1. LESSON 2 THE
CULTURES OF WEST
AFRICA
Bellringer: What is one pillar of Islam?

2. Diversity
 What is
diversity?
 What kind of
diversity exists in
America?

3. Open books to page 69
 Read first paragraph on page 69

4. Cultural Diversity
 Cultural Diversity
of West Africa
 17 countries
 Hundreds of ethnic
groups
 Lots of different
languages and
cultural diversity
 Not united by one
religion like
Northern Africa

5. Languages
 Languages
 Neighboring
villages speak
different
languages
 Many people
are
multilingual
speaking 4-5
languages

6. Making a Living
 Making a Living
 Rural = cash crops
 Sahara = herding
 Cities = hospitals and offices

7. Strong Kinship
 Strong Kinship
 Kinship; family relations
 Nuclear family; parents
and children
 Extending = other family
members
 Many West African
families live with their
extended family
 Work together and take
care of each other
 Collective decisions
 “It takes a village to raise
a child”; strong sense of
community

8. Lineages and Clans
 Lineages and Clans
 Lineage; a groups of families who trace their
descendents back to a common ancestor
 Clan; several lineages
 Can trace lineage through mother (matrilineal)
or through the father (patrilineal)
 Sometimes a man comes and lives with the wife’s
clan
 Usually a woman moves with the husband though
 Most clans are patrilineal

9. Changes
 Changes
 Traditional life is
changing
 Urbanization
 Young men head off to
the cities for work
 Preservingtradition
through story-telling
 Griot; story teller
 Oral tradition
 Family stories, fables,
proverbs

10. Culture Spreads
 Culture
Spreads
 Most
slaves
came
from
Western
Africa
 Brought
culture to
US

11. West African Cultural Influence
 http://www.
youtube.co
m/watch?v
=VVk22fjN6
AE
 http://www.
youtube.co
m/watch?v
=1JtD_Ypy
XYU

12. EXIT CARD
 Answer in packet
 How are West African family dynamics
different from our family dynamics?

13. Your Family
 Make
family
tree
 Label
nuclear
and
extended