Starter quiz
- Where in the world would you find the Kingdom of Mali?
- Eastern Europe
- West Africa ✓
- South East Africa
- South America
- East Asia
-
- When European explorers and merchants arrived in West Africa in the 1400s, what did they plan to do?
- 'trade' ✓
- Which of the following kingdoms were located in West Africa?
- Morocco
- Songhay ✓
- Benin ✓
- Aksum
-
- Which religion was spreading from the Middle East to West Africa in the 13th and 14th centuries?
- Christianity
- Islam ✓
- Hinduism
- Buddhism
-
- Which of the following explains what makes a kingdom stronger?
- Trading expensive goods for less valuable goods
- Keeping control of valuable areas, like gold mines ✓
- Sharing control of valuable areas, like gold mines
- Building and maintaining trade routes across several continents ✓
- Resisting trade with other kingdoms and groups of merchants
-
- Put these events in chronological order, starting with the earliest.
- 1⇔West African communities come together to form small states.
- 2⇔Some small states come together to form kingdoms in West Africa.
- 3⇔Kingdoms grow richer from controlling gold mines and trade in the area.
- 4⇔Europeans hear of rich West African kingdoms.
- 5⇔European merchants arrive in West Africa to trade.
Exit quiz
- Match the words with the correct definitions.
- the Sahel⇔a dry region bordering the southern Sahara Desert ✓
- Mansa⇔the word used in the Kingdom of Mali to refer to the ruler ✓
- devout⇔to show strong religious commitment ✓
- oral tradition⇔when ideas and knowledge are shared by word of mouth ✓
- caravan⇔a group of merchants on a long journey through the desert ✓
- What word describes someone who shows strong religious commitment?
- 'devout' ✓
- Which of the following best explains what Mansa Musa is remembered for?
- being a devout Christian
- being a devout Muslim ✓
- loosing the wealth of the Mali kingdom
- sharing the wealth of the Mali kingdom ✓
- writing lots of books about the Mali kingdom
-
- How many royal servants did Mansa Musa take with him on his pilgrimage to Mecca?
- 100
- 1 200
- 12 000 ✓
- 1 200 000
-
- Which of the following were major problems in the Sahel?
- trade across the Sahel was unequal ✓
- there was no gold left in the Sahel
- caravans were attacked by thieves and robbers ✓
- caravans were attacked by opposing kingdoms
-
- What have historians focused on in the absence of written records about some West African kingdoms?
- 'oral tradition' ✓
Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- The Sahel was home to kingdoms rich in culture and wealth such as Mali, Kano and Mossi.
- The Sahel was rich in gold which was the basis of trade between West African kingdoms and Islamic states.
- West African kingdoms traded gold in exchange for textiles, meaning a unequal trade with wealth leaving West Africa.
- The trade across the Sahel attracted thieves and robbers increasing violence in the region.
- Europeans arrived in West Africa from the 1440s looking for gold.
Common misconception
European merchants arrived in West Africa with the intention of starting to enslave people.
European merchants were attracted by the potential amount of gold they would be able to trade in West Africa.
Keywords
The sahel - the Sahel is a dry region bordering the southern Sahara Desert
Mansa - Mansa is the word used in the kingdom of Mali to refer to the ruler
Devout - to be devout is to show strong religious commitment
Oral tradition - oral tradition is a form of communication where ideas and knowledge are shared by word of mouth
Caravan - a caravan is a group of merchants travelling together on a long journey through a desert
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