The Center for African Studies at Howard University is proud to introduce Bouctou, a magazine written expressly for teachers and students by African Studies scholars.

The vision behind Bouctou is to create an accessible and appealing online resource free-of-charge for the K-12 classroom that provides informative articles, scholarly research and engaging commentary, and to support the curriculum by contributing quality Africa-focused resources and material. 

Bouctou issues will also contain a student corner with activities and lesson ideas for students that are aimed to excite and inspire them to further explore the African world. The first issue explores Trade and Scholarship in Medieval West Africa and is sure to educate and inspire young learners.

As Bouctou continues to grow and evolve to meet the needs of young learners and educators, we welcome your comments and feedback.

Who Was Bouctou?

The origin of the name “Bouctou,” according to legend, comes from a Tuareg woman named Bouctou, who founded Timbuktu, a city in Mali that holds historical significance as a major trading post on the trans Saharan caravan route. The rest stop she created for camels on the Niger River in the 1100s became the site of the city of Timbuktu.

Download the 1st issue
of Bouctou