first watch AFRICA Episode 3 Caravans of Gold Written & Presented by Basil David
ID: 398586 • Letter: F
Question
first watch AFRICA Episode 3 Caravans of Gold Written & Presented by Basil Davidson Executive Producer Mic on YouTube AFTER THAT In this episode of his series Africa, the Africanist Basil Davidson explores the West African Sudanese region that birthed the three great empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. For this week's discussion, I want for you to share with the class your general impressions of this documentary. In a few words, tell us what did you take away from this film relative to an understanding of West Africa?
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Explanation / Answer
Ans:
Gold was not only a raw material but that which represented wealth in Africa. Those who had gold were ranked based on the amount of it they had. It served as a status symbol for many of the leaders, in the past and in the present. Gold was used as jewellery and many wore it with great pride. The kings garnered much of the gold and displayed it with great pride.
The trading of gold was what Africa’s economy was based on. Mali became a center for this type of trade. This was due to the gold pockets found around West Africa. The video showed many metal workers turning the gold into jewellery and other such items, to help display individual wealth as mentioned before. In West Africa, the King of Ghana was thought to be the richest King in the world, according to ancient scholars who travelled the lands of Africa. It also should be noted that fish was substantial in the diet of the peoples of that time. The video explained that the Women would often prepare the fish, and they were paid for this work.
Timbuktu was transformed by Kunkun Musa into a city of learning as well as an Islamic state, instead of trade. This led the nation to be highly literate, as literature was important, as was the Islamic religion, as promoted by Kunkun Musa. The camel was highly utilized as a transportation tool for shipping gold across the desert, which was often a sixty-day journey. Over time the economy began to grow even further, where coins were minted in Cairo. Gold was also used in this venture. Over time, European settlers came in and took over much of the trade in Africa. As can be seen here, Africa as a whole was doing fine and advancing at a proper rate until the Europeans came in and took control. This led to Africa losing out on years of growth they could have had.
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