Geography and Trade
What are the five major African climate zones that shaped early trade and settlement patterns?
Desert, Sahel, Savanna, Rainforest, Mediterranean
What empire is Mansa Musa best known for ruling?
Mali Empire
What is syncretism?
The blending of different religious or cultural traditions
Who was Queen Idia?
The first Iyoba of Benin, a political and military leader
What is a griot?
An oral historian and storyteller in West African tradition
Which river supported the development of ancient civilizations like Egypt and Nubia?
The Nile River
Which three West African empires dominated trans-Saharan trade?
Ghana, Mali, Songhai
What religion did the Kingdom of Kongo adopt through contact with the Portuguese?
Christianity
Which queen fought Portuguese forces and inspired generations of women rulers?
Queen Njinga
What was the Epic of Sundiata and why is it important?
A foundational West African epic that preserves the history of the Mali Empire
What made the Swahili Coast a key player in the Indian Ocean trade network?
Its port cities connected Africa to trade with Asia and the Middle East
Why did Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca attract European interest in Africa?
His wealth and generosity during the hajj highlighted Africa’s resources
How did Islam shape learning and culture in medieval West Africa?
Promoted scholarship and literacy, especially in cities like Timbuktu
List two roles African women held in traditional societies.
Spiritual leaders, educators, merchants, farmers, advisors
What is the significance of Nok sculptures?
They are among the earliest evidence of complex civilization in West Africa
How did geographic features like rivers and climate affect the development of African societies?
They influenced agricultural practices, trade routes, and settlement locations
What role did Timbuktu play in the Mali and Songhai Empires?
it was a major center for Islamic learning and scholarship
Give one example of how African spirituality was preserved in the Americas
Through syncretic religions like Vodun or spiritual practices like call-and-response in worship
How did Queen Njinga use diplomacy and warfare to resist colonization?
She negotiated treaties and led guerrilla warfare against the Portuguese for decades
How did the Queen Mother Mask from Benin reflect African values and identity?
It symbolized African womanhood and was used in cultural celebrations like FESTAC 1977
Explain how African geography contributed to the diversity of cultures, languages, and economies across the continent.
Diverse environments led to varied lifestyles, languages, and economies such as nomadic herding vs. farming vs. trading empires
Compare the trade systems of Great Zimbabwe and the Sudanic Empires.
Great Zimbabwe traded gold and ivory through Indian Ocean trade; Sudanic empires controlled gold-salt trade across the Sahara
How did African religious practices and Christianity combine to form new cultural identities during the diaspora?
Through syncretic beliefs and practices, such as incorporating drumming and ancestral veneration into Christian rituals
Evaluate the significance of Queen Idia and Queen Njinga in challenging gender roles in African leadership.
Both exercised military and political authority, showing women’s critical role in governance and resistance
Analyze how oral traditions like griots shaped historical memory in African societies.
Oral storytelling preserved lineage, values, and historical knowledge before written texts