The field of history is founded on the interrogation of written documents from the past. However, culture is the centre of life in Africa. As a result, in the past - and to a degree in the present - the process for documenting events in Africa was not written, it was performed. History Dances argues that a wealth of information is housed within traditional Mandinka dance, and consequently, the dances can be used as an African derived primary source for writing African history.

List of illustrations. Preface. Acknowledgments. Introduction: Manjani, Dance of the Initiate. Part I Lamban, Dance of the Jali: Mandinka History and the Origin of Dance Systems. Chapter 1 Mande and the Emergence of a Distinct Cultural System. Part II Kankouran, Dance of the Masquerade: The Particulars of Mandinka Dance. Chapter 2 Form and Mandinka Dance Movements. Chapter 3 Deciphering Mandinka Dance System. Chapter 4 Mandinka Dance: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. Part III Dundunba, Strength and Endurance: Historical Cataclysms and Dance Survivals. Chapter 5 Slavery in Africa and its Influence on Dance Systems. Chapter 6 Foreign Religions, Colonialism, Modernity, and Dance. Part IV Sofa, Warrior Dance: Mandinka Dance and Cultural Decolonization. Chapter 7 Fodéba, Touré, Identity, and Dance. Conclusion: Soli, Rite of Passage; Where Do We Go From Here? Glossary of Terms. Index.