Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Africa Art: Ancient West African City of Benin
A photographic exhibit of art objects from Benin from the period of 1300 to 1897 C.E. Extensive commentary is given for each object. Requires Adobe Reader. [PDF]
Other
West African Wisdom: Adinkra Symbols & Meanings
Dozens of African adinkra symbols and their meanings.
University of Oxford (UK)
Pitt Rivers Museum: Masks and Carvings: West Africa
A perfect resource to better understand the African art form of mask-making. Reading sections include religious beliefs, design and decoration, and manufacturing.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: West African Society at the Point of European Contact
Prior to European contact, western Africa's powerful kingdoms supported the arts, technology, and thriving economies. Read about the areas from which slaves were transported before the transatlantic trade began.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Kingdom of Ife: Sculptures From West Africa
Ife ( pronounced ee-feh) is today regarded as the spiritual heartland of the Yoruba people living in Nigeria, the Republic of Benin and their many descendants around the world. It is rightly regarded as the birthplace of some of the...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Owie Kimou, Portrait Mask (Mblo) of Moya Yanso (Baule Peoples)
This article discusses the importance of sculpted masks in West African culture. Learn about the two types of entertainment masks, Goli and Mblo, and their role in masquerades.
Other
Aflit: Reading Women Writers and African Literature: Ivory Coast
Personal site specializing in the literature of Ivory Coast. Good list and description of women authors from that West African country.
Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press.
New Georgia Encyclopedia: Geechee and Gullah Culture
Discover the Georgia Sea Islands which are home to the Geechee and Gullah culture that are part of West African ethnic groups.
Yale University
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: The Mask a West African Ceremonial Object
Valuable background information on African masks and suggested lesson plan ideas for mask making activities in the art room.
University of California
Fowler Museum of Cultural History: Passport to Paradise (Sufi Arts,urban Senegal)
From the Fowler Museum of Cultural History in Los Angeles, this is the "Passport to Paradise (Sufi Arts of Urban Senegal)" exhibit web-site which contains images of selected art work in the exhibit as well as photos of and info on the...
Other
La Litterature Ivoirienne
Personal site specializing in the literature of Ivory Coast. Good list and description of women authors from that West African country.
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Fulani
The Fulani are found in twenty nations in a wide swath of Africa -- from Mauritania and Senegal to Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya. The Fulani form the largest pastoral nomadic group in the world. The Bororo'en are noted for the size of their...
Other
Ask Art: Grafton Tyler Brown
This site offers three brief biographies of Grafton Tyler Brown, "the first recognized African- American artist in the American West." Click "The Images" for examples of Brown's work.
Other
Marvin X
Marvin X, a Black male playwright, was active in the Black arts movement. This biography begins at the point of his theatre activity, the 60's. The article is introduced by Marvin's winning smile, and is followed by a complete account of...
Other
University of West Alabama: Anglophone Women Writers
This University of West Alabama site features a selected bibliography of Lessing's works (includes bibliographies of other African women writers).
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Brown, View of the Lower Falls, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
The falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone by Grafton Tyler Brown depicts the Grand Canyon, the one found at Yellowstone in Wyoming. Grafton Brown was one of the first African-American artists to depict scenes of the West. View...
Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
Guggenheim Museum: Africa: Western Africa
A simple explanation of the Western Africa region of Africa, with information on the cultural history and examples of artwork.
Other
Guggenheim Museum: Africa: Western Africa
A simple explanation of the Western Africa region of Africa, with information on the cultural history and examples of artwork.
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Pokot
During the colonial period, the Pokot were called "Suk" by Europeans. To some Pokot, the older designation is a reminder of an era in which Africans lacked the power to name themselves; to others, it represents the clever ruse of a...
Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
Guggenheim Museum: Africa: Central Africa
A simple explanation of the Central Africa region of Africa, with information on the cultural history and examples of artwork.
University at Buffalo
University at Buffalo: Maya Angelou Faq
A website from the University at Buffalo on the life and accomplishments of writer Maya Angelou, "Maya Angelou FAQ" is organized into the following sections: "a mini-biography," "a mini-bibliography," and "Maya Angelou Links."
Other
Guggenheim Museum: Africa: Central Africa
A simple explanation of the Central Africa region of Africa, with information on the cultural history and examples of artwork.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Cotton Hammock, Vai People
View a picture of and read a description of an elaborate hammock probably made for a male or female chief in Sierra Leone in the early twentieth century.
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Rukuba
The Rukuba live in central Nigeria, on the High Plateau at some 30 kilometers west of the town of Jos, capital of Plateau State. They are one among the numerous small groups inhabiting the region. These groups are, by African standards,...