African Culture

Prepared By : SYEDa RIDA FATIMA RIZVI

Submitted To : Dr . Anila & Ma’am
Maryam Bsc.(hons) 3rd year
Introduction To African Culture :
 Africa is the world's second-largest and
second-most-populous continent with
approximately 58 countries.
 African culture is incredibly interesting
because it is so diverse. Every African
country is a mix of tribes each with their
own unique language and culture
 This rich and diverse culture varies from
country to country.
 Africa has 3000 distinct ethnic groups,
2000 languages.
Languages Spoken in
African Countries:
 Languages
• African language is
diverse and
separated into 6
main groups. Each
group has several
sub groups.
• Linguistic divisions
are hurdles to
national unity and
economic
development
Africa is a continent with a very high
linguistic diversity, there are an
estimated 1500-2000 African
languages. Of these languages four
main groupings can be distinguished:
Afro-Asiatic:
 200 million speakers
 Spoken in northern Africa, Somalia,
Ethiopia, Eritrea, and the area around
Lake Chad in central Africa.
 Subgroups of Afro-Asiatic are Chadic,
Berber, Semitic, Cushitic, and Egyptian
 Niger-Saharian: (Niger-Congo)
 300 million speakers
 The family has seven main subgroups, six
of which cover West Africa and the
Central African Republic.
 The subgroups of the Niger-Congo
family are Benue-Congo (including
Bantu), West Atlantic, Mande, Voltaic,
Kwa, Adamawa East, and Kordofanian
 Bantu is spoken in most of the southern
half of Africa.
 Nilo-Saharan Family:
 11 million speakers
 The Nilo-Saharan language family
covers much of the eastern Sahara, the
upper Nile Valley, areas around Lake
Victoria in east central Africa, and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
 Nilo-Saharan divides into six subgroups:
Nilotic (or Chari-Nile), Songhai, Saharan,
Maban, Koman, and Fur.
 Khoisan Family:
 About 78,000 people speak these
languages.
 The Khoisan language family has about
12 languages in its two subgroups:
South African Khoisan and East African
Khoisan.
 Languages of South African Khoisan,
which include Nama and Naron, are
spoken in and around the Kalahari
Desert of northern South Africa,
southwestern Botswana, and Namibia.
 The Austronesian language in
Madagascar.
Indo-European language on the
Southern tip of the continent
Religion in Africa:
 Christianity:
The majority of African population is
christian.
Christianity slowly spread over to
Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia and
Eritrea.
Today, Africa has more than 350
million followers of Christianity.
 Islam:
 Islam is the dominant religion in North
Africa and the Horn of Africa, and it is
also the predominant and historical
religion of the West African interior
and the far west coast of the continent
as well as the coast of East Africa
Hindusim:
 There are sizable of Hindu populations
in South Africa and the East African
coastal nations.
 Judaism:
 Judaism has an ancient and rich
history on the African continent.
 Today, there are Jewish
communities in many countries;
including the Beta Israel of Ethiopia,
the Abayudaya of Uganda, the
House of Israel in Ghana, the Igbo
Jews of Nigeria and the Lemba of
Southern Africa.
 Traditional religion:
 Traditional religious customs are
sometimes shared by many
African societies.
 Many African Christians and Muslims
maintain some aspects of their
traditional religions.
 Religion in Mozambique:
 Religious communities are dispered
throughout the country.
 According to the 1997 census,
a. Roman Catholic 23.8%
b. Muslims 17.8%,
c. Protestant 17.5%
d. 17.8% of the people have other
beliefs,
e. and 23.1% have no religious
Food in Africa
The food of Africa is
a combination of
local fruit, grains,
vegetables, milk and
meat products, their
own traditions and
Arab, European and
Asian influences.
 Food in the North
Africa;
The Arabs
introduced spices
such as saffron,
nutmeg, cinnamon,
ginger and cloves.
Sweet pastries and
other baked foods
were brought by
the Ottoman Turks.
Olives are an
important local
harvest in North
Africa and olive oil is
frequently used
 Food in the South and East
Dairy products
 Africa:
 Ground maize or
corn
 Stiff porridge.
Arabic influences
can be seen in East
African cuisine
Spiced vegetable
curries, lentil soups,
chapattis and pickles.
Oranges, lemons
and limes are used in
cooking, while other
fruits such as
mangoes, papayas
and pineapples are
eaten for dessert.
 Domestic pig.
 Food in the West
Fufu this is made
from rootAfrica:
vegetables such as
yams, cocoyams, or
cassava.
 Rice dishes
Along coastlines,
rivers and lakes,
fish are an
important source of
protein.
Cattle, goats and
sheep are raised
(varying by region),
 Food in Central
Africa:
Plantains
Cassavas continue
to form the basis of
many meals.
Starchy staples
are often served
with meat, bean or
vegetable stews.
Families use 'bush
meat' from wild
animals such as
monkey, antelope
and wild pigs.
Traditional African Customs:
 “Each group of people have customs
that
are
unique to them”.
One traditional custom in African culture
is that of lobola, (a bride price, especially
one paid with cattle.
the practice of paying a bride price)
•
Marriage
No two cultures have the same customs
• In Ethiopia, some people tattoo the bride’s stomach for good luck
• With the Massai people of Kenya, The bride packs her belongings
and is dressed in jewelry. The father of the bride spits on her
head and breasts as a blessing and then she leaves to her new
home. She never looks back, fearing that she will turn to stone.
• The Himba people of Namibia kidnap a bride before the
ceremony and dress her in a marriage headdress. After the
ceremony she is brought into the house where the family tells her
what her responsibilities will be as the wife and then anoint her
with butterfat from cows. This shows that she has been accepted
into the family.
• The Wodabee of Niger court their cousins for marriage. The male
cousins wear powerful amulets which are supposed to heighten
their attractiveness to the girl. If there are two cousins who
desire the same girl the girl chooses the one she wishes and the
other man is welcomed into the home of the couple.
• The Neur people of southern Sudan -the groom must pay 20-40
cattle, the marriage is completed only after the wife has born 2
children. If the wife only bears one child and the husband asks for
a divorce he can also ask for either the return of the cattle or the
first child. Divorce therefore is very difficult. Another interesting
fact is that if a husband dies then the husbands family must
provide a brother to the widow and any children born to the
brother are considered the deceased's children
Wedding:
 The wedding is held at night
 A man can have as many wives as
he can afford and the wives share
the responsibilities of the daily
chores, such as preparing meals
washing clothes etc
 Family life
• Extended family is the norm
• Elders play important role in
families
• Mothers have large roles in
African families
• The good of community is more
important than the individual
• “It takes a village to raise a
• child”
A child is born in Africa and the
family celebrates the occasion
with a feast. Kids are given names
based on the family history or
anticipated future.
 Family (traditional roles)
• Grandmother and father are
heads of families
• Dads provide for families and
arrange marriages for
daughters
• Moms rule the homes. Kids
help and support the family
• Uncles and aunts help provide
for kids, arrange marriages and
help settle disputes between
other family members. Uncles
are often called Junior Fathers.
 Polygamy
• Polygamy is common in parts of
Africa
• The current president of S. Africa is
an ethnic Zulu and is allowed to
have more than one wife.
• Africans feel that polygamy helps
ensure the future of the family, gives
women help raising children and in
parts of Africa, if a man died, his
brother was expected to marry his
widow and care for his children
• Polygamy also gave women help in
gardening and other household
chores
• In parts of Africa that practices
Islam, there is a religious basis for
polygamy as well.
 Death
•
Death is not the end of life to Africans,
it’s only a transition to a new world
• Africans feel that their ancestors live
on in the village and surviving family
members
• The goal of life is to become an
ancestor after death. This is why
every person who dies must be given
a "correct" funeral, supported by a
number of religious ceremonies. If
this is not done, the dead person
may become a wandering ghost,
unable to "live" properly after death
• Many African peoples have a custom
of removing a dead body through a
hole in the wall of a house, and not
through the door. The reason for
this seems to be that this will make
it difficult (or even impossible) for
the dead person to remember the
way back to the living, as the hole in
the wall is immediately closed.
• Death in African religions is one of
the last transitional stages of life
requiring passage rites, and this too
takes a long time to complete. The
deceased must be "detached" from
the living and make as smooth a
transition to the next life as possible
 Beauty and African standard?

Sexuality
• Many Africans see a large,
well rounded women to be
a sign of health and
• beauty.
Men are not expected to
• be monogamous
Men also feel they have a
“right to sex.” This has
• helped to spread HIV.
Many see homosexuality as Western Standard?
an evil. Anti- homosexual
• laws are found across the
region
Some Africans practice
female circumcision. An act
that has no reason to exist
in the first place.
Houses in Africa
 Traditional houses differ in different
regions in Africa because of the
available materials and climate.
 Most commonly houses are made of
clay and thatch.
 These houses most commonly have
cylinder or quadrangular shapes
and they are small in size
 In some more modern rammed houses
there is used concrete, cement or
asphalt.
African Clothing:
 African clothing has changed over time,
Originally, Europeans and Arabs
influenced African clothing, especially in
the northern regions
 The influence of the Arabian culture
continues to be seen in the designs,
embroideries, and long robes worn by
some Africans in their daily lives.
 Most modern Africans wear Western-
styled pants, shirts, dresses and shoes.
 Others continue to combine the old with
the new, wearing traditional clothing,
 Music and Dance
• Common African music is samba, blues, jazz, reggae
, rap, and rock and roll. Later the introduction of
Afrobeat and Highlife music was
introduced. Recently African hip hop has become
popular.
• A variety of musical instruments are used,
including drums (most widely used), bells,
musical bow, lute, flute, and trumpet.
• African dances are important mode of
communication and dancers use gestures, masks,
costumes, body painting and a number of visual
devices. With urbanisation and modernisation,
modern African dance and music exhibit influences
assimilated from several other cultures.
 Art
• Africa has a rich tradition of arts and crafts.
African arts and crafts find expression in a
variety of woodcarvings, brass and leather art

works. African arts and crafts also include

sculpture, paintings, pottery, ceremonial and
religious headgear and dress.
• African culture has always placed importance on
personal appearance and jewelery. Masks are
made with elaborate designs and are important
part of African culture. Masks are used in various
ceremonies.
African's top 10 festivals:
So here’s the list of Africa’s top 10
festivals.
1. Lake of Stars, Malawi
2. Cape Town International Jazz Festival, South
Africa
3. Mawazine, Morocco
4. Felabration, Nigeria
5. Chale Wote Street Art Festival, Ghana
6. Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA),
Zimbabwe
7. Timkat, Ethiopia
8. Festima: The International Festival of Masks
and the Arts, Burkina Faso
9. Gnaoua World Music Festival, Morocco
Sports of Africa:
 Football is the most popular
sport throughout Africa.
 Africa has its own Olympic Games.
The All Africa Games were first held in
Madagascar in 1960, organised by
French- speaking countries.
 Cricket is another sport played in
Africa, particularly in South Africa and
Zimbabwe
 Sports of
Africa:

Circket Football