AFRICAN

CULTURE,TRADITIONS AND
BELIEFS
 AFRICA
the Birth place of Humanity, the cradle of life, is enriched
with diversity, colors, songs, tribes, … and like any other
proud ‘Mother’ it wears those jewels for everyone to see.
African culture stands tall and strong with their art, clothing
and food.

So let’s step to this vibrant cultures, traditions and beliefs

 AFRICAN CULTURE
• The Culture of Africa is varied and manifold, consisting of a mixture of countries with various tribes that
each have their own unique characteristic from the continent of Africa. It is a product of the diverse
populations that today inhabit the continent of Africa and the African Diaspora. African culture is
expressed in its arts and crafts, folklore and religion, clothing, cuisine, music and languages.[1]
Expressions of culture are abundant within Africa, with large amounts of cultural diversity being found
not only across different countries but also within single countries. Even though African cultures are
widely diverse, it is also, when closely studied, seen to have many similarities. For example, the morals
they uphold, their love and respect for their culture as well as the strong respect they hold for the aged
and the important i.e. Kings and Chiefs.
• Africa has influenced and been influenced by other continents. This can be portrayed in the willingness
to adapt to the ever-changing modern world rather than staying rooted to their static culture. The
Westernized few, persuaded by European culture and Christianity, first denied African traditional culture,
but with the increase of African nationalism, a cultural recovery occurred. The governments of most
African nations encourage national dance and music groups, museums, and to a lower degree, artists and
writers.
• In African culture, a child learns at an early age how to become a good member of his tribe. Each
member of the tribe belongs to an age group that has special services within the tribe. Each person is
expected to contribute to the tribe by doing his share of the work and obeying its customs.
 African Culture Pictures
• One of the Africa’s
ethnic groups with
unique cultural
practices is the
Wodaabe Tribe of
Niger and Chad

• Bakongo voodoo
masks from the
Kongo Central region

• The African tattoos are

argued to emerge as
some of the earliest
tattoos in the world
 AFRICAN TRADITIONS
• African Tradition is expressed through many different art forms, such as
music, dance, art, sculpture and beadwork.These traditions are deeply
ingrained into the whole African culture.
• Many African languages are “tone languages,” meaning that pitch level
determines meaning
• Oral tradition is very important in African culture, as it insures the passage of
cultural practices from one generation to another.Listening is an equally
important skill, which has been perfected by the traditional oral practices.
Numerous songs and dances have been transmitted by word of mouth.
7 AMAZING AFRICAN TRIBAL TRADITIONS
 1. THE COURTSHIP DANCE OF THE WODAABE

 Birds do it. Bees do it. We’re talking, of course, about a

courtship dance. In the Wodaabe tribe of Niger, the
human mating ritual takes a page from nature’s book.
The Guérewol is an annual ritual and competition that
sees young men dress up in elaborate ornamentation
and traditional face paint and gather in lines to dance
and sing. The goal? To get the attention of one of the
judges – a marriageable young woman. In this particular
tribe, the male beauty ideal is all about bright eyes and
teeth, so men will often roll their eyes and bare their
teeth to show off their sex appeal.
 
 2. THE LIP PLATES OF THE MURSI

 The Mursi tribe of Ethiopia is one of the last

tribes in Africa where it’s the norm for
women to wear large pottery or wooden
plates in their lower lips. When a Mursi girl
reaches the age of 15 or 16, her lower lip is
cut by her mother or another older woman in
the settlement. The cut is held open by a
wooden plug for about three months while it
heals. Mursi members are rather egalitarian
– girls are never forced to have their lip
pierced; it’s a totally personal choice. (Of
course, 16 is the prime age for peer
pressure no matter your culture, and this is
often the reason girls opt for the lip plate.)
 
 3. THE BULL JUMPING OF THE HAMAR

  Ethiopia’s Hamar tribe (also known as the

Hamer tribe), made up mostly of pastoralists
who respect and treasure their cattle, has a
rather… athletic initiation ritual. Forget cow
tipping – this tradition is all about the art of
bull jumping. Bull jumping is a three-day rite of
passage that all boys must partake in, and it’s
extremely important for the dignity of both the
initiate and his family. The initiate must walk
over 15 castrated bulls that have been rubbed
in dung to make their backs slippery (and the
task that much tougher). If he fails, he’ll have
to wait a whole year to try again. And if he
succeeds? It means he’s ready to marry a girl
of his parents’ choosing, and to raise his own
children and cattle.
 4. THE RED OCHRE OF THE HIMBA

 The women of this iconic Namibian tribe

are known for their beautiful, red-tinged
skin and hair. The reason for the rich
colour? A homemade paste of butter, fat
and red ochre known as otjize. Girls in the
tribe start using otjize as soon as they’re
old enough to care for their own hygiene.
There has long been speculation around
exact origins of the practice, with many
people claiming it acts as sun protection or
insect repellent. But the Himba tribe says
it’s purely for aesthetic reasons –
effectively a traditional make-up they apply
every morning in the same way we’d slap
on a lick of mascara and lipstick.
 5. THE SPITTING OF THE MAASAI
 The Maasai people of Kenya and
Northern Tanzania view spitting as a
form of blessing and a sign of
respect. Tribespeople use spitting to
greet or say goodbye to friends,
clinch a bargain or to wish someone
good luck. Two friends greeting each
other will spit in their palms before
shaking hands. When a baby is born,
family members will spit on the child
to wish him or her a long life and
good luck. Spitting is also customary
on a daughter’s wedding day, where
her father will spit on her forehead to
wish her a blessed union.
 6. THE HEALING DANCE OF THE SAN

 This one is arguably the most magical. For the

San people of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana
and Angola, dance is considered a sacred power.
One of their most integral tribal traditions is the
trance dance (also known as the healing dance).
The whole community comes together around a
fire for several hours or even an entire night, led
by healers and elders. The healers dance around
the fire, chant and hyperventilate until they induce
a powerful trance-like state. In this state, they are
granted access to the spirit world (and are often
able to walk over fire). The San healers aren’t just
doing this to cure physical illnesses in their
community – they also attempt to expel what they
call “star sickness”, a force that causes jealousy,
anger and arguments.
 7. THE WEDDING CEREMONY OF THE NDEBELE

 The Ndebele wedding ceremony is all

about the bride – and her attire puts
western white dresses to shame. This, in
most part, is thanks to her future mother-
in-law and the prettiest of all the tribal
traditions. The groom’s mother creates a
Jocolo for the bride – an apron made of
goatskin and decorated with gorgeous,
colourful beads. The Jocolo is worn by all
married women at the wedding ceremony,
and is representative of a mother
surrounded by children. On their wedding
day, the groom performs a ceremony in
honour of his new wife, giving her thanks
and credit for everything she’s done for
him in their time together
 AFRICAN BELIEFS

• In addition to expressing high levels of beliefs in the protective power of sacrificial

offering and sacred objects, upwards of one-in-five people in every country say they
believe in the evil eye, or the ability of certain people to cast malevolent curses or
spells. In five countries (Tanzania, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo,
Senegal and Mali) majorities express this belief.
• In most countries surveyed, at least three-in-ten people believe in reincarnation,
which may be related to traditional beliefs in ancestral spirits. The conviction that
people will be reborn in this world again and again tends to be more common
among Christians than Muslims.