Multimedia
Music and Culture of West Africa. CD-ROM of the Straus Expedition of 1934, compiled by Gloria Gibson and Daniel Reed. Sound recordings, photographs, discussions of fieldwork. Interactive section on African rhythms. For Macintosh and Windows platforms. Indiana University Press (iupress@indiana.edu) African Dance and Drum video by Rick Levy Productions. 2 videos, 30 minutes each with teacher guide. West African dances, games, clothing, demonstration of musical instruments. Suggested classroom discussion topics and research questions. Available from West Music Catalogue. Mali to Memphis by Putumayo. One of 3 CDs of African World Music. Mostly blues and African-American style music including pop selections from Mali. Available directly from Putumayo Records or West Music Catalogue.

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