Mano River Project Benjamin Yelm I took part in the Mano River Project last June in an attempt to improve my understanding of the connection between West Africa and the South Carolina Low Country. By studying this connection, I hoped to gain a deeper understanding of the connected histories of these two places. My primary objective was to use my understanding to teach my students how West Africa and the Low Country are connected. I hoped to do this by sharing videos, pictures, and stories. Upon returning to school this year, I have found a multitude of different ways to use this experience with my students. In my 7th grade class, we study modern world history, including the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. One strategy I used with my students was to show them video from Bunce Island, a major staging point in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. By seeing the video, my students understood more deeply where the enslaved Africans were held and how the logistics of the trade worked. They also saw the similarities between the landscape of West Africa and the Low Country. Several even remarked “that looks just like here.” I also told my 7th graders of the people working in West Africa to preserve the history of the region. I explained how, just like people here in the Charleston area try to preserve the history of plantations and buildings in South Carolina, people in West Africa are doing the same. I then discussed how the two efforts were interrelated, that the histories of places in Charleston are not possible without the histories in West Africa. It really seemed to hit home to many of the students who were not very knowledgeable about the history on the African side of the Atlantic. I was also able to use this experience very effectively when my 7th grade class moved on to European Imperialism. I explained that in the two countries we visited, Guinea and Sierra Leone, they spoke French and English respectively. Then I asked the class, why? Blank stares looked back at me. I used that as an opportunity to speak about the colonial/imperial time period and how both the French and English had interests in controlling land in the two countries. I also spoke of attending a Christian church service to reinforce the idea of how European’s spread Christianity. In addition, I explained the current conditions of the countries, how both have had serious problems with different groups trying to take and maintain power. I explained how I met many different types of people from many different ethnic groups. I then discussed with them how the European countries created boundaries that did not take into account the different ethnic groups living within that country. The fact that I had spoken firsthand to many different people of many different ethnicities, which gave me a credibility with my students that I never would have had if not for the experience. In my 6th grade classes, we study ancient history. When we were studying the spread of Islam throughout West Africa by the Mali Empire and Mansa Musa, I was able to explain how I had seen and interacted with many Muslims while in both Guinea and Sierra Leone. I also used my experience to explain the tradition of the griot in Africa. I told my students about Africa's oral history tradition and shared my experience of seeing a griot while in West Africa. Overall, this experience has truly helped me teach my subject better and more thoroughly. By just having pictures up in my classroom, I have had many wonderful conversations with students about the experience. I also feel like I have inspired some of my students to go out and see the world because of my experience. They have seen how it has enriched my life, and they now want that for their life. Without this experience, I truly would not be either the same person or teacher.