African Civilizations

These videos follow Henry Louis Gates Jr. as he travels around the continent of Africa. He learns and gives information about Medieval African Civilizations and their connection to Europe, the Middle East, India, and China. There is a great deal of information here about different cultures, history, and art.
My only problem is the show does seem to focus more on how African cultures took things from these different places and reinterpreted them into their culture. This isn't a bad thing but I was thinking by the name of the title that it would focus more on the African Civilization themselves and would give more information about them before colonization by Europe and the encroachment of Islam.

10 Facts Common Slavery Myths

African civilizations

There are people that truly believe there are no ruins on the whole of the continent of Africa. These people actually believe that no African culture or civilization has ever been other than Egypt. I have actually met these people in person. Some have negative views of Africans, some are just ignorant. So while doing research for my fantasy story, Myth of the King. I have come across some information and pictures. So I thought I would share some here.

South Africa

The Aban

Benin City

Kumasi capital of Ashanti

Ghana

Kilwa ruins

Mauritania

aksum lion spouts

Map of Medieval African Civilizations




What he says about Disney movies having human characters on every continent but in Africa only animals, I never thought of. Ask yourself why?


BBC special Kingdoms of West Africa.

Nefertiti

National Geographic made a Computer generated Image of what Nefertiti may have looked like.

Tedtalk - Ron Eglash Fractals at the heart of African design

Ron Eglash talks about how in Africa they have used Fractal design for their villages, art, clothing, and even divination for centuries.

First People: Africa

First People: Africa is a PBS special about the African origins of HUMANKIND. The show talks about how scientists use fossil evidence and genetics to trace back Modern Humans ancestry. They also learn that early mankind mated and had children with the other Human species. The product is, us. People today are hybrids with a small percentage of one or more different species of human in our DNA.