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AFRICAN CULTURE AND TRADITIONS: WHAT ARE SOME TRADITIONS IN AFRICA?

AFRICAN CULTURE AND TRADITIONS: WHAT ARE SOME TRADITIONS IN AFRICA?

Last Updated on April 19, 2022 by Kelvin Ash

Africa’s tradition is undoubtedly interesting due to the fact that it is varied and it has the mixture of different countries which have unique characteristics. Africa’s culture owes its credit to the vast inhabitants of the continent.

Generally, Culture is the distinctive quality of a particular group. Africa’s tradition varies from belief, art and some other attributes belonging to a member of a particular group.

African tradition also has been influenced internally and externally.

However, some of Africa’s traditions which are expressed in many different forms would be listed below.

Language

Thousands of languages are spoken in Africa. Every African country has its own dialects no matter how small the country is. The European colonization of African countries however influenced African language and can be seen in Creole and Pidgin which are versions of English, Portuguese and French spoken in many African countries. Arabic also is spoken widely in the Northern part of Africa while Swahili is famous among the Eastern part of Africa and Swahili remains the most widely spoken language in Africa.

Music

Music in Africa is a form of communication and it plays some functional roles. Music is used for occasional purposes like marriage, birth, rites, installation of kings and so on. Music often ward off evil spirits and it is used to pay homage to the dead spirits and ancestors.African music varies from regions to regions but the commonest of it is the  rhythmic nature and it centralization on drums.Enslaved West Africans transferred this aspect of the African music to the new world and this led to the formation of  music like Samba, Jazz, Rhythm and blues, Rock and Roll, Rap music and Salsa. Other African musical instruments are strings, horns and so on.

Art

Art is also a form in which Africans express themselves aside from music and dance. The Zulu are predominantly famous for their intricate beads which carry a deep meaning. The beads are known as ‘Ucu’ a Zulu term meaning ‘Love letters’. A girl sends beads of different colours to a boy and he courts for a while. Once he marries her, he asks her for the meaning of the beads. This practice is predominant among the Zulus. African art and craft also include sculpture, woodcarving, brass, leather works, pottery and so on. Some of the earliest forms of Arts(sculpture) were found in Egypt. 

Food

Africans major occupation is farming. They depend on the food they grow themselves. In the western part of Africa where cassava is grown, Fufu, a starchy food made from cassava is usually eaten with sauces. Rice dishes are also eaten widely in this region. An example is jollof rice, a pan west African dish. Colonization also influenced the food and drink taken in some parts of Africa. For instance, Kenyans usually drink tea and coffee.

Religion

Before colonization, Africans had their own indigenous religions which also differed from tribes to tribes. Africa religions are oral passed down from one generation to the other through songs, folktales and festivals. Islam and Christianity have replaced African indigenous religion but not completely because some Africans combine both. There are some followers of African indigenous religion such as the Yoruba religion which finds its roots in the Caribbean, Central and South America.

When it comes to Africa, there is a lot to learn about. With its diverse nature, Africa is really a fascinating continent.

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Kelvin Ash

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