1. Western Africa

3. Countries of Western Africa
-Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo

4. Goreé Island
-Located off the coast of Senegal -Served as a slave export post -From mid-1500s to mid-1800s, 20 million Africans were transported through the island -20% of all Africans died on the Transatlantic voyage

7. Ancient Western Africa
-Three major trading empires of Western Africa: Ghana, Mali, and Songhai -Gold and salt were the main products that were traded

8. -Ghana: in power from 800- late 1000s CE -Mali: leaders conquered Ghana in 1235, declined in power by Songhai: emerged around 1400, defeated by the Moroccan Army in 1591

10. -stateless society: reliance on family lineage to govern themselves instead of government officials -Example: Igbo people of Nigeria

11. Economy of Western Africa
-Trade is crucial to economic success -Raw materials like gold, diamonds, and bauxite are mined and then shipped to Europe, North America, and Asia for production

12. Culture of Western Africa
-The Ashanti people of Ghana are known for producing kente cloth -Worn historically by royalty -Music is extremely important, especially jazz, blues, and reggae

15. Black—maturation, intensified spiritual energy
Blue—peacefulness, harmony and love
Green—vegetation, planting, harvesting, growth, spiritual renewal
Gold—royalty, wealth, high status, glory, spiritual purity
Grey—healing and cleansing rituals; associated with ash
Maroon—the color of mother earth; associated with healing
Pink—assoc. with the female essence of life; a mild, gentle aspect of red
Purple—assoc. with feminine aspects of life; usually worn by women
Red—political and spiritual moods; bloodshed; sacrificial rites and death.
Silver—serenity, purity, joy; assoc. with the moon
White—purification, sanctification rites and festive occasions
Yellow—preciousness, royalty, wealth, fertility, beauty