New York — We’re pleased to announce the launch of the Africa-America Institute's State of Education 2026 Conference – “Following The Gold Road--Global Medieval Africa in the Time of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai.”
This exciting, free online conference, launching this month, spans 1,400 years of fascinating, under-recognized history created by our colleagues at AAI in partnership with Howard University’s Center for African Studies and Boston University’s African Studies Center. We go back to a time when Mansa Musa, the 14th Century king of the fabulously wealthy, gold-based Malian Empire, was the richest ruler on earth, and a world historical figure.
Accompanying “Following the Gold Road” is the music playlist Mali Gold curated by Banning Eyre for public radio’s Peabody Award-winning Afropop Worldwide (found on afropop.org). This is an expansive playlist of iconic hits from the golden age of Malian music, from the 1980s onwards, featuring beloved artists such as Salif Keita, Ali Farka Touré, Oumou Sangaré, Toumani Diabaté, Habib Koité, Kandia Kouyaté, the Super Rail Band and more.
“Following the Gold Road” is a three-part lecture series presented on January 14, 21 28 (and later on YouTube.) It features leading U.S.-based scholars of African history and anthropology, targeting K-12 educators as well as all interested others. It 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.
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This 2026 edition of AAI’s State of Education Conference explores the centrality of ancient West African empires to the global economy. AAI says that 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. You can register here.
AAI’s annual Education Conference continues a legacy, since its founding in 1953, as the leading education and opportunity bridge between Africa and the U.S. providing over 23,000 scholarships and fellowships to African students who have gone on to become presidents of their countries, heads of ministries, academics, educators, a Nobel Prize winner, leaders in business and civil society and more. None other than Barack Obama Senior was an AAI scholar, so we have AAI to thank for President Barack Obama!
Virtual Conference Sessions - details and profiles of scholar leading them >>>
