Graham Connah, “The Edge or the Center: Cities of the East African Coast and Islands,” from African Civilizations: An Archaeological Perspective, (2001). 1. What environmental factors were advantageous for the people of the east coast? What environmental factors constrained the region? 2.What are the chief sources of written information about Swahili settlements? Why does Connah believe that more attention must be paid to the mud, wood, and thatch buildings that surrounded stone buildings? Pick one – just one – archaeological site that he thinks reveals more than previous scholars have noted. 3. What kinds of materials (you can hold it in your hands) does Connah believe prove very early African settlement of the east coast? Why is he so excited about TIW? (Remember, TIW is nothing like TCB, which means “Taking Care of Business”) 4. What did Swahili people eat? What is the evidence for their diets? 5. What kinds of technologies were in use by the end of 1000 AD? 6. How does Connah argue that different building styles illustrate social hierarchy and changes in population? 7. What kind of belief system did east coast peoples have? 8. What is the evidence that east coast peoples positioned themselves as the “middleman” in extensive inland/oceanic trade networks? Viewing Notes for BBC4 Lost Kingdoms of Africa: Great Zimbabwe n.b. This documentary takes us chronologically much later in time than our other materials. But I’m assigning it now because of our emphasis on Africa thus far, and the way that it corresponds with the chapter reading for this module. Key Terms: Early British views of Great Zimbabwe, Swahili Coast, South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, gold, The Periplus of the Erithrean Sea, Rhapta, Felix Charming, 2000 ya pottery shards, Kilwa, great mosque, Portuguese explorers, coral, Ibn Battuta, gold from the Zimbabwe plateau, copper coin from 14C Kilwa in Great Zimbabwe, technical expertise needed to build the monumental coral architecture, Manyikeni, meaning of the word Manyikeni, relationship between Manyikeni and Kilwa and Great Zimbabwe, “the place where people can give to each other,” gold in the graves, Grass for cattle-grazing, ‘built of stone,’ remembering the ancestors, Mapangubwe (Limpopo province, South Africa, near Pretoria), golden rhino, goldsmithing skill, Mount Mapangubwe, burials of rulers, origins of African kingship, game called Owari or marubai, “Africa’s el Dorado,” Archaeologist Edward Matenga, the “key to the site,” feat of stone engineering, a medieval city with many different sections, remembering an African past, Questions to keep in mind: Do you like this episode? Why or why not? How did various outsiders describe these sites throughout history? What are GCH’s main claims in this episode? What evidence does he use to support his claims? Why would GCH say that his conclusions are significant? How convinced are you by his conclusions? How does GCH’s discussion built on and/or challenge those de ...

1. Graham Connah, “The Edge or the Center: Cities of the East
African Coast and Islands,” from African Civilizations: An
Archaeological Perspective, (2001).
1. What environmental factors were advantageous for the people
of the east coast? What environmental factors constrained the
region?
2.What are the chief sources of written information about
Swahili settlements? Why does Connah believe that more
attention must be paid to the mud, wood, and thatch buildings
that surrounded stone buildings? Pick one – just one –
archaeological site that he thinks reveals more than previous
scholars have noted.
3. What kinds of materials (you can hold it in your hands) does
Connah believe prove very early African settlement of the east
coast? Why is he so excited about TIW? (Remember, TIW is
nothing like TCB, which means “Taking Care of Business”)
4. What did Swahili people eat? What is the evidence for their
diets?
5. What kinds of technologies were in use by the end of 1000
AD?
6. How does Connah argue that different building styles
illustrate social hierarchy and changes in population?
7. What kind of belief system did east coast peoples have?
8. What is the evidence that east coast peoples positioned
themselves as the “middleman” in extensive inland/oceanic
trade networks?
Viewing Notes for BBC4 Lost Kingdoms of Africa: Great
Zimbabwe
n.b. This documentary takes us chronologically much later in
time than our other materials. But I’m assigning it now because
of our emphasis on Africa thus far, and the way that it

2. corresponds with the chapter reading for this module.
Key Terms: Early British views of Great Zimbabwe, Swahili
Coast, South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, gold, The
Periplus of the Erithrean Sea, Rhapta, Felix Charming, 2000 ya
pottery shards, Kilwa, great mosque, Portuguese explorers,
coral, Ibn Battuta, gold from the Zimbabwe plateau, copper coin
from 14C Kilwa in Great Zimbabwe, technical expertise needed
to build the monumental coral architecture,
Manyikeni, meaning of the word Manyikeni, relationship
between Manyikeni and Kilwa and Great Zimbabwe, “the place
where people can give to each other,” gold in the graves, Grass
for cattle-grazing, ‘built of stone,’ remembering the ancestors,
Mapangubwe (Limpopo province, South Africa, near Pretoria),
golden rhino, goldsmithing skill, Mount Mapangubwe, burials
of rulers, origins of African kingship, game called Owari or
marubai, “Africa’s el Dorado,” Archaeologist Edward Matenga,
the “key to the site,” feat of stone engineering, a medieval city
with many different sections, remembering an African past,
Questions to keep in mind:
Do you like this episode? Why or why not? How did various
outsiders describe these sites throughout history?
What are GCH’s main claims in this episode? What evidence
does he use to support his claims? Why would GCH say that his
conclusions are significant? How convinced are you by his
conclusions?
How does GCH’s discussion built on and/or challenge those
descriptions?
What commonalities can you find in this episode with the prior
episodes of this series that we’ve watched in this course? What
differences can you find?
How does this episode relate to the material and conclusions in
Graham Connah’s article?

3. Key Terms from We Should All Be Feminists, by Chimamanda
Adichie
“happy African feminist,” lip gloss, negative baggage, class
monitor story, tipping the car parking helper, “the higher you
go, the fewer women there are,” young and female in Lagos,
boys/money, girls/marriage, gender, Adichie’s grandmother,
diapers, the ugly suit, “peace in my marriage,” uncomfortable
conversations, primates, ‘bottom power,’ “people make
culture.”
What are Adichie’s main points? What is her evidence? Any
parts you agree with? Any parts you disagree with? How does it
fit with things we’ve learned about in this course?