Following The Gold Road: Global Medieval Africa in the Time of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai

The Gold Road is a three-part lecture series for K-12 educators that explores the medieval West African empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai (6th–16th centuries). The program reframes global medieval history by centering Africa’s essential role in the world economy through its prized resource—gold—and by spotlighting its contributions to art, architecture, learning, and governance.

Under the theme “Following the Gold Road: West Africa and the Medieval Global Order”, the State of Education Conference (SOE) hosted by the Africa America Institute in partnership with Howard University Center for African Studies and Boston University African Studies Center explores the centrality of ancient West African empires to the global economy. And while The Gold Road is especially useful for educators, it is a free conference open to the public, inviting all who are interested to participate.

Our annual SOE is grounded in the belief that the liberation of Africa and the Americas are inextricably linked, and that an unbiased and scholarly-based understanding of Africa’s history is essential to that connection.

Sessions:
January 14th, 2026 from 12:30 ET-1:30 ET with Dr. Michael Gomez and Medina Thiam: Geography, Technology, and Governance

January 21st, from 12:30 ET-1:30 ET with Dr. Sarah Guerin and Mr. Yinka Adegoke: Gold, Power, and Global Trade Networks

January 28th, from 12:30 ET-1:30 ET with Dr. Fallou Ngom and Dr. Gana Ndiaye: Ajami Manuscripts & Knowledge Production in West Africa

Register here: https://www.aaiafrica.org/soe2026