Teaching Africa's Global Connections

Africa has made contributions to the world in many areas.

History
Many historians argue that Africa is the birthplace of human civilization, and therefore, that Africa has "peopled" the world. Furthermore, many early world civilizations, such as those found in Egypt, Kush, and Axum, flourished in Africa. Africans forced to migrate to the Americas as slaves brought with them their rich histories and cultures.

Economics
African slaves contributed their labor to the building of America. Africa has also been a source of raw materials essential to the industrialization of Europe and the Americas. Today, goods such as chocolate, coffee, and oil come to us from Africa.

Africa also provides markets for European and American industrial goods and offers surplus capital though investments and loan repayments.

Culture
Africans have shaped the ways in which Islam and Christianity are understood and practiced. Traditional African religions, carried to the Americas through slavery, have influenced how Americans worship.

African languages, spoken by Africans throughout the American diaspora, have impacted the way English is spoken in the US.

Artists such as Pablo Picasso and Henry Moore were inspired by African art forms. Musical forms like jazz and reggae also have African roots.