The continent of Africa remains home to much of the planet's wealth and in the 1400s significant African kingdoms and empires were built upon that immense wealth. Increasing our knowledge of these nations as they were before the devastating effects of the European initiated Trans Atlantic enslavement system is vital if we are going to understand our nation's early history.
After watching the video posted in google classroom, take a moment to list four details about these African kingdoms from the film that you were unaware of before viewing the film. One detail must come from the piece about Zimbabwe.
A detail I learned was that Musa Keita took over the throne from his brother in Mali and developed the largest civilization in Africa. Additionally, he become one of the greatest statesmen in Africa, creating an empire over the entirety of Western Sudan containing parts of Mali, Cairo, and Sudan. Furthermore, Mansa Musa, has been established as the richest person in histroy, with over four times the wealth of Bill Gates. Lastly, although Great Zimbabwe was a significant part of the African trading empire, it was later abandoned due to droughts.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I also did not know how rich Mansa Musa was before this video and how big and great the African Empires were.
DeleteSimilarly to you, I also learned that Great Zimbabwe was abandoned because of droughts, and that Mansa Mua was a incredibly wealthy man.
DeleteJust like you have I didn't know that Mansa Musa was the richest person in history.
DeleteI thought that it was pretty impressive that Musa was the richest person in history, considering how some teachers say that Africa wasn't as prosperous as Europe.
DeleteOne interesting detail I learned was that our modern music was created in West Africa. I also learned that Timbuktu started as a water hole for people travelling through the desert. I also learned that Timbuktu became a hub or learning, and that many books passed through and were kept there. One thing I learned about the Zimbabwean Empire was that they own thousands of cattle and traded gold with Swahili Merchants, and this was the first example of Africans trading with the world.
ReplyDeleteI also learned that a variety of music was created in west Africa, and that Africa first made contact with the outside world by trade.
DeleteI also learned that the Zimbabwe Empire traded with the Swahili and that this was the first instance in which Africans are known to trade with the world.
DeleteI also didn't know that Timbuktu started out as a water hole for traveling people before this video.
DeleteI still find it interesting that music such as the Blues and Jazz were influenced by African music, even if this was already prior knowledge.
DeleteI didn't realize that the people in West Africa would not only be advanced in technology but also art and expression
DeleteA detail that I learned is that Mansa Must was the richest person to ever live thanks to the vast gold reserve of Mali. I also learned that Mali was the largest city in Africa. Furthermore, the great Zimbabwe was one of the cornerstones of the African economy.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that Mansa Musa was rich in an ancient African empire is very impressive indeed.
DeleteI agree because because having that much gold at your disposability is something that you just don't think of being possible.
DeleteI also learned about Miss being the richest person in history. It’s strange that I never learned this before I feel.
DeleteOne interesting detail I learned was that the Islam Religion spread to Africa in the eigth century by traders and by people on the east coast. When contact was established, so was influence, trade, and religion, and the land of west Africa first appeared in Islamic Writings in the eigth century. Lastly, I also learned that Great Zimbabwe was the capital of The Kingdom of Zimbabwe and was known for it's circular wall and tower. However, it was later abandoned due to drought and overgrazing.
ReplyDeleteI also learned that the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe was abandoned due to the lack of rain and a water drought.
DeleteSimilarly, I also learned that the Islam religion spread to Africa by traders from the east coast.
DeleteIt is quite crazy how cultural diffusion can affect a nation.
DeleteTo be honest, I was surprised by the Islam having been such a common religion.
DeleteAfter watching the video I have found the following 4 details about African kingdoms that I was unaware of before are going to be listed in the following paragraph. One detail I learned was that, Timbuktu was a very developed city that became a staple for scientific inquiry and religious tolerance in Africa. As well as this another thing I learned was that the empires of Mali, Ghana, Songhai, Timbuktu and Gao became the first sub-Saharan continent of people to accept the religion of Islam (850ad). Not to mention that I discovered that in the 14th century west Africa had seen the rise of the Mali empire which aspired to sail across the Pacific. In fact I didn't even know that the Mali empire sent over 2,000 people to the Americas by means of boat; although no one is sure if they arrived there is African American sculptures implemented in Mexican arts proving that they might've. Finally the last detail I learned was that while Europe was in its middle ages southern Africa was dominated by the kingdom of great Zimbabwe. To add on, not much is known about Zimbabwe except that it established the first link of the Africans people trade (traded gold and silver to Swahili). These are all four details I had no knowledge of regarding the African Kingdoms in the video.
ReplyDeleteI also didn't know about Great Zimbabwe existing as Europe was in it's Middle Ages.
DeleteI thought it was pretty funny that Europe was in one of its worst periods while Africa was in one of its best.
DeleteI too did not know and found it interesting that Timbuktu was a center of learning and science along with literature. It was cool to learn about all of the ancient teaching and method of teachings that occurred and were taught.
DeleteI hadn’t realized how significant Zimbabwe was to the trading empire as well.
DeleteOne interesting detail I learned is they have a festival where musicians share the stage with rock legends to perform yearly. Another thing I learned is Timbuktu was originally a water well where many travelers would stop for a break. I also learned that Books were Collected at Timbuktu and this became a center for knowledge. The Grandson of Sundiata Keita led Mali to become the largest and richest realm of Africa. A fact about Zimbabwe is, the king paid miners cattle in exchange of them mining for gold. This allowed him to trade with Swahili merchants.
ReplyDeleteI think it is very interesting that, even with ancient technology, Mansa Musa managed to mine enough gold to be the richest man in history.
DeleteIt's very cool how this tradition has been going on for this long and how people still attend these festivals.
DeleteOne detail I didn't know about would the be the cumulation of knowledge in Timbuktu. Another thing I didn't know about would be how Mansa Abubakri sailed across the Atlantic, potentially landing in the Americas. Another fact I didn't know about Great Zimbabwe existing during the Middles Ages of Europe. I also didn't know that the Swahili exported a giraffe to China's imperial court.
ReplyDeleteThe thought that Mansa Abubakri sailing across the Atlantic would be astonishing and surprising for me as well. I also agree with your thoughts that the Swahili exporting a giraffe to China's imperial court is quite extraordinary.
DeleteI too found it very interesting that I had never heard of Mansa Abubakri and how he sailed across the sea. It seems as tough a lot of African culture is not taught and important things like this should be known.
DeleteOne interesting detail I learned from the video is that the blues originated from West Africa, and I just thought that was cool. I also didn't know that they built mosques in small villages just as we build churches and synagogues in largely Jewish or Christine places. I didn't know that Africans explored for the sake of colonies and trade. I thought it was interesting how the ancestors of Zimbabwe try to speak with their ancestors in a cave, because I had never heard of that before.
ReplyDeleteI think that's cool because blue is my favorite color
DeleteI thought the cave thing was cool also, because I have never thought of caves as a place of religious significance.
DeleteI was also surprised by the fact that blue was first made in West Africa
DeleteAfter watching the video, I was astonished to find out how the people of Timbuktu developed navigational maps for geographers around the globe. I also learned that a man named Mansa Musa was one of the richest people on the planet during his time. He inherited many titles, such as "King of Kings", "Lion of Mali", and "Lord of the Mines". I also discovered that he was 4 times as rich as Bill Gates, which surprised me a lot. Not to mention, he ruled a place called the Mali Empire, which focused mainly on conquest. Also, the Great Zimbabwe, which was eventually abandoned due to harsh drought, was home to the first Africans empires to trade.
ReplyDeleteThats interesting because I use maps a lot to hike and its interesting that that technology came from Africa.
DeleteI too found the fact that he was four times as rich as Bill Gates surprising.
DeleteThat’s very interesting, I was really shocked when I read about how he was worth more than Bill Gates and not just that but he was four times more rich taht Bill Gates.
DeleteAfter watching the video I found four details that I didn't know before and were intriguing. The first detail is that every year local African musicians and famous rock bands share the stage at the Festival of the Desert.Another, interesting detail is that Timbuktu is named after a woman named Buktu who created a well in the area in which many travelers stopped at and soon a civilization was born there. In addition, a third fact that I found interesting was that the richest man in history was named Mansa Musa who was the emperor of Mali and had over 400 billion dollars in valuables and gold. Finally, my last interesting fact is that the Great Zimbabwe was started off as a small kingdom in which the royals were enclosed in 25ft all and 16ft thick stone walls.
ReplyDeleteI thought the well thing was interesting, it was like a rags to riches story
DeleteI agree these details that you didn’t know are very interesting and make a lot of sense while also giving an in-depth explanation of African history
DeleteI also thought it was interesting how significant the wall was in Great Zimbabwe. It seems very advanced how they split the granite to create the wall.
DeleteAfter watching the video, I learned that the city of Timbuktu was founded on the spot of a watering hole and waystop maintained by a woman named Buktu. Also, the Mosque in Timbuktu became a center of learning as well as worship. Furthermore, I learned that Mansa Musa, a leader of the empire of Mali, is the richest man in all of history, and was approximately 4 times richer than Bill Gates. Lastly, I learned that Mansa Musa inherited the titles "King of Kings", "Lion of Mali", and "Lord of the Mines"
ReplyDeletei agree with you because to be called king of kings its a very high tittle for anyone to have. like in some religion's their god is called the king of kings but for someone to be called that its surprising.
DeleteI also thought it was interesting that Mansa Musa was about four times richer than Bill Gates. He should be more known than Bill Gates, yet many people, including me, had never heard of him.
DeleteAfter watching this video, I learned that a well kept up by a woman named Buktu turned into the prosperous city of Timbuktu. I also learned that one of the most richest people on the planet at the time, four times richer than Bill Gates, was Mansu Musa, the leader of Mali. Another fact about Mali I didn’t know was that the Mali empire sent 2000 people over by boat to the Americans. The last fact I found out was that Zimbabwe was one of the first African countries to trade.
ReplyDeleteI also find it interesting when you bring up Mansu Musa being four times richer than Bill Gates because personally, I would never think someone back then could be richer than such a renown developer like Bill Gates.
Deleteafter watching the video I was very surprised to know that they had an surplus of gold and other metals whereas the Europeans had to sail and conquer for it. the other shocking thing was that they had great nations and the only reason they aboadend zimbawe was due to reasons that had nothing to do with the fact they couldn't afford to live together. its also interesting how their king was 4 times as richer then bill gates. to be honest I thought you really couldn't do as he has money. The last thing is that the great zimbawe was running when the Europeans still were in the middle ages.
ReplyDeleteThe wealth of Africa is definitely overlooked and downplayed in history.
DeleteI didn't realize that Africa was so advanced, I believed the way the Europeans portrayed them as small and unorganized, I didn't realize that even they ventured across oceans. I also didn't realize that they attained their gold and such metals, because the way the Europeans portrayed it, the gold was largely unharvested.
ReplyDeleteI also found this interesting because it shows how not everything we hear is true, especially the important things like African history.
DeleteThis also highlights the European propaganda and how widespread it was, to fool other civilizations.
DeleteOne interesting thing I learned was how little African history the people had back in the day. At time stamp 18:17, they talk about how white colonizers claimed the lost African civilizations as their own to justify their exploitation of the dark continent. The Europeans took the African civilizations and portrayed them as undeveloped and unimpressive when they were rich with resources and diversity. Imagine being told that maybe in the future, your people will have a history. This detail stood out to me the most because it shows how people always been secretive for their own advancement.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that Ghana used to be so Islamic,that a place in Africa was very focused on education and highly regarded books. It was also interesting that one king(Mansa Musa) was such a huge help to his country via capturing lands and effectively using trades routes. Another thing i learned was that the emperor sent about 2200 people in total in boats to look for /go to new lands
ReplyDeletei was surprised by mansa musa's contributions -- rich people today tend to like to hoard their money, rather than using it for the good of society.
DeleteSomething I was unaware of before viewing the film was that a woman named Buck-tu who settled near the banks of the Niger in the 11th century, made a well, which eventually formed the village of Timbuktu. Later, Mansa Musa ruled Africa and was the richest man in the world. Mali had more gold than any other country. Another thing I learned was that the current Shona people are believed to be descendants of the people who built Great Zimbabwe. Additionally, the great European cities were built with ivory and gold exported from the Swahili Coast.
ReplyDeleteOne detail that I learned was that our modern-day music was created in West Africa. Another thing i learned was that they already had metals and gold, while the europeans had to leave their homelands to obtain it. What really surprised was that their king was four times richer than Bill Gates. The way that the Europeans talked about and portrayed them, i was not aware of alot of these facts.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I learned was that modern music originated in West Africa, which I wasn't aware of. I also learned that Mansa Musa is thought to have been one of the richest men to have ever lived, and Islam was a large part of African society. I also wasn't aware that Zimbabwe was at its height during the Middle Ages.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I learned was that Mansa Musa was one of the richest people ever. Another thing I learned was that modern-day music began in West Africa. Another thing I found interesting was that Timbuktu was named after someone named Buktu who created a well there. One more thing I learned was that the Kingdom of Zimbabwe was abandoned as a result of a drought.
ReplyDeleteMansa Musa's wealth was something I was unaware of, along with the origin of modern music deriving itself from West Africa. Another detail I never knew about was how traders helped endorse Islamic religion and how advanced African's actually were.
ReplyDelete