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Books & Magazines
Aardema, Verna. Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears.
Scholastic, Inc., New York, 1975.
An excellent source for elementary and would be fun for secondary
students as well. This West African tale is retold by Verna Aardema
and includes illustrations by Leo and Diane Dillon. This short elementary
leveled book shares the tale of the mosquito. It is repetitive and
humorous. This book assists students in brainstorming their own imaginative
ideas of why an object does what it does. This source includes a 12:26
minute audio cassette.
Ayo, Yvonne. Eyewitness Books AFRICA. Alfred
A. Knopf, Inc., New York, 1995.
This book is full of colorful photos each receiving its own description as
to how the image connects with Africa. It offers a table of contents
detailing how to discover images quickly in various categories, as well as
maps of Africa. This is another must have book. It explains processes
through images and text.
Dayrell, Elphinstone. Why the Sun and the Moon Live
in the Sky. Scholastic, Inc., New York, 1968.
This is a great resource for elementary language arts specifically
folktales. It is a fun read for secondary students as well to connect on a
multicultural level. This African folktale, originating from Southern
Nigeria, West Africa, shares illustrations by Blair Lent that assists
readers visually with the idea of masks and costumes and also gives a
connection to the thatch covered huts some Africans live/lived in. This
short book is also accompanied by a 3.27 minute audio cassette.
Falola, Toyin. Key Events in African History A
reference guide. Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut, 2002.
This text is broken into three main sections Part 1 The Ancient and
Pre-colonial Period which includes information on the Malian Empire, Part 2
The Nineteenth-Century Period and Part 3 The Twentieth-Century Period. It
offers a timeline of historical events.
Georges, D.V. Africa. Children’s Press, Chicago,
1992.
This source is a good source for a quick reference to all parts of
Africa. It offers a table of contents, glossary, and index to quickly
assist upper primary and lower elementary students. It also offers actual
photos and not illustrations to give the viewer the clearest sense of
specific parts of Africa.
Ichikawa, Satomi. The First Bear in Africa!.
Philomel Books, New York, 1998.
A great elementary multicultural resource. This children’s book
offers illustrations of animals and a family from the African savanna. This
author and illustrators shares the story of a family of tourists who come to
visit Africa and of the stuffed teddy bear that gets accidentally left
behind. Children will enjoy the pictures and learning the Swahili words
that are included in the text.
Imperato, Pascal James. African Folk Medicine.
York Press Inc., Baltimore, 1977.
This book offers information that pertains to a variety of physical and
mental health issues. It is now 2006 and many of this statistics have
most definitely changed with Westernization and education, but this book was
still written after Mali’s independence in 1960. Imperato documents the
ideas on medicine from the urban and rural parts of Mali including thoughts
on fertility, dentistry, surgery, etc.
Imperato, Pascal James. Legends, Sorcerers, and
Enchanted Lizards: Door Locks of the Bamana of Mali. Africana
Publishing Company, New York, 2001.
This book offers information about the Bamana world, history of the
door locks, which are not only functional, but also spiritual, and images
that are catalogued sharing the history of these African pieces. The Bamana
people also referred to as Bambara, comprise around three and a half million
people of the population of present day Mali. These agriculturist people
who cultivate corn, millet, and manioc also herd goat and sheep. One of
three groups of these people is referred to as the nyamankalaw, which
means the common people, but implies that these people are the handler of
power---the blacksmiths come from this group (Impertato, 2). Door
locks play the role in Mali of preventing sorcery and regulating nyama
(19). Nyama refers to the power, vital life force, or energy which
is where the word nyamankalaw derives (2). This book shares black
and white images of various door locks.
Imperato, Pascal James. MALI a Search for Direction.
Westview Press, Dartmouth, London, 1989.
This book offers background information on Mali’s earliest known
history, the conquests, colonial rule, and current independence of Mali. It
shares the politics of Mali since independence in 1960, gives information
about the culture and society along with the economy of Mali today and ends
with the international relations of Mali.
Levtzion, Nehemia. Ancient Ghana and Mali.
Africana Publishing Company, New York,1973.
Levtzion’s text is divided into two parts sources coming predominantly from
Arabic oral and written traditions, as well as from some Portuguese
sources. The two parts include first the historical process of the Western
Sudan from the eighth to sixteenth centuries and second one of themes:
government, trade and Islam.
Mandela, Nelson. Favorite African Folktales.
W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 2002.
A great multicultural source of African folktales. This book is an
excellent reference for secondary English classes and college level
courses. It is a source for elementary teachers wanting to offer
multicultural experiences to their students. There is text accompanied by a
beautiful variety of illustrations, however, the illustrations only share
parts of the tale and the reader is left to imagine the remainder. This is
a helpful resource in teaching creativity, using the imagination, and
imagery. This source does offer a map of Africa in which to gage where
the folktales may have originated, but as with many folktales the origin may
be impossible to find.
Masoff, Joy. MALI Land of Gold and Glory. Five
Ponds Press, New York, 2002.
This book is an excellent resource for any classroom teacher
interested in sharing the history of the Malian Empire with their class. It
is a colorful resource divided into three major parts (The Land, The Kings,
Today) and nine chapters (Keepers of the Past, Where is Mali, Salt and Gold,
How It All Began, Sundiata, The Bright Country, The Great King, The Last
Kingdom, and Mali Today). Not only is this a small paperback, but it offers
a timeline, glossary, and pronunciations. It is a must have!
Sands, Stella ed. African Kingdoms. Kids
Discover, New York, vol. 9, issue 1, January 1999.
This magazine offers bright, colorful photos and maps of Africa and
information on its predominant kingdoms including Mali. This magazine is a
quick read offering interesting facts and tidbits about Africa.
Spilman Lawson, Barbara. The West African Empire of
Mali. Fun Stuff Publications, A Virginia SOL Activity Book, 2001.
This activity book offers a history to the Empire of Mali along with
lesson plans geared directly for various third grade Virginia standards of
learning. This activity book is helpful in assisting a third grade teacher,
a music teacher, and art teacher. It offers drawn black and white
illustrations and other activities.
Websites
Map of Mali.
http://greenwichmeantime.com/images/africa/ml-map.jpg. 2/6/2004.
This is a visual of current Mali including scale and notations of major
cities and the capital at Bamako. This map shows the perimeter shape of
Mali and that it is a landlocked country.
interKnowledge Corp. An Introduction to Mali.
http://www.geographia.com/mali/. 1996.
This website offers a brief synopsis of Mali’s location, geography, climate,
along with its history and people.
Music CDs (consider checking
these out of
JMU's Music Library)
African Rhythms and Instruments Vol.1. Lyrichord Discs
Inc. New York, NY.
Excellent resource. This c.d. offers the listener a segment of
music from Malian musicians including the sounds of the xylophone,
percussion, drums, rattles and vocal. The music’s primary scope is to
documents the highlights of one of the most important cultural events in the
history of contemporary Africa; bringing together in Algiers political and
cultural representatives of Africa as well as those of various black
liberation movements for both a confrontation and a celebration. An
educator would use for a short listening and writing activity, this is a
fabulous addition to art and/or music lessons, and/or a great c.d. to have
students listen to as they transition from one activity to the next in the
classroom, get supplies, or would be used as an introduction to a unit on
Mali.
Ali Farka Toure’. Ali Farka Toure’. World
Circuit Interchange Studios, London, 1988.
Good resource. This c.d. offers music and lyrics in the native
languages of the Malian people. There is an English explanation to each
song. For secondary and college level students this album is an excellent
source for comparison to contemporary issues in the USA. For younger
listeners it offers the exposure to vocals, guitar, calabash, and bongos,
even if the explanation of the songs is not given.
Ali Farka Toure’ & Toumani Diabate’. In the Heart of
the Moon. Nonesuch Records Inc., New York, NY. 2005.
Excellent resource. This album was recorded by two men of
different Malian backgrounds, but still Malian. The songs, according to
Farka Toure’ belong to the repertoire that goes back to the artistically
fertile period of the 50’s and 60’s, a time between the end of colonization
and the birth of independence. The two musicians are from different
traditions yet Farka Toure says their art and culture unite them. This c.d.
provides a classroom with a variety of music to listen to as they work and
is useful at transitional time.
Amadou & Mariam. Dimanche A Bamako. Nonesuch
Records, Inc., New York, NY., 2004.
Good resource. This album is useful to have in the classroom
for times even when western Africa is not being studied. The music on this
c.d. is lyrical and offers the opportunity for the listener to experience
the influence of the French language. The c.d. is much more contemporary
than the others I listened too. Students that have learned common French
phases, such as “what time is it?” will be able to understand some of the
lyrics form this c.d.
Kasse Mady Diabete. Kassi Kasse: Music from the
Heart of the Griot Tradition. Hemisphere, Milwaukee, WI. 2002.
Excellent resource. This is a resource that is useful to begin
a lesson or unit on writing and helpful in explaining oral traditions.
Kassy Mady was born into a family of griots (story tellers, see vocabulary
section) or referred on this c.d. cover as jelis, this jelis goes back
generations. These people have inherited special skills and knowledge that
was connected with those jelis of the kings of Manden (from which the name
of Mali was derived). This c.d. offers the stories that have been passed
down from generation to generation. As stated on the c.d. jacket, Kassy
Mady’s music is a blend of traditional Mande folklore with modern
instruments.
Salif Kieta. Moffou. Universal Music, New
York, NY, 2002.
Excellent Resource. Salif Kieta’s is interviewed on the video
Living Memory listed below. His music is enjoyable and could be used
in classrooms by various educators to allow students to here the words and
instruments used by a contemporary Malian musician. Kieta’s states as an
introduction to his album that: “Happiness isn’t for tomorrow. It’s
not hypothetical, it starts here and now. Down with violence, egoism and
despair, stop pessimism. Let’s pick ourselves up. Nature has given us
extraordinary things. It’s not over yet, nothings decided. Let’s take
advantage of the wonders of this continent at last. Intelligence, in our
own way, at our own rhythm, like responsible men proud of their
inheritance. Let’s build the country of our children and stop taking pity
on ourselves. Africa is also the joy of livings, optimism, beauty,
elegance, grace, poetry, softness, the sun, and nature. Let’s be happy to
its sons and fight to build our happiness.”
Videos (consider checking these
out at
JMU's Carrier Library)
Civisme & B’ene’volat. Mali: an invitation to travel.
mAli Watch, VHS, NTSC, color, 18 minutes.
Great. There are short pauses where information is not gathered
auditory, but rather visually. This video shares information about
Mali today. This is a good video to help students at any age have a glimpse
of the country of Africa and the people that live there today. It shares
the current population around 10 million, discusses the new democracy of
1992 and the integration of all Malian cultures in 1996. It also shows
clips of the market place, the popular music (Ali Farka Toure), the untapped
cultural resources, introduction of mud cloth to the other parts of the
world and states how Mali is a place of hospitality, peace and gold.
Forna, Aminatta. African Art. R.M. Arts, 1995,
VHS, color, 47 minutes.
Excellent to great. Very informative, older students late elementary
and early secondary can be shown segments at a time and late secondary the
video in its entirety. This film takes a look at African art sharing
how Americans and Europeans judge it as well as sharing how Africans view
the art they create. The most interesting comments made for me, as an art
teacher, was to hear that the people of Mali that were interviewed did not
even have a word in their language to come close to the word for art. Many
of the figures that we (westerners) see as art are seen as ritual religious
pieces that only have a temporary life in Africa. These forms are used for
their purpose and then not needed any more. Some of those from Africa
interviewed explained how they understood that the older a piece of art is
to a European the higher it is esteemed. The video also shares how Africans
produce pieces for the tourists and how some dances (by the Dogon) that used
these tourists produced masks/costumes are actually done just for the
tourists, not having their original meaning at all. According to
African Art, a film written and directed by Aminatta Forna, in the
Western world in 1900, African art was viewed as strange and exotic. Forna
also states how these art forms that became the “booty” of colonial wars
would influence the art of Picasso, Matisse, and Modigliani and change 20th
c. art. The walled city of Djenne is shown in this film along with comments
made by the Dogon, a Bamana village about the role of the artist in the
society. This video is excellent to share with an upper level art
and/or history class in high school or to be used as an introduction to an
African art college level course.
Tomoaki, FUJII, ed. The JVC Video Anthology of World
Music and Dance: Middle East and Africa II. Victor Company of Japan,
Ltd., Japan, vol. 17, 17-10 The Dogon, 2 minutes 20 sec.
Good source. Students need to know that the Dogon people often share
performances geared for tourists, but that these dances, costumes and masks
would be different for their own purposes. This video is useful to an
educator to help explain the Dogon and the video shares not only the audio,
but a visual of what the performance looks like.
Vogal, Susan. Living Memory. First Run /Icarus
Films, 2003, VHS, color, 53 minutes.
Great resource that is already broken into sections some of which
could be viewed with ease by a third grade student, the teacher having
viewed it ahead of time to prepare the student. The section on the clothing
and henna body art makes a direct connection to our cultures varied fashions
and tattooing. This video divided into six sections gives the viewer
an opportunity to sample the ritual arts of Mali, what objects are
considered cultural or iconic of Mali, the viewer can witness the style that
the Malians display in their clothing, on their bodies and in their homes,
it also shares images about the traditional architecture, allows the viewer
to have an excerpt of the varying visual artists and lastly shares some of
the music of Mali. (Interview from Salif Keita who’s c.d. is listed
above).
Walker, Christopher. The Cow Jumped Over the Moon.
First Run/Icarus Films, 1999, VHS, color, 52 minutes.
Fair to Poor source for Malian history for the education of a younger
student. Not a video for elementary or even lower secondary levels.
It is one that expresses the traditions and life of the nomadic herdsmen of
Mali. This video also shares how technology, the use of satellites can help
the herdsmen who year after year battle the conditions of drought. This
video is a documentary that could be useful to those studying the climate
and changes in the earth in various places over time. |
