CATEGORIES

WHITE GOLD: The Sahara Salt Trade

During the cool months from October to March, camel caravans arrive in the desert city of Timbuktu every few days.

The Brave Librarians of Timbuktu

Ever hear the expression “from here to Timbuktu”? People use the word “Timbuktu” to mean a faraway, remote, and possibly mythical place. But not only is it a real city in the north of Mali, it was once the crossroads of the world. Hundreds of years ago, caravans passed through Timbuktu, trading gold, salt, and other goods between the Middle East and Morocco. Timbuktu became a city of wealth, not just in material riches, but also in learning and ideas.

Saving Mali's Migrating Desert Elephants

Eco-guardians spread the word to the Tuareg villagers, “The elephants are coming.”

Mali's Music: A Universal Language

The country of Mali and the U.S. state of Mississippi are more than 5,000 miles apart and very different from each other in almost every way. But many people say that music is a universal language, and in this case, it’s true. Mississippi and Mali share a flavor of blues music that connects their modern-day musicians with ancient African musical traditions. How did these two places end up sharing a musical language?

Mali: An Ancient Empire

The Republic of Mali was once part of the Mali Empire, an ancient empire that controlled a large portion of West Africa. A West African prince named Sundiata Keita established the empire in 1235. He united a group of indigenous groups and waged war against the Sosso people who controlled the region at the time.

Life Behind the Mask : THE DOGON

In the central region of Mali and spread out as far as the land of Burkina Faso, there lives a mysterious people known as the Dogon (do-gän).

BOOMSLANG

DEADLY AFRICAN TREE SNAKE

Welcome To Denmark

Find Germany on a map of Europe, and then look to its north. There you will find a peninsula known as Jutland. To its west is the North Sea; to its east, the Baltic Sea and a thick cluster of more than 400 islands. Together, Jutland and the islands form one of the smallest but most admired nations of Europe—the kingdom of Denmark.

The Floating City

If you put a fish on dry land, can it survive? That is the way we people here are like. We cannot live on land. Living on water is part of our culture.” -Noah Shemede, native of Makoko

Welcome To Nollywood

Lagos is home to Nollywood, one of the world’s largest film industries. More than 2,500 movies are made in Nollywood each year. The industry adds about $10 billion a year to the country’s economy. According to the International Monetary Fund, as many as one million Nigerians work in the movie industry.

Preserving Ancient Mysteries At The Nigerian National Museum

Many amazing works of art are on display at the Niegerian National Museum in Lagos.

LAGOS: A City Of Opportunity

The Nigerian city of Lagos is Africa’s most heavily populated city. It is home to an estimated 21 million people. Researchers at the Global Cities Institute predict it will be the world’s largest city by the year 2100. By then, they estimate the city’s population will have reached 88 million.

Eshu: The Yoruba Trickster God

One hot afternoon, two friends were having an argument.

The Chocolate Hills of Bohol

Wait, did you say, “Chocolate Hills?!” If you have mouth-watering images of mounds of chocolate ready to be munched, your taste buds will be sorely disappointed.

One-Hundred Eighty Bars A Day

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. What about a chocolate bar a day? Cacao beans, the primary ingredient in chocolate, are part of the fruit from a flowering tree, just like apples. Cacao beans are the seeds from the cacao fruit. Cacao beans have more than 300 chemicals, including a poison. Yet eating a chocolate bar doesn’t kill us—it makes us happy.

From Bean to Bar

Aztecs believed that chocolate was the gift from a god, and most people today would probably agree that it is a heavenly treat. The ingredients of this exotic and ancient food gets its complex flavors from the fruit of cacao trees. In fact, it might be strange to think about, but chocolate is made from the seeds of this fruit, the cacao pod.

A World Without Chocolate?

Many people enjoy a steaming cup of hot chocolate on a snowy day or a gooey candy bar as an afternoon treat. So rumors predicting that chocolate would disappear from the planet by the mid-21st century sent chocoholics into a frenzy.

The Three Shades Of Chocolate

Like coffee, chocolate contains caffeine—but in much smaller quantities. White chocolate has no caffeine; milk chocolate has some; dark chocolate has the most.

A Short, Sweet History Of Chocolate

No one knows exactly when and how the delights of chocolate were first discovered.

The Curious Connection Between Brain-Eating Flies And Chocolate

A large leaf-cutter ant has just cut a piece of fresh, new leaf from a cacao tree in Brazil.

Let's Visit An Amphitheater

Greek drama began with festivals honoring Greek gods.

OPA!! Let Do A Happy Dance

Greeks have expressed happiness, sadness, anger, and love through dance for thousands of years.

Up With People: Stand For Peace

Up with People (UWP) cast members arrive in towns and cities around the world as strangers.

Petals Of Peace In Nepal

Terraces of gold marigolds and bright yellow blossoms of mustard seed line the countryside of Kafleni, a small village nestled in the middle Himalayas.

Pioneers Of Peace

The word “pacifism” was first used in 1901 at an international peace conference in Scotland.

Scotland's Inspiring Castles

Scotland's Inspiring Castles

Hogmanay

Welcoming a tall, dark stranger into your house at midnight may not seem like the best way to celebrate New Year’s . . . unless you’re in Scotland celebrating Hogmanay!

Scotland: More Than Kilts And Bagpipes

Scotland: More Than Kilts And Bagpipes

Basketball: Made In The U.S.A.

The head of the physical education department at the International YMCA Training School (now called Springfield College) in Massachusetts, issued a challenge to his graduate students in 1891.

Lithuania's National Obsession

Basketball is more than just a game in Lithuania.