African Culture. Regions of Africa North Africa Sub-Saharan Africa

African Culture

Regions of Africa

•North Africa•Sub-Saharan

Africa

African Regions

African Regions• North Africa

– “Arab Africa”

• Sub-Saharan Africa – “Black Africa”

• Cultural and Ethnic reasons for separation

• North: “non-black”, Arab cultures

• Sub-Saharan: “traditional” African cultures, tribes

North Africa

• North Africa is often studied as part of the Middle East.

Sub-Saharan Africa

North Africa

• Dominated by Islam

• Arab ethnicity• Critical location

for trade– Timbuktu!– Suez Canal

• Nile River Delta• Egyptian Empire

Yes, Egypt is in AFRICA!

Culture of North Africa• Mostly Muslim, non-

Black Africans• Large nomad

communities, especially in Sahara region– Tuareg culture

• Based on trade!– Salt & Gold

Trade in North Africa

• Muslims traders from the Middle East sought West African gold

• Crossed Sahara Desert on camels– “Beasts of Burden”

• West Africa needed salt, which was abundant in desert

Tuareg Culture

• Based in the Sahara Desert

• Nomadic tribes• 1 – 1.5 million people• Depend on livestock

and trade• How did the

establishment of modern countries affect Tuareg life?

Now had to be more concerned about borders. Some have moved to cities.

Timbuktu

• Still exists in Mali today. The trade routes moved and the climate became hotter. The city lost its function (a trading center).

Diffusion of Islam• "Islam reached Africa through

two gateways, from the east and from the north. From both directions the carriers of Islam navigated across vast empty spaces, the waters of the Indian Ocean and the sands of the Sahara desert. Both ocean and desert, which so often are considered to be barriers, could be crossed with appropriate means of transportation and navigational skills, and they were, in fact, excellent transmitters of religious and cultural influences. Densely populated lands, on the other hand, functioned as filters, their numerous layers slowing down the infiltration of religious and cultural influences."

From Introduction to The History of Islam in Africa (2001)

Sub-Saharan Africa

• Mixture of Christianity & traditional animist religions

• “Black Africa”• Mostly tribal based

societies• Relatively poor and

undeveloped• Civil War and conflict

has plagued the region

Africans live in tribes don’t they?

• What is a tribe?

• A political group that comprises one or more subgroups that have integrating factors, usually organized through kinship and occupying a distinct territory.

Africans live in tribes don’t they?

• Tribe is a problematic word. – Often associated

with unthinking, primal attachments to kin.

• Africans understand “tribe” much differently than we do.

Africans live in tribes don’t they?

• Yes, they live in tribes. – However, to Africans,

“tribe” is more like ethnic group.

• Africans have attachments to kin, but they have other loyalties also.

• Tribalism was developed during the outside threat of colonialism (19th-20th century).

Igbo

Yoruba

Masai

Zulu

Ashante

Basanga

Hutu

Tutsi

Kikuyu

Tribal Societies

• Ethnic ties are very strong

• Most people have more loyalty to their clan, then tribe, and then country.

Swahili

• Arabic word for “coast”

• Located on Eastern Africa

• Historic contact with Arab World

• Major trading centers

Issues in Sub-Saharan Africa

Shatterbelt Region• Area where North &

Sub-Saharan Africa meet

• A clash of cultures and landscapes causes conflict and civil war

• Sudan: – Arab dominated

government accused of suppressing Black Sudanese

– Worst genocide in history

Questions• Why is there a distinction between North & Sub-

Saharan Africa?• What region is North Africa typically studied

with? Why?• How did the camel help with the diffusion of

Islam?• What products were essential to trade in North

Africa?• What is the culture like in Sub-Saharan Africa?• Where does loyalty lie in tribal communities?• What are some issues facing Sub-Saharan Africa

today?• What is the shatterbelt region of Africa?

Conclusion

• There is no easy way to talk about Africa or what is African. This is the second largest continent, full of complexity and contrast.