Music and Culture of West Africa is a multimedia investigation of the Straus Expedition--a 1934 field research study in West Africa. Laura Boulton, a participant in the expedition, recorded and documented the music of 21 ethnic groups in what was then French and British colonial West Africa. Users can hear sound recordings, see photographs, and view silent film footage shot during the 1934 Straus Expedition. These materials provide a first-hand glimpse of a period in West African musical history and of a field experience from an earlier era of musical research. Contemporary media and research sheds light on the materials that Boulton collected, and helps demonstrate the continuity of these forms of music. Engaging interactive sections allow users to explore musical principles and techniques that are common in African music. A Media Index provides access to the individual sound recordings, photographs, and film footage used in the main program. Instructors or students may annotate these media and build "slide shows" for their own presentation needs.

TLTC worked with the Archives of Traditional Music to develop a prototype of this project, which was used by students in the Fall 1996 World Music and Culture course (F111) taught by Professor Sue Tuohy. Based on this prototype, the Archives of Traditional Music received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for the full development of the program. The program was published by IU Press.