African Trivia
This river is the longest in West Africa, flowing through Mali, Niger, and Nigeria before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.
What is the Niger River?
This popular drink made from dried hibiscus flowers is sweet, tangy, and often served cold at West African gatherings.
What is bissap?
This hand-played drum is one of West Africa’s most iconic instruments, often carved from a single piece of wood and played at celebrations.
What is the djembe?
This West African nation is known for its teranga (hospitality), vibrant music scene like mbalax, and the pink waters of Lake Retba.
What is Senegal?
What is the capital of Senegal?
What is Dakar?
West Africa was once home to one of the richest men in history, a 14th-century emperor who made a legendary pilgrimage to Mecca with so much gold he disrupted economies.
Who is Mansa Musa?
Often called Senegal’s national dish, this flavorful meal combines fish, rice, vegetables, and a tomato-based sauce.
What is thieboudienne?
Senegal’s beloved singer Youssou N’Dour helped make this upbeat dance music style—built on traditional sabar drumming—famous worldwide.
What is mbalax?
Africa’s smallest mainland country, it’s shaped like a long ribbon along a river and is almost completely surrounded by Senegal.
What is The Gambia?
What is the Capital of Gambia?
What is Banjul?
This type of storyteller, historian, and musician has passed down oral traditions and genealogies in West Africa for centuries.
What is a griot?
A Gambian favorite, this peanut-based stew is cooked with fish, chicken, or meat and served with rice; it’s rich, creamy, and slightly spicy.
What is domoda?
This 21-string instrument, played by griots, creates melodic storytelling music and is central to Mali and Guinea’s traditions
What is the kora?
Home to the ancient city of Timbuktu, this landlocked nation was once at the heart of a powerful medieval empire that traded gold and salt.
What is Mali?
What is the capital of Guinea?
Conakry
This ancient West African city was a center of learning and trade, home to a famous university and vast manuscript collections.
What is Timbuktu?
Across the Sahel, this sweet, rich tea is served in three rounds—bitter, sweet, and sweeter—and symbolizes friendship and hospitality.
What is attaya?
This 2018 global hit by Burna Boy features a catchy Afro-fusion beat and the lyric “Ye ye ye ye.”
What is “Ye”?
Largely covered by the Sahara Desert, this country is known for camel caravans, ancient trading routes, and a long Atlantic coastline.
What is Mauritania?
What is the capital of Mali?
Bamako
The Sahel is a semi-arid belt that stretches across West Africa. Its name comes from an Arabic word meaning this.
What is “shore” or “coast” (of the desert)?
This Guinean one-pot dish combines rice with sauce made from cassava leaves, peanut paste, and smoked fish or meat for deep earthy flavors.
What is sauce feuilles (sauce feuilles de manioc)?
This Guinean artist is known as the “modern griot” for fusing traditional kora music with pop and won worldwide fame for songs like “Bamba.”
Who is Mory Kanté?
Its name means “land of the black men.” It was the first sub-Saharan African country to declare independence from colonial rule in 1958.
What is Guinea?
What is the Capital of Mauritania?
What is Nouakchott?