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West Africa Teacher's Guide Table of Contents Script to West Africa... 2 Glossary... 7 Location... 8 Map... 9 Capital and Major Cities... 10 Geography... 11 Climate... 12 Vegetation... 13 People... 15 Language... 16 Religion... 17 Infrastructure... 18 History... 18 Questions... 20 Teacher Resources... 21 1
West Africa West Africa is a land of deserts and dusty back roads. It s also a land of small villages and daily marketplaces. West African cultures have amazing variety. Nigeria alone has more than two hundred and fifty different ethnic groups. More than one hundred languages are spoken. West Africa is also home to a number of exciting cities. Unsettling at first, West African cities contain a lively mix of music and culture, business opportunities and rapidly changing lifestyles. West Africa might not be the best-known part of the world. But in some ways, this is exactly what makes it so interesting. Many would agree that a trip to West Africa is not easily forgotten. West African nations range from oil rich Nigeria to tiny Togo. The region is home to the Sahara Desert and a second desert called the Sahel. West Africa s fishing communities stretch for hundreds of miles along the Atlantic coast. West Africa s natural resources include diamonds, gold, iron ore, uranium, natural gas and oil. Many of these are helping to drive development in fast growing economies like China, Brazil, and Indonesia. Other exports include bananas, sugar cane, rubber and palm oil. In a country like the Ivory Coast major cash crops include coffee, cotton and cocoa. While Arabic is spoken in Mauritania, the official language in eight West African countries is French. English is the official language in five. Prominent local languages include Wolof and Fulani in Senegal and Bambara in Mali. West Africa is heavily influenced by Islam. While the popularity of Christianity is growing, traditional beliefs and animism are also important. Nigerians alone worship dozens of gods Africa s forests have mostly been destroyed by loggers and farmers clearing the land for agriculture. In West Africa about 90% of the original forest is gone. 2
Mali Two of West Africa s most notable countries are Senegal and Mali. Famous for its mud brick mosques, the city of Timbuktu and its world famous musicians, Mali is a country of busy river ports and remote villages. Nearly twice the size of Texas, Its population is ninety per cent Muslim and less than one percent Christian. About eighty per cent of the nation s labor force is engaged in farming and fishing. Ten per cent are nomads. In Mali, rich agricultural lands can be found in the south, whereas the northern part of the country is dominated by the Sahara desert. Senegal Senegal is one of West Africa s most popular destinations. One of the most stable democracies in Africa, the country is about the same size as South Dakota. In cities like Saint Louis and Dakar we find a mix of African, French colonial and modern architecture. Still vitally linked to France, Senegal has long been a gateway to the African continent. The Dogon The region has a wide variety of cultural groups. Living along a one hundred mile rock face from Mali to Burkina Faso, the Dogon are an agricultural people who grow onions, sorghum, peanuts and rice. Primarily animists, the Dogon also practice Islam and Christianity. Famous for their architecture, sacred masks and wooden sculpture, the group has developed stories that pertain to the Big Bang Theory and the Prometheus myth as well. They have long known that the constellation Sirius A star takes sixty years to orbit its B star. The Dogon celebrate this event with a festival every sixty years. The Niger River The Niger River is the tenth largest river in the world. It weaves its way for twenty-six hundred miles through the Sierra Leone, Mali, Nigeria and Cameroon. The landscape along the Niger is dotted with small villages, thin vegetation and roaming shepherds. In places, the river is four miles wide. Water levels, depending upon the season, can change by as much as thirty-five feet. Hollowed out logs 3
called pirogues are used for simple transport while a larger boat called the pinasse does the heavier work. Mali s largest river port, Mopti, is a great place to view life along the Niger River. The action never seems to stop. Every day life Many West Africans live in small villages, tending to livestock and practicing agriculture. In some areas, the average villager earns less than two hundred U.S. dollars per year. Mealtime in West Africa offers a wide variety of choices. In small villages, food is simple and cheap. It might be homemade soup, grilled lamb, goat s meat or just chicken and rice. In the French speaking countries, French bread can be found everywhere. Breakfast is often little more than coffee and a French roll with an omelet inside. Lebanese dishes, including pita bread served with chickpeas are also popular, as are rice and cassava. In small villages, millet flour is steamed into a thick delicious porridge. Depending upon the season, watermelon, oranges and mangoes are all quite common. Warm weather climates are perfect for open-air restaurants and along the seacoast, seafood is a treat. Unfortunately, mealtime sometimes brings unwanted company. Recently, the population of West African cities has exploded. Thousands of villagers have moved into cities in search of a better life. Unfortunately, job opportunities are scarce. West African cities are often overcrowded. Low wages are the rule. Dakar Dakar, Senegal is a busy seaport and a major gateway to Africa. Dakar combines the traditions of Africa with the excitement of Europe. But Dakar s excitement is mostly on the surface. Nearly half the city s residents are jobless. Some have risked their lives on dangerous sea voyages to Spain or the Canary Islands, hoping to improve their economic situation. 4
Just two miles off Dakar s coastline lies Ille De Goree, a charming island that brings welcome relief from Dakar s tension. Years ago, the island was a slave depot. Today it mainly serves tourists. Ille De Goree feels much like a French town. Twenty-six hours from Dakar by road, we find Mali s capital city, Bamako. The city is a lively one, full of hustle and bustle. During the dry season, Bamako s streets can be dusty and polluted. During the rainy season they are often flooded. The Cape Verde Islands The Cape Verde Islands are located two hundred and fifty miles off the West African coast. The island s culture is a mix of African and Portuguese. Its two main languages are Portuguese and Criollo. A peaceful country with a lively democracy, almost eighty per cent of Cape Verde s food supply is imported. The nine islands are mostly barren and often drought-stricken. Two major celebrations for Cape Verdeans are Carnival and Mardi Gras. In the weeks before these holidays, rehearsals are held night and day, and young people seem to have little time for anything else. On the Cape Verde Islands, festival month is February. But in the United States, Cape Verdean festivals are held in July. Some might say that Cape Verde isn t West Africa at all. But the islands are linked to the mainland by much more than just a two-hour flight from Dakar. Strong cultural links and a shared history of slavery place West Africa and the Cape Verde islands more inside the same world than out. Conclusion West Africa has great potential, with its fisheries, its forests and its mineral wealth. Recently, nations like China and India have been in completion with each other over African energy. China has gone so far as to offer free Chinese classes in countries like Liberia. 5
West Africa will continue to attract our interest. Its rich culture and music will always be a part of our lives. For those who have a chance to visit the region, the pleasures of West Africa can be unique. A visit to West Africa is something to remember. No longer a forgotten region on a map, these vibrant countries have become an important part of the international landscape. 6
Glossary Carnival A mostly Catholic holiday to celebrate the beginning of a period of quiet observance before the resurrection of Christ, celebrated by a party. Cassava a woody shrub whose roots are edible Deforestation the destruction of forests Mosque the house of worship of Muslims Nomad- people who lead a fully or partly unsettled lives Omelet a way of cooking eggs that adds vegetables and sometimes cheese Prometheus In Greek legend, a Titan who stole fire from Zeus for men, and was punished by being chained to a rock and having his liver eaten daily by an eagle Slave depot places where slaves were collected to shipment to the Americas from Africa Sorghum a kind of grain that grows in tropical climates and poor soils Unsettling having the effect of upsetting or disturbing 7
Location The countries of West Africa include: The coastal states of Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea- Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon; the landlocked countries of Mali, Burkina-Faso and Niger; and the island nation of Cape Verde Islands. Africa itself is a huge continent, three times the size of the United States and three times the size of Europe. To the west lies the Atlantic Ocean. The countries are bordered from east to south by Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Chad, and Cameroon. These are fairly large countries: Niger, Mali and Maritania are each about three times the size of California, or Spain or Venezuela. Nigeria is twice the size of California, or Spain or Venezuela. Cameroon is the size of California or Spain. 8
Source: africanheritageculturalcenter.org Map of West Africa in dark green (wikipedia) 9
Capitals and Major Cities of West Africa Political Map (source people.eku.edu) The major rivers include the Senegal, which forms the border between Senegal and Mauritania; the Gambia, which runs from northern Guinea throught The Gambia to the sea; the Volta, which runs from Burkino Faso through Ghana to the sea; and the Niger, and its tributary the Benue, which flows from Guinea, through Mali, Niger and Nigeria to the sea. 10
Geography Relief Map of West Africa Highlands are shown in green, lowlands in brown Source: 310px-Topography_of_africa.jpg ie.wikipedia.org 11
Climate Most of West Africa has two types of climate, tropical rainforest, with or without dry season; desert and Sahel, arid and semi-arid with long dry season. GROUP A: Tropical/megathermal climates The dark blue is tropical rainforest with no seasons; the light blue is rainforest with dry season GROUP B: Dry (arid and semiarid) climates The dark red is desert; the beige is the Sahel, where there is some rain but long dry season GROUP C: Temperate/mesothermal climates (Green) 12
Vegetation africavegetation.jpg exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu 13
People Each country has a young population and a relatively high birth rate country number of inhabitants Urbanization (%) 2012 Benin 9,500,000 42 Burkina Faso 17,000,000 26 Cape Verde 500,000 61 Cote d'ivoir 22,000,000 48 Gabon 1,600,000 86 Gambia 1,700,000 58 Ghana 25,000,000 51 Guinea 10,000,000 35 Guinea-Bissau 1,700,000 86 Liberia 4,000,000 48 Mali 14,000,000 36 Mauritania 3,000,000 41 Niger 17,000,000 17 Nigeria 150,000,000 50 Senegal 13,000,000 43 Sierra Leone 5,000,000 38 Togo 7,000,000 43 TOTAL 301,500,000 45 Gabon and Guinea-Bissau has the highest urbanization rate at 86% each 14
Map of Population Density in Africa (source catsg.org) While there is much uninhabitable land in Africa, especially the Sahara and the deserts around Namibia, much of Africa is sparsely settled. 15
Language In these countries the main official languages are either Arabic, French or English depending on whether they were part of the Muslim world, the French or British Empire. The thousands of tribal tongues can be broken down into are two main language groups in these countries. One is the Bantu subfamily of the Niger Congo family of languages that originated in western Africa. And the other is a family of Sudanese languages. Source: worldgeodatasets.com 16
Religions Islam predominates in the north, while Christianity is the densely populated coast. Nigeria is half Muslim and half Christian. Ghana the second most populous nation in West Africa is 70% Christian. The religions in the Ivory Coast include Christianity and Islam each at more than a third and the rest being traditional religions. africa_islam_87.jpg source: www-sul.stanford.edu 17
Infrastructure The below map shows how underdeveloped the infrastructure is in Africa compared with the density of the rail network in countries such as the United States, India or Argentine and to regions such as Europe. Source: http://mapsof.net/uploads/static-maps/world_railways_map.png History Humans lived in western Africa as early as 14,000 years ago. Agriculture was developed by 5000 BCE and by 1500 BC there was the introduction of iron making technology in the Nok culture. For almost a thousand years, from 700 CE to 1600 CE, a succession of Empires, the Ghana, the Muslim Mali and later Songhai dominated the trade routes in West Africa. The late Ghana Empire had become mostly Muslim by the 1000 CE. 18
In the nineteeth century most of West Africa became a part of the French Empire. The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Nigeria became part of the British Empire and only Liberia was independent. Liberia was the destination of some freed American slaves who were encouraged to settle in Africa. After the Second World War, all these nations became independent. French_West_Africa_1913_map.png source Wikipedia 19
Multiple Choice Question: 1. Which of the following countries is largest: A. Nigeria B. Niger C. Cameroon 2. What is the capital of Nigeria A. Nairobi B. Abouja C. Accra D. Dakar 3. Which ocean borders Nigeria and Sierra Leione A. Pacific Ocean B. Atlantic Ocean C. Indian Ocean 4. Which country in West Africa is the most populous A. Senegal B. Gambia C. Nigeria D. Niger 5. What are the major languages of West Africa A. English, French and Arabic B. English and Arabic C. Swahili and English 6. What are the major religions of West Africa A. Hinduism and Buddhism B. Buddhism and Islam C. Christianity and Islam 7. Which of the following is not a major river in West Africa A. The Niger B. the Benue C. the Nile D. the Senegal 8. Which country was the destination of many American freed slaves in the early nineteenth century? A. Ghana B. Liberia C. Nigeria 9. Which is not a major civilization in West Africa A. Songhai Empire B. Ghana Empire C. Mali Empire D. Kingdom of Axum 20
Teacher Resources Books Africa Continents First Facts ISBN 0736814140 Cooking the West African Way ISBN 0822541637 Ikenna Goes to Nigeria ISBN 1845075854 Nigeria in Pictures ISBN 0822503735 Ghana in Pictures ISBN 0822519976 Teens in Ghana ISBN 0756534178 Nigeria the Land ISBN 0-86505-247-6 Nigeria the People ISBN 0-86505-248-4 Nigeria the Culture ISBN 0-86505-249-2 Stencils from West Africa: Ghana (Ancient & Living Cultures) 0673360539 DVD Burkina Faso: The Tyrant and the Child (Animated Tales of the World) Ancient Civilizations for Children Series: Ancient Africa DVD Globe Trekker Western Africa ISBN 0822541637 Families of Ghana - Families of the World DVD ISBN 1604800585 Other Table Top Flag 4" x 6" Ghana 21