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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.
