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Mansa Musa, one of the wealthiest people who ever lived - Jessica Smith

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Mansa Musa, the 14th century African king of the Mali Empire, is said to have amassed a fortune that possibly made him one of the wealthiest people who ever lived. Jessica Smith tells the story of how Mansa Musa literally put his empire – and himself – on the map.

Mansa Musa is one of many African monarchs throughout the continent's rich history. Yet, the narratives of only a few kings and queens are featured in television and movies. Analyze and evaluate why you think that this is the case, then create two ideas for how we can work to bring more positive awareness of the history of Africa's ancient and contemporary kings and queens to students today.

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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Jessica "Culture Queen" Smith
  • Director Sandro Katamashvili
  • Animator Gogi Kamushadze
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Narrator Pen-Pen Chen

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