1. LECTURE NOTES 3.3 AFRICAN SOCIETY AND CULTURE

2. I. LIFE IN MEDIEVAL AFRICA
Africans often lived with extended families of many generations.
Many African villages are matrilineal, tracing ancestors through the mother.
Children were highly valued.
Education was responsibility of the village. Griots (storytellers) passed on oral history, usually about life lessons.

4. Some women were rulers and soldiers
Some women were rulers and soldiers. Dahia al-Kahina was a queen who fought against a Muslim invasion in Northwestern Africa. Queen Nzinga in the Congo battled Portuguese slave traders for nearly 40 years.

5. II. Slavery

7. II. Slavery
Slavery existed in Africa before arrival of the Europeans. Families could stay together, and slaves could get freedom.
The slave trade grew as trade with Muslim merchants increased. Muslims were not allowed to enslave other Muslims.
Then, Europeans armed with guns arrived.
The Portuguese brought enslaved Africans to Europe, the Atlantic islands, and the Americas as farmers and laborers. They farmed cotton, rice, sugarcane and tobacco.

9. 'Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, cannot long retain it. ' - April 6, Abraham Lincoln, U.S. President

10. III. African Culture
The African Diaspora is the spreading of African people and culture throughout the world by enslaved Africans.
African art included cave paintings, masks, and ivory or bronze statues.
Weavers wove colorful cloth (kente)

12. African Proverbs

13. Africans believed dance allowed spirits to express themselves.
Enslaved Africans used music to remind them of their homeland, express hardship and religious faith, and hopes for freedom.
Griots told stories, history, fables, and proverbs (wise sayings).