ABSTRACT
Three main topics for discussions were accordingly developed: techniques of history and research available to the historian of Africa; synthesis in history, and history in relation to modern Africa; at the same time special sessions were devoted to the history of certain regions. The particular aspects of history—economic, political, social, religious, ideological, art, &c.—make use of specific methods of investigation and enlist the help of different auxiliary sciences. Moreover every branch of history is differentiated from every other by a specific dynamism. The main sources for the study of the historical influence of the Mande are oral traditions, linguistic documents, and ethnographic data. A discussion at the seminar on trade and trade routes in Africa illustrated the range of problems encountered in the study of economic conditions in Africa. The historian of Africa faces heavy responsibilities: the formation of the outlook of African youth depends in part on the objective qualities of his studies.
