just a few of the many books about ghana’s first president and pan-africanist, kwame nkrumah. so many great cover designs.
just a few of the many books about ghana’s first president and pan-africanist, kwame nkrumah. so many great cover designs.
You asked me if I ever get lonely, and I replied, “Everyone does.” What I meant to say was that I sometimes feel alone, but I never get lonely. A wise man once said, “The Difference between alone and lonely is the woman who knows her value.” I am alone, but madly in love with myself.
On the Beauty of Solitude, The Black Collegian
The following are good free online language resources for learning different languages spoken in West Africa. Feel free to add on to the list if you know of another resource to help people.
Yoruba
Hausa
Boston University Hausa Resources
Wolof
Boston University Wolof Resources
Indiana University Wolof Folktales and Songs
Indiana University Wolof Lessons
Twi
Akan Pronunciation Game (helps you learn the tones)
Indiana University Twi Folktales and Songs
Indiana University Twi Lessons
Igbo
Mandinka
Bambara
Indiana University Bambara Lessons
Indiana University Folktales and Songs in Bambara
Mooré
Fula(ni)/ Pulaar
Ewe
Bade
Bole
Duwai
University of California Duwai
Karekare
University of California Karekare
Maka
Ngamo
University of California Ngamo
Ngizim
University of California Ngizim
Miya
I added some additional websites as well as languages. Also I would like to state that is in no way meant to be a comprehensive list of all of the languages of west Africa. There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of languages and I cannot find resources for them all. I will keep adding to this list.
CENTRAL AFRICA
Civilisations and Kingdoms
- The Sao civilisation [1 2 3]
- Kanem-Bornu Empire ( located in the present countries of Chad, Nigeria and Libya) [1 2 3 4]
- Baguirmi Kingdom [1 2]
- Wadai Empire or Sultanate [1 2]
- Lunda Kingdom [1 2 3]
- Luba Kingdom [ 1 2 3 4]
- Luba-Lunda states [1 2]
- Kongo Kingdom [1 2]
- Kingdom of Ndongo (also known as Kingdom of Angola) [1 2]
- Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba aka Queen Anna Nzinga
- Mwene Mbandu Kapova I of Mbunda
- Beatriz Kimpa Vita [1 2]
- Elite Women in the Kingdom of Kongo: Historical Perspectives on Women’s Political Power
I recommend that you do deeper research, these sources are only meant for light reading. Also there were other Kingdoms which is not on the list
Popular Music
Angola: Angolan modern music has been shaped both by wider musical trends and by the political history of the country. It has been described as a mix of Congolese, Portuguese, and Brazilian music. while Angolan music has also influenced the music of the other Lusophone countries. Gneres include: Angolan Merengue, Kilapanda, Zouk, Semba, Kizomba and Kuduro and Rebita [x]
Cameroon: The best-known Music of the Cameroon is makossa, a popular style that has gained fans across Africa, and its related dance craze bikutsi. In the 1960s, modern makossa developed and became the most popular genre in Cameroon. Makossa is a type of funky dance music. In the 1990s, both makossa and bikutsi declined in popularity as a new wave of genres entered mainstream audiences. These included Congolese-influenced new rumba and makossa-soukous, as well as more native forms like bantowbol, northern Cameroonian nganja and an urban street music called bend-skin. [x]
Central African Republic: The music of the Central African Republic includes many different forms. Western rock and pop music, as well as Afrobeat, Soukous and other genres have become popular nation-wide. Popular music in the Central African Republic generally comes from the music of the Democratic Republic of the Congo or elsewhere in Africa; however, Latin, European and American pop are also common.[x]
Chad: Following independence, Chad, like most other African countries, quickly began producing some popular music, primarily in a style similar to the Soukous music of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.Styles of Chadian popular music include Sai, which used rhythms from the southern part of Chad—this style was popularized by a group called Tibesti. Other bands include the Sahel’s International Challal and African Melody, while musicians include the Sudanese-music-influenced guitarist Ahmed Pecos and Chadian-French musician Clément Masdongar [x]
Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Congo: Music of the Democratic Republic of the Congo varies in its different forms. Outside of Africa, most music from the Democratic Republic of Congo is called Soukous. Soukous is a genre of dance music that originated from Cuban Rumba music in the
BelgianCongo andFrenchCongo during the 1940s and gained popularity throughout the two Congos. Soukous is known as Congo in West Africa and Lingala in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania after the Lingala language of the lyrics. In Zambia and Zimbabwe, where Congolese music is also influential, it is still usually referred to as Rumba. Today, it mixes the kwasa kwasa with the fast tempo zouk style and Congolese rumba. It is also an individual dance. “Soukous”, a derivative of the French word “secousse” – “to shake" was originally the name of a dance and music popular in the Congos in the late 1960s. From the 1940s, Afro-Cuban son groups such as Septeto Habanero and Trio Matamoros had been played over Radio Congo Belge in Léopoldville (Kinshasa), and the Congo shared the widespread popularity of Cuban music during the late 1940s and 1950s. To Africans, Cuban popular music sounded familiar. and Congolese bands started doing Cuban covers, singing the lyrics phonetically. Eventually they created original compositions with lyrics in French or Lingala [x x]Equatorial Guinea: Pan-African styles like soukous and makossa are popular, as are reggae and rock and roll. Acoustic guitar bands based on a Spanish model are the country’s best-known indigenous popular tradition, especially national stars Desmali y su Grupo Dambo de la Costa.Other musicians from Equatorial Guinea include Malabo Strit Band, Luna Loca, Chiquitin, Dambo de la Costa, Ngal Madunga, Lily Afro and Spain-based exiles like Super Momo, Hijas del Sol and Baron Ya Buk-Lu. [x]
Gabon: The history of modern Gabonese music did not begin until about 1974, when the blind guitarist and singer Pierre Akendengué released his first album. He was classically trained in Europe, and his compositions reflect the influence of Western classical music. By the 1970s, he was at the forefront of a wave of popular Francophone African music stars. Imported rock and hip hop from the US and UK are popular in Gabon, as are rumba, makossa and soukous.[x]
São Tomé and Príncipe: São Toméans are known for ússua and socopé rhythms, while Principe is home to the dêxa beat. Portuguese ballroom dancing may have played an integral part in the development of these rhythms and their associated dances. [x]
The Kente festival 2012 Amsterdam Zuidoost
Want my hair to be like this! :)