Education
Build small triangular looms, like those used by African children. Few materials necessary, the results are great.
Instructions for ginning cotton, and finger and spindle spinning. A nice hands-on activity.
Master Kente weaver Gilbert "Bobbo" Ahiagble
The 25 minute video consists of two parts. In the first, the author narrates the children's book Master Weaver from Ghana, while Bobbo weaves. In the second, Bobbo describes strip-weaving as it is practiced in Ghana. The video and the companion book, Master Weaver from Ghana, can be purchased from the Davi Lojo shop.
View on YouTube African art videos by Christopher Roy
Christopher Roy, Professor of African art at the University of Iowa, has produced some wonderful videos tailored for classroom use, compiled from his research trips to Burkina Faso and Ghana which illustrate the arts and life of the people in these countries. You can now view these videos on his YouTube channel.
Arts of Ghana
The many peoples of Ghana create beautiful Kente cloth, brass castings, stamped Adinkra cloth used in funerals, stools carved of wood, and royal arts. They also use drums in ceremonies in which the tonal patterns of the drumming match the tonal patterns of the spoken messages, allowing the drums to "speak." Five very high-quality videos, shot in August 2002, describe each of these art forms in detail. Running time: 60 minutes.
A Day in the Life of a Village in Africa
What is it REALLY like to live in Africa? Scenes of daily life in the village of Sayaga, a small farming village in southwest Burkina Faso. Filmed in 2002, the DVD includes scenes of food preparation, building a house, children in school, spinning thread, weaving, making pottery, forging iron, mask performances, a traditional funeral, sand divination, balafon music, and much more. Running time: 60 minutes.
Links to web sites with educational content
Art and Life in Africa Project
A companion web site to the Art and Life in Africa CD-ROM Project of the University of Iowa. The site contains an online version of the Teacher's Guide, a databank of 47 lesson plans, and profiles of 107 African Cultures and 27 Sub-Saharan African Countries.
http://wayback.archive-it.org/823/20220111205915/https:/africa.uima.uiowa.edu/chapters/
H-AfrTeach discussion list
Welcome to H-AfrTeach, a network whose mission is to provide a stimulating forum for considering the possibilities and problems involved in teaching about Africa. It is intended for a wide audience, encompassing educators, students and others with an interest in teaching about Africa at all educational levels.
http://networks.h-net.org/h-afrteach
Resources for Teachers
From Boston University's African Studies Center. "The K-16 Education Outreach Program boasts a wide variety of grade level-specific and topic-specific lesson plans, resource guides, and learning activities for teaching Africa in the classroom."
http://www.bu.edu/africa/outreach/teachingresources/
Bamana Crest Masks: 7th grade lesson plan
"Bamana Crest Masks: Culture, Creation, and Choreography. In this multi-day lesson, students will study the function and use of Tji Wara crest masks of the Bamana people of Africa. Using the masks as an example, students will develop a cultural study of their personal talents to create their own crest masks. Students will then choreograph a dance to go with their mask." From The North Carolina Museum of Art and A+ Schools of North Carolina.
http://learn.ncartmuseum.org/lesson-plans/bamana-crest-masks-culture-creation-and-choreography/
The Art of Africa: A Resource for Educators, a Met publication
"The rich and diverse artistic heritage of sub-Saharan Africa is presented in forty traditional works in the Metropolitan's collection. Included are a brief introduction and history of the continent, an explanation of the role of visual expression in Africa, descriptions of the form and function of the works, lesson plans, class activities, a map, comparisons, a bibliography, and a glossary." Free to download.
http://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/The_Art_of_Africa_A_Resource_for_Educators
