African Culture

Prepared By : SYEDa RIDA FATIMA RIZVISubmitted To : Dr . Anila & Maam MaryamBsc.(hons) 3rd year

African Culture

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 cultureThis rich and diverse culture varies from country to country.Africa has 3000 distinct ethnic groups, 2000 languages.

Languages Spoken in African Countries:

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 speakersThe 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 KordofanianBantu is spoken in most of the southern half of Africa.

Nilo-Saharan Family:11 million speakersThe 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. Languages of East African Khoisan include Sandawe and Hadza, both of which are spoken in Tanzania.

TheAustronesianlanguage 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 AfricaHindusim: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 dispersed throughout the country. According to the 1997 census,Roman Catholic 23.8%Muslims 17.8%, Protestant 17.5% 17.8% of the people have other beliefs,and 23.1% have no religious beliefs.

Food in Africa

The food of Africa is a combination of local fruit, grains, vegetables, milk andmeat products, theirown 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 in cooking.

Food in the South and East Africa:Dairy products 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 Africa:Fufu this is made from root 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), though meat is often a luxury for poor families.

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. Bambarais a common dish in Zambia.

Traditional African Customs:

Each group of people have customs that areunique to them.One traditional custom inAfrican culture is that of lobola,Wedding:The wedding is held at nightA 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

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 sizeIn 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 regionsThe 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, along with Western styles.

African's top 10 festivals:

So heres the list of Africas top 10 festivals.Lake of Stars, MalawiCape Town International Jazz Festival, South AfricaMawazine, MoroccoFelabration, NigeriaChale Wote Street Art Festival, GhanaHarare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA), ZimbabweTimkat, EthiopiaFestima: The International Festival of Masks and the Arts, Burkina FasoGnaoua World Music Festival, MoroccoPanafest, Ghana

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:CircketFootball