ANITA CHOWDRY
  ART & EDUCATION
  CREATIVE & EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

Focusing on Pre-Colonial Medieval Africa and its Ancient Roots,

this series of lectures celebrates the material and cultural achievements

of kingdoms south of the Sahara, and their impact on the wider world. 

We start by examining accounts by the 5th century Greek historian Herodotus,

the evidence of ancient Saharan rock paintings, early evidence of trading in gold,

and the material culture of the Kingdoms of Nubia.

The story continues in Late Antiquity and the Medieval period,

with the Empires of Ancient Ghana and Mali that supplied the Mediterranean world with gold,

delving into historical accounts of the legendary wealth of Mansa Musa. 

 The series ends with an annotated retelling of Mali's national epic about its founder Sundiata,

collected from traditional oral sources by the late D.T. Niane.