AROUND THE WORLD WITH RUNOKO RASHIDI: A NEW COURSE BY RUNOKO RASHIDI
1. COURSE DESCRIPTION
Historian Runoko Rashidi has emerged as one of our greatest traveling
historians. For years his Pan-African travel adventures have excited
the imaginations of both the veteran traveler and the novice alike.
His writings and photos have circulated around the Internet.
AROUND THE WORLD WITH RUNOKO RASHIDI, a new on-line course by
Runoko Rashidi, focuses on his travels to Africa, Asia, Europe,
North, South, Central America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands.
In this new course brother Runoko shares his unique insight into the
experience of African people here, there and everywhere. It looks
at Africans around the world both ancient and modern. It examines
the African origins and evolution of humanity, the African presence
in classical civilizations, and the present locations and conditions
of African people. In this course
we will be using the words African
and Black interchangeably, as synonyms. This includes Africans as the
first modern humans, the subsequent migrations and movements of African
people out of Africa and the later involuntary scattering of African
people around the world as the result of enslavement.
2. SYLLABUS
WEEK 1
TRAVELS IN AFRICA
Runoko has traveled extensively in Africa. In this first class
he will discuss his many adventures to Egypt and Southern Sudan,
Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Malawi, Southern Africa, Ethiopia,
West Africa and the nations of the Sahel.
Travel with Runoko through ancient Egyptian temples, the mountains
of Rwanda and the great lakes of Malawi and Uganda. Here him share
his memories of the Batwa of the Mountains of the Moon and the Wodabe
of Niger. Sail with him on the Nile, the Niger and Zambezi Rivers.
Hear him recount stories of the Nama, San, Xhosa, Swazis, and Basotho
peoples of Southern Africa.
Travel with him to Gondar, Lalibela, Great Zimbabwe, and Kumasi.
Hear of the Niger Manuscripts. Walk with brother Runoko through
Goree Island in Senegal, Quidah in Benin, and the Door of No Return
in Elmina and
Cape Coast, Ghana.
WEEK 2
NORTH AFRICA THE BEGINNING OF THE DISPERSAL IN ASIA
Here we look at kasbahs of Morocco and Carthage in Tunisia before
we venture into Asia itself. Follow Runoko's footsteps into Mary's
House in Turkey, peer into the tomb of Bilal and vist the desert
city of Palymyra in Syria, walk around the Dead Sea and through
the gorges of Petra in Jordan, and the Baalbek Valley in Lebanon,
and then be amazed with his life changing experiences with the
Dalits (Black Untouchables) and Tribal people of India.
WEEK 3
THE AFRICAN PRESENCE IN EAST AND SOUTHEAST ASIA
Regarding the African presence globally, few places are as mysterious
as East and Southeast Asia. Runoko ponders what happened to the
ancient African people of China and Japan. Then we explore
the ruins of great and ancient temples in Cambodia, Vietnam,
Myanmar, Thailand, and Indonesia. Among the mighty temple sites
we visit are Angkor, My-Son, Bagan, Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Borabudur,
and the Prambanan.
WEEK 4
AFRICANS IN AUSTRALIA AND THE PACIFIC ISLANDS
In this class Runoko welcomes you the Dreamtime of Aboriginal
Australians--arguably the most fascinating and spiritual of all
African people. We look at the origins, trials and tribulations
of the Black nations in mainland Australia and Tasmania via
a startling first hand account. Visit the Red Center, the Southern
and Pacific Oceans, Redfern, Darwin, Bathurst Island, Victoria's
Kulin Nation, the ghost lands of Tasmania, and the KKK country called
the State of Queenslands. And then we go to New Zealand! If that isn't
enough we travel deep into the Pacific--Melanesia, Micronesia, and
Polynesia!
WEEK 5
THE AFRICAN PRESENCE IN EUROPE
In this class we journey throughout Europe from Hungary and Russia
to Sweden and Denmark, the British Isles, Moorish Spain, Portugal,
Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Austria, Greece,
Cyprus, Italy and the Vatican. We look at African people as the Aboriginal
people of Europe. We go into all of the major European museums and bow with
reverence before Black Madonnas.
WEEK 6
THE AFRICAN PRESENCE IN THE AMERICAS
In our final class we look at the African peopling of the Americas,
the trans-Atlantic slave trade and African resistance. We look at
Africans throughout the Americas today, including Brazil, Canada,
Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras,
Belize, Mexico, San Andres Island, Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados,
St. Croix, the Dominican Republic, Curacao, St. Maarten, St. Vincent,
and Martinique.
And there is no need to buy a book. The textual basis of each
class will be Dr. Rashidi's award winning Global African Presence
Web Site.
3. PRICE OF THE COURSE IS $125.00
4. LENGTH OF EACH CLASS IS NINETY MINUTES
