Barrington Levy is known as the "mellow canary" of Jamaican dancehall music. Visit his website to learn more about this prominent artist.

Barrington Levy's song "Teach the Youth" is an example of his socially conscious lyrics within the dancehall genre.

Dancehall music emerged in Jamaica in the 1980s. The dancehall genre (not to be confused with the Jamaican dancehall as a venue for music and dance) differs from reggae in that the non-vocal music consists primarily or entirely of "riddims" or rhythmic beats, typically created by a producer in a studio, and the lyrics are spoken (although often in a more melodic style than U.S. rap). Barrington Levy uses live musicians to create non-digital dancehall riddims. Dancehall descends from the Jamaican talkover deejays (1950s- ) and dub studio techniques (1960s- ) in reggae music.

Learn about the Ibra Fall people of Senegal.

Kusun is a company that presents music and dance of the Ga people of Ghana, West Africa. Founded by Nii Tettey Tetteh, the group includes past members of The National Ballet and The Pan African Orchestra. Kusun combines traditional Ga music with a new style they call "nokoko" that blends bass and lead guitar, jazz, African rhythms, and traditional Ghanaian instruments. Visit Kusun's website to learn more.

Kwanzaa is an African American holiday that celebrates African heritage. It is celebrated over a period of 7 days at the end of December. Kwanzaa was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in the 1960s. Read more about Kwanzaa here.

Sene Africa, a duo of Senegalese musicians based in San Diego, plays both modern and traditional Mande music. This music style is associated with a caste of hereditary musicians descended from the ancient African empire of Mali. Amadou Fall is a jali (griot), or hereditary musician, and he plays the 21-string kora, an instrument traditionally played only by jalolu (pl. of jali). He is joined by Ibrahim Ba on vocals and guitar.

Niancho Eniyaley African Dance & Drum is a California-based African drumming and dance company. Visit the company's website to learn more.

Visit the website of Natural Building Network, an organization dedicated to promoting natural building principles, materials and practitioners worldwide.

Cob building is a natural method that uses earth and straw to build durable, long-lasting homes and structures. Read more about cob building at this website, with information about books and other useful links.

Read an article about Welsh-born architect and cob builder Ianto Evans and his Heart House.

Learn about Joe Kennedy, his organization Builders Without Borders, and his books.

Visit the Black Contractors Association of San Diego website to learn about its history and programs.

A group of cob houses provide shelter to some of the residents at Dignity Village, a tent village of homeless people in Portland, Oregon. Read more about the cob homes at Dignity Village here.