Use your FAR Discussion Guide to prepare your students for their visit to theFestival of African Royalty. Then travel to the University to study by watching theKings and Queens and their contributions to humanity brought to life by a regalcast of over 100 student performers.

For a complete educational experience to compliment the CULTURAL SHOW, QHShas prepared self-guided tour packets, which you will receive upon arrival. Weencourage you to tour the campus with your students to discover the benefits ofeducation after high school. We invite you to tour the campus on line with yourstudents at www.usc.edu prior to your visit.

BUS INSTRUCTIONSUSC is located between Exposition and Jefferson Blvd. on the corner of Jeffersonand Figueroa. Please instruct your bus driver to enter the campus from ExpositionBlvd at Gate 1. Buses are permitted to drop off students only. Convenientbus Parking is available at the Shrine Auditorium at Jefferson & Figueroa Blvd for$10.00/Bus. Please provide your driver the $10.00 for parking before you exit tothe campus. Please note that drivers do not have change so plan accordingly. Busdepartures will begin at 1:00PM from the Shrine Auditorium (East Parking Lot) asrequired by the school district transportation department.

If you are not attending the 9:30 AM performance, please plan to arrive on campusno earlier than 9:30 AM. This will aid us in getting the early morning students intothe theater without delay. Our schedule demands that buses move swiftly throughthe drop-off area. Please complete your student instructions BEFORE the busarrives to reduce delays in the drop area. The Bovard Auditorium is home toseveral important campus offices, including the President’s Office. Please informyour students and ask them to maintain good behavior. Students needing to go tothe restroom during the performance must be accompanied by a chaperone.

ADDITIONAL ENRICHMENTSeveral museums are within walking distance to the campus. We invite you to takeadvantage of these additional enrichment experiences.

California African American Museum Natural History Museum California Science Center

We look forward to your visit to USC

Queens Historical SocietyUSC Black Staff and Faculty Caucus

Celebrating Queens and Kings (leaders) of ancient Africa

The ProgramQUEENS OF THE NILE, NOW spotlights the rich and gloriousancestry of African Americans, from 1500 B.C. to 1896 A.D. TheQueens of ancient Africa are presented in a magnificent collectionof royal attire researched and designed by Sakkara Ingrid Thomasand depicted through classical ballet, jazz, modern and Africandance and is dramatically narrated in the style of the African Griot(storyteller). This stimulating visual history performance includesaudience involvement, student participation in the actualperformance and Discussion Guide.

The CompanyQueens Historical Society, an innovator in America’s multiculturaleducation explosion has emerged as a leader in presentingperformances that assert African royal history and culture. TheSociety’s signature production, “Queens of the Nile, Now”, writtenby Founding President, Ingrid Thomas, spotlights the lives andvisual styles of the Great Queens of Africa and their contributionsto world civilization. The success of this unique visual historydrama has lead to the evolution of a professionally directedperformance series, entitled The Crown Jewels. This strong andvibrant repertoire covers three thousand years and over fivethousand miles of the continent’s history. Adaptable for all stagesand ages, The Crown Jewels repertoire presents a startlingexploration into the depth of beauty which emerges from Africathroughout the centuries, fostering a new respect for women’sroles in human progress.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHYChildren’s Titles

1. Thomas, Sakkara Ingrid, Royal Court. 2006. Queens of the Nile, NowLiterature Guide and Instructional Materials.

2. Jackson, Barbara Dean, We are the Children of the Great AncientAfricans. 1986

3. Kunjufu, Jawanza. Lessons from History: A Celebration inBlackness. (Elementary Edition) Chicago: African Images, 1987. A Blackhistory textbook showing our strengths and weakness (for grades 4-6).

4. Sibbet, Ed. Jr., Ancient Egyptian Design Coloring Book, DoverPublications, Inc. N.Y. 1978 (paperback)

5. Anhuser-Busch, Inc., Great Kings & Queens of Africa Portrait Series,Distributor: One Busch Place, St. Louis, MO 63118.

ATSHEPSUT (Hat-shep-sut) 1500 B.C. – In ancient Africansocieties, women had respect and equal rights. Hatshepsutbecame the greatest female Pharaoh of Kemet (Egypt) of

whom we re informed. She ruled for approximately 33 years.During her reign there were no wars, instead she established trade,built a vast navy and built the Temple of Deir el Bahri, which stillstands today.

IYE (TEE) 1405 B.C. – One of Africa’s most remarkableQueens was Tiye, co-ruler of a great royal family in Kemet.She was married to Amenhotep III. Their union gave birth

to three sons: Smenkhare, Akhenaton and Tutankhamon, “the boyking.”

EFERTITI (Ne-fer-te-te) 1386 B.C. – African womenenjoyed a partnership in the building of lasting states andsocieties. Kemet’s Queen Nefertiti and her husband

Pharaoh Akhenaton ruled one of the most extraordinary monarchsin history. Teaching a doctrine of love and peace they were amongthe first rulers in history to proclaim to the world the concept of oneGod.

akeda (Ma-ke-da) 960 B.C. – In ancient African societies,wisdom commanded the highest position of honor andrespect. Queen Makeda of Ethiopia, better known to the

world as the Queen of Sheba, journeyed all the way to Jerusalem tomeet King Solomon, whom she heard, was a very wise man.

andace (Can-da-ca) 332 B.C. – In many instances, AfricanQueens lead armies to war, as was the case of CandaceQueen, who had 44 predecessor’s and ruled 80 clans. When

invaders prepared to cross her boarders, this Empress of Ethiopiastood ready with her armies in personal command.

leopatra VII (Cle-o-pa-tra) 69 B.C. – Of all the AfricanQueens mentioned throughout history, probably none ismore celebrated by western civilization than Cleopatra VII.

This Afro-Asian Queen came to the throne when she was seventeen.Through her intelligence and beauty she won the favor of twosuccessive Roman rulers.

zingha (N-zing-ga) 1620 A.D. Queen Nzingha was a visionarypolitical leader. She was Queen of Ndongo, later calledAngola. By organizing the Moni Congo, she, she awakened

and encouraged the resistance movement of the slave trade in WestCentral Africa.

aa Asantewa (Yaa A-san-te-wa) 1896 A.D. – Of utmostimportance in African societies was the respected role bestowedupon the Queen Mother. Queen Mother Yaa Asantewa reigned

on the Gold Coast, later called Ghana. She led the final battle againstforeign domination in defense of the Ashanti nation. Her courageprompted the emergence of modern Africa. Ghana was the firstAfrican nation to achieve its independence after colonialization.

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DISCUSSION GUIDE

Q UEENSOF THE NILE, NOW

RIEF NOTESON THE QUEENS

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Study Guide compiled by Queens Historical Society, Inc.“Queens of the Nile, Now,” is a project of QHS

www.q u een sh i s t or i ca ls oc i e t y. c om

MOTIVATION ACTIVITIES:

Discuss the meaning of ancestors, identifying on aworld map where the ancestors of the diverse ethnicgroups in the class originated. Attach strings from pointsof origin to their state or city of birth.

Locate select African countries on a map. Determinethe physical characteristics of the country (tropical rainforest, Savannah, ocean ports, rivers to the sea). Askstudents, which types of animals do they think lived ineach country.

Discuss the meaning of B.C. and A.D. Prepare a largetimeline indicating key historical dates.

Read the selections on Queens Hatshepsut, QueenTiye and Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Have one studentwrite unknown words on the board. Using a dictionary,define and discuss each of the unknown words. Exploreand discuss each passage with students.

POST-PROGRAM ENRICHMENT:

Have students draw portraits of one or more of theQueens represented in the performance. Choose studentjudges to select pictures to be displayed in a schooldisplay case. Exhibit the others in class.

Have students prepare personal timelines. As a take-home exercise, have them research the birth dates of theirparents, grandparents, great-grandparents. When theyreturn have select students place their finding on aclassroom timeline.

Have students write a “rap” or poem about theirfavorite king or queen as a creative writing exercise,

QueenHatshepsut

I am Queen Hatshepsut. I was Pharaoh ofKemet (Egypt) from 1501 B.C. to 1479 B.C. Duringmy reign there were no wars.2 I used my mind andskills to develop the empire. I expanded trade, builta fleeting navy and sent an expedition south toPunt and brought back myrrh, spices, ebony, eye-paint, leopard skins and baboons.3

I was a great builder. My funerary temple DelEl Bari still stands today. Some people say that Iwas the greatest female ruler of all time.

PharaohAmen-Hotep III

I am Pharaoh Amen-hotep III. My “GreatChief Wife” was Queen Tiye.4 I became thePharaoh of Egypt in 1412 B.C. Under myleadership, Egypt became the trading center of theknown world and one of the wealthiest.5 Icompleted several expeditions to Western Asia.The kings of Babylon, Assyria and the chiefs ofSyria were my friends.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHYAdult Titles1. Diop, Cheikh Anta. The Cultural Unity of Black

Africa. Chicago: Third World Press. 19782. Jackson, John G. Introduction to African Civilization.

New Jersey: W.W. Norton. 19743. Rodger, Joel A. Africa’s Gift to America. New York:

Helga Ma Rogers.4. Van Sertima, Ivan (Ed.). Nile Valley Civilizations.

New Jersey Journal of African Civilization. 1985

1 E.A. Wallis Budge, The Mummy: A Handbook ofEgyptian Funerary Archaeology, KPI Ltd. 1987, p. 22 Ibid., 533 Ibid., 534 Ibid., 575 Ibid., 58

Suggestions For PreparationNew Vocabulary: Terms that will assist students in their understanding of the program. Ancestor,Migration, Matrilineal, Pharaoh, Dynasty, B.C., Civilization, Archeologist.KEMET (Kam-t): One of the original names given to ancient Egypt.1

Study Guide compiled by Queens Historical Society, Inc.“Queens of the Nile, Now,” is a project of QHS

www.queensh is to r i cal socie ty. co m