Week 2 Reading

Required reading must be completed before you meet in your discussion section.

Documents: Worger and Clark, Africa and the West, vol. 1:

document #17, “Venture Smith describes his capture into slavery,” 1798, pp. 53-57
document #30, “Tippu Tip, the ‘leopard,'” 1890, pp. 124-27

MODULEWEEK 2 REQUIRED READING.pdf Download MODULEWEEK 2 REQUIRED READING.pdf

Venture Smith and Tippu Tip wrote their autobiographical accounts a hundred years apart. What do you find the most striking features of their lives? How do their experiences compare; how do they differ? In a recent 6 part television series on Africa, “Africa’s Great Civilizations” (PBS), Professor Skip Gates of Harvard said Tippu Tip should be condemned to hell. Why would he say that? Would you agree or disagree on the basis of what you have read of Tippu Tip’s autobiography?

Watch online Guy Casely Hayford, "Lost Kingdoms of Africa: West Africa"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW_kaUuUg8Y Links to an external site.

OR “Lost Kingdoms of Africa: Great Zimbabwe”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2be1gO36Fs4 Links to an external site.

OR “Lost Kingdoms of Africa: Ethiopia”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrQB9GHrmCs Links to an external site.

These 50-minute videos focus on the history of Africa before the arrival of Europeans. What do you learn from them about African art, architecture, political governance, and social organization? Can you think of three things you learned from the video you watched that you did not know before? Be ready to discuss your findings in class.