400

Composer and musician Dr. Mark Lomax II ambitiously highlights Afrikan history and reasserts Afrikan humanity through 400: An Afrikan Epic, a 12-album cycle released in 2019. The compilation is divided into thirds exploring thousands of years of history including pre-colonial Afrika, the trauma of Afrikan people's nadir experience in the diaspora, and ways we can conceptualize a forthcoming Afrikan experience beyond the present. This curriculum reflects the same three-part...
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Composer and musician Dr. Mark Lomax II ambitiously highlights Afrikan history and reasserts Afrikan humanity through 400: An Afrikan Epic, a 12-album cycle released in 2019. The compilation is divided into thirds exploring thousands of years of history including pre-colonial Afrika, the trauma of Afrikan people's nadir experience in the diaspora, and ways we can conceptualize a forthcoming Afrikan experience beyond the present. This curriculum reflects the same three-part categorization to correspond to the albums: Alkebulan: The Beginning of Us; Ma'afa: Great Tragedy; and Afro-Futurism: The Return to Uhuru. With 400: An Afrikan Epic, Lomax celebrates the resilience, brilliance, strength, genius, and creativity of a people who continue to endure while offering an inspired view of the future. This curriculum guide explores how music might support the mental and emotional emancipation of Afrikans still impacted by colonialism, assimilation, imperialism, and slavery. It is an open-ended guide that can be completed by individuals, in a community learning group, or in higher education classrooms. There are three units that correspond with each section of the album series. Each unit begins with a unit summary outlining the concepts discussed in the succeeding lessons and a list of definitions to aid in understanding the lessons. There are four lessons within each unit. Each lesson has a summary and a list of questions. These questions can be used as starting points for research projects or as discussion questions, depending on the readers' level of knowledge of the material. The information provided in the learning units are introductory, a place to get started. The bibliography and the list of suggested resources can aid in a continued exploration of the topics discussed.