Descriptions of Africa

http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_2/leo_africanus.html

Who is Leo Africanus? How would you describe his cultural background? Why does that matter when considering this text?
How does he describe the city of Timbuktu? What can you learn about the city from his description? What, if anything, can we learn about European culture of this era from this text?
Now read this excerpt from Richard Eden's Decades of the New World (1555) (http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_2/eden.html). What, if anything, surprises you about this European encounter with an African king?
How would you describe the author's impressions of the king? What evidence in the text leads you to this opinion?
Why do you think pepper was so valuable to these traders?

Slavery

http://gbgm-umc.org/umw/wesley/thoughtsuponslavery.stm

Who was John Wesley? What were his "thoughts on slavery"? On what basis did he found his opinions? What does he offer as reasons for the revival of the institution?

Slave Trade

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/black_voices/voices_display.cfm?id=31

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/black_voices/voices_display.cfm?id=34

How did John Barbot characterize the coastal Guinea slave markets? Based on this characterization, why might African slaves have clung so steadfastly to their musical and other cultural traditions?

Did Venture Smith's story of his enslavement imply that African came from a homogenous or heterogeneous cultural tradition? Explain.