African Literature

African literature, the body of traditional oral and written literatures in Afro-Asiatic and African languages
together with works written by Africans in European languages. Traditional written literature, which is limited
to a smaller geographic area than is oral literature, is most characteristic of those sub-Saharan cultures that
have participated in the cultures of the Mediterranean. In particular, there are written literatures in both
Hausa and Arabic, created by the scholars of what is now northern Nigeria, and the Somali people have
produced a traditional written literature. There are also works written in Geʿez (Ethiopic) and Amharic, two of
the languages of Ethiopia, which is the one part of Africa where Christianity has been practiced long enough
to be considered traditional. Works written in European languages date primarily from the 20th century
onward. The literature of South Africa in English and Afrikaans is also covered in a separate article, South
African literature. See also African theatre.

The relationship between oral and written traditions and in particular between oral and modern written
literatures is one of great complexity and not a matter of simple evolution. Modern African literatures were
born in the educational systems imposed by colonialism, with models drawn from Europe rather than existing
African traditions. But the African oral traditions exerted their own influence on these literatures.
African Music

The music of Africa is as vast and varied as the continent's many regions, nations, and ethnic groups. The
African continent comprises approximately 20 percent of the world's land mass and has a population of
roughly 934 million. African music is as diverse as its cultures and peoples and has flowered in many
indigenous forms as well as been shaped by foreign influences.

Although there are many different varieties of music in Africa, there are a number of common elements to
the music, especially within regions. The concept of music in Africa, especially in sub-Saharan Africa bears a
difference from other regions and cultures. The roles of music and dance are tightly woven together in sub-
Saharan Africa, and music intersects with every aspect of life, expresses life through the medium of sound. By
helping mark the important moments in life, music helps to underscore the divine and eternal value of
human life.

African music also helps to connect people together in a variety of ways, strengthening the fabric of the
community, which in turn reinforces people's commitment to support each other and the community,
toward mutual health and prosperity. Another crucial role of music in Africa is as a mode of communication.
Talking drums, signal drums, songs, and the sagas of the historian griots each communicate different types of
important information.

As African society has changed in response to the forces of colonization, independence, and globalization, the
role of music changed as well, adapting to the new situation in which the people of Africa find themselves.
Though there have been changes in some of the forms of the music, including the infusion of instruments,
musical styles, and genres from outside the African continent, music remains very important in Africa today.
Also, as Africans traveled from Africa to other parts of the world, both as a result of African slave trade and
later migrations, the music and dance forms of the African diaspora have influenced a number of
international musical styles and genres, including many Caribbean and Latin American music genres like
rumba and salsa, as well as providing the foundation of musical tradition behind African American music.
African Belief Systems

Types:

1. Shamanism - e.g., Khoisan

2. Animism - e.g., Nuer, Wolof, Zulu

3. Olympian religion - e.g., Yoruba, Azande, ancient Egypt

4. Monotheism - Christianity (including Coptic), Islam

These types have to do with

a. nature of the supernatural that people believe in (spirits, gods, ancestors, demons, special people, etc.)

b. means of communicating with it, relationship of believers to spiritual entities, powers that people can have

c. formal or informal religious specializations (specialists can include: healers, diviners, ritual leaders, cult
leaders, priests ... )

d. types of congregations

e. duties or requirements of followers

Myth and ritual are extremely important in African traditional belief systems. Rites of passage, seasonal
ceremonies, and religious celebrations are all a big part of community life, whether people are nominally
Christians, Muslims, or traditionalists. Even sophisticated urbanites maintain the beliefs of their ancestors in
many ways.