West Africa: History and Culture

• West Africa is a sub-region located on the west side of the African continent bordered by the Atlantic Ocean.
• West African countries include Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Liberia, Mali, Guinea, Niger, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and Burkina Faso.
• Mauritania, Chad, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea are sometimes considered part of West Africa.
• West Africa has diverse cultures, is rich in natural resources, and its climate ranges from tropical to sub-tropical, humid to arid.
• West African people value family bonds and close friendships.
• West African culture has influenced American music through jazz and blues, and art such as textiles, paintings, prints, and lithographs.
• Many West Africans were victims of the European slave trade and colonization.
• The postcolonial era saw the rise of Western influence on West African political, economic, and cultural life.

West African History

• West Africa is one of the oldest regions on Earth with human presence dating back approximately 300,000 years.
• The earliest human remains found in West Africa are over one million years old.
• The San people were some of the earliest settlers and used iron ore for toolmaking.
• Many groups migrated to the area, including Austronesians, Bantu, and other West African peoples.
• Diverse tribes and ethnic groups have coexisted in West Africa, fostering intermarriage, trade, and a diverse culture.
• West African empires, predating European contact, were kingdoms and chiefdoms ruled by kings and queens around the first millennium AD.
• Notable kingdoms included Ghana, Mali, Songhai, and the Kongo.
• European involvement in slavery began with trade around the 16th century, with merchants trafficking enslaved Africans for labor in exchange for European goods.
• The Portuguese and French significantly impacted the slave trade, and the French imported enslaved people into their colonies in Western Africa.
• The Atlantic slave trade severely impacted African societies, including present-day Senegal, and many kingdoms depended on European goods hindering resistance to European colonization.
• The British Empire supported local kingdoms to gain control over the slave trade and trafficked enslaved people across West African tribes to plantations in the Americas and the Caribbean.
• Dutch merchants played a significant role in the slave trade, trading directly and with other European powers.
• Contact with West African nations led to slavery and colonization.
• Decolonization after World War II led to the end of the slave trade as European empires weakened, marking an important step in abolishing slavery.

West African Culture

• West African culture is a diverse blend of various tribes and cultures with rich traditions and customs.
• West African people represent various ethnic groups, each with distinct local customs.
• West African culture significantly influenced subcultures in the United States, especially in music, oral traditions, and artistic works such as textiles.

Folktales

• West Africa has a long and rich folktale tradition, communicated orally and passed down through generations.
• Folktales communicate morality, educate young people on traditions, and qualities such as honesty, integrity, and boldness.
• Folktales enhance community solidarity from ancestors to future generations.
• Trickster folktales such as the Brer Rabbit feature characters outsmarting others.

Griot

• A Griot is a storyteller who knows the history and culture and relays village events in a story.
• A Griot's role is to pass on history and culture to the next generation.

Art

• Art is an important part of West African culture and a way of life.
• West African art includes painting, sculpture, architecture, textiles, and design.
• Textiles such as applique, story and stamped fabrics, and Kente cloths were significant for communicating cultural information and beauty.
• Kente cloths are considered royal cloths worn on special occasions by the Ashanti people.
• Applique cloths were considered prestigious and powerful, and their design techniques are used in tent, ornament, and cloth-making today.
• Story and stamped cloths had beautiful handprints, patterns, and visual arts symbolic of the culture.

Music and Proverbs

• West Africa's diverse cultures result in different music forms that have been globally influential, including jazz, samba, and some Latin American styles.
• The call-and-response technique is a common musical style.
• Proverbs are short, wise, metaphorical sayings passed down, enhancing thoughts and teaching lessons for relationships, business, and life.
• Example proverb: ''Every time an old man dies, it is as if a library has burned down,'' teaches the value of old traditions.
• West Africa is home to unique art with a variety of cultural expressions, with cultural practices that are significant and held close by communities.

Overview of West Africa, its countries, diverse cultures, and rich natural resources. The climate ranges from tropical to sub-tropical, humid to arid. West African culture influenced American music through jazz and blues and art such as textiles, paintings, prints, and lithographs.