The Culture of Africa encompasses and includes all cultures which were ever in the continent of Africa.
The continent Africa was the birthplace of the hominin subfamily and the genus Homo, including eight species, of which only Homo sapiens survive. Hominini is the tribe of Homininae that comprises humans ( Homo) Chimpanzees ( Pan) and their Extinct ancestors A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic Homo is the Genus that includes modern humans and their close relatives In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus Human culture in Africa is as old as the human race, and includes Neolithic (10,000 BC) rock engravings, the glacial age petroglyphs (a carving or line drawing on rock, especially one made by prehistoric people) of early hunter-gatherers in the dry grasslands of North Africa, the Nomes of Egypt (3100 BC), and ancient Egypt. Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the Temperature of the Earth 's surface and atmosphere resulting in an expansion of continental Ice sheets Petroglyphs are Images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising pecking carving and abrading North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan A nome (from Νομός “district” was a subnational administrative division of Ancient Egypt. Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now
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One continent, several worlds
Africa is one continent with several worlds. The continent of Africa covers an area of around 30 million square kilometers, one-fifth of the land mass of the Earth, and has more than 50 countries. Its geographical features are diverse and range from tropical wet or rain forest, with rainfall of 250 to 380 centimeters to tropical dry areas. The Tropics are centered on the Equator and limited in Latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23°26' (23 Rainforests are Forests characterized by high Rainfall with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750–2000 mm (68-78 inches Mount Kilimanjaro (height 5895 meters) remains capped with snow all the year round, whereas the Sahara is the largest and the hottest desert on the earth. The Sahara (الصحراء الكبرى aṣ-ṣaḥrā´ al-kubra, "The Great Desert" is the world's largest hot Desert and the world's second largest Africa has a diverse plant life ranging from scrub, savanna, desert shrub, and a variety of vegetation growing on mountains as well as in the tropical rain forests and deciduous forests. Scrubland is a Plant community characterized by scrub Vegetation. A savanna or savannah is a Tropical or Subtropical Grassland or Woodland Ecosystem. A shrub or Bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of Woody plant, distinguished from a Tree Botany Autumn leaf color. See --> In Botany and Horticulture, deciduous Plants, including
Like the nature, 800 million people of Africa have evolved a cultural milieu which is a study in contrast and have several dimensions. Africa was the birthplace of the human species between 8 million and 5 million years ago. Today, the vast majority of its inhabitants are of indigenous origin. People across the continent are remarkably diverse by just about any measure: They speak a vast number of different languages, practice hundreds of distinct religions, live in a variety of types of dwellings, and engage in a wide range of economic activities.
Tribes & ethnic groups
Africa is home to innumerable tribes, ethnic and social groups, some representing very large populations consisting of millions of people, others are smaller groups of a few thousand. A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally consists of a Social group existing before the development of or outside of States Many anthropologists use In Sociology, a group can be defined as two or more Humans that interact with one another accept expectations and obligations as members of the group and share a Some countries have over 20 different ethnic groups.
Art & craft
Africa has a rich tradition of arts and crafts. African art constitutes one of the most diverse legacies on earth Art refers to a diverse range of Human activities creations and expressions that are appealing to the Senses or Emotions of a human individual A craft is a Skill, especially involving practical arts. It may refer to a Trade or particular art African arts and crafts find expression in a variety of woodcarvings, brass and leather art works. Wood carving is a form of working wood by means of a cutting tool held in the hand (this may be a power tool resulting in a wooden figure or figurine (this may be abstract Brass is any Alloy of Copper and Zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties Leather is a material created through the Tanning of hides and Skins of Animals primarily Cattlehide The Tanning process African arts and crafts also include sculpture, paintings, pottery, ceremonial and religious headgear and dress. Painting (pān'tīng in Art, is the practice of applying Color to a Surface (support base such as e Pottery is the Ceramic ware made by potters It also refers to a group of materials that includes Earthenware, Stoneware A ceremony is an activity infused with Ritual significance performed on a special occasion A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Headgear, headwear or headdress is the name given to any element of Clothing which is worn on one's head. Clothing (also called clothes, accoutrements, accouterments, or habiliments) protects the Human body from extreme Weather
African culture has always placed emphasis on personal appearance and jewellery has remained an important personal accessory. Jewellery (also spelled jewelry, see spelling differences) is a personal Ornament, such as a necklace ring or bracelet made from Gemstones Fashion accessories are decorative items that supplement one's garment, such as Jewelry, Gloves, Handbags, Hats belts, Many pieces of such jewellery are made of cowry shells and similar materials. Cowry, also sometimes spelled cowrie, plural always cowries, is the Common name for a group of small to large sea Snails marine Similarly, masks are made with elaborate designs and are important part of African culture. A mask is an artefact normally worn on the face typically for protection concealment performance or amusement Masks are used in various ceremonies depicting ancestors and spirits, mythological characters and deities.
In most of traditional art and craft of Africa, certain themes significant to African culture recur, including a couple, a woman with a child, a male with a weapon or animal, and an outsider or a stranger. Couples may represent ancestors, community founder, married couple or twins. The couple theme rarely exhibit intimacy of men and women. The mother with the child or children reveals intense desire of the African women to have children. The theme is also representative of mother earth and the people as her children. The man with the weapon or animal theme symbolizes honour and power. A stranger may be from some other tribe or someone from a different country, and relatively more distorted portrayal of the stranger indicates proportionately greater gap from the stranger.
Folklores & folktales
Like all human cultures, Africans folklores and folktales represent a variety of social facets of African culture[1]. Like almost all civilizations and cultures, flood myths have been circulating in different parts of Africa. For example, according to a Pygmy myth, Chameleon hearing a strange noise in a tree cut open its trunk and water came out in a great flood that spread all over the earth. Pygmies (singular Pygmy) refers to a member of any human group whose adult males grow to less than 150 cm (4 feet 11 inches in average height or less than 155 cm The first human couple emerged with the water. Similaraly, a mythological story from Côte d'Ivoire states that a charitable man gave away everything he had. Côte d'Ivoire (ˌkoʊt divˈwɑː(r ' in English, kot diˈvwaʀ in French) or Ivory Coast, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a The God Ouende rewarded him with riches, advised him to leave the area, and sent six months of rains to destroy his selfish neighbors.
Languages & literature
The continent of Africa speaks hundreds of languages and if dialects spoken by various ethnic groups are also included, the number is much higher. There are an estimated 2000 Languages spoken in Africa. About a hundred of these are widely used for inter-ethnic communication All these languages and dialects do not have same importance: some are spoken by only few hundred persons, others are spoken by millions. Among the most prominent languages spoken are Arabic, Swahili and Hausa. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Swahili (called Kiswahili in the language itself is the First language of the Swahili people (Waswahili who inhabit several large stretches Hausa is the Chadic language with the largest number of speakers spoken as a first Language by about 24 million people and as a second language by about 15 Very few countries of Africa use any single language and for this reason several official languages coexist, African and European.
The language of Africa present a unity of character as well as diversity, as is manifest in all the dimensions of Africa. Four prominent language families of Africa are:
An early center of literature was the "African Ink Road". The Afro-Asiatic languages constitute a Language family with about 375 languages ( SIL estimate and more than 300 million speakers spread throughout North Africa The Nilo-Saharan languages are a hypothetical group of African languages spoken mainly in the upper parts of the Chari and Nile rivers (hence the term The Niger-Kordofanian language family was proposed by Joseph Greenberg in his 1963 book Languages of Africa, originally under the name 'Congo-Kordofanian' The Khoisan languages (also Khoesaan languages) are the indigenous languages of southern and eastern Africa; in southern Africa their speakers are the Khoi Timbuktu ( Timbuctoo; Koyra Chiini: Tumbutu; French: Tombouctou) is a city in Tombouctou Region, in the West African
By most estimates, Africa contains well over a thousand languages. A language is a dynamic set of visual auditory or tactile Symbols of Communication and the elements used to manipulate them There are four major language families native to Africa. List of language familiesA language family is a group of Languages related by descent from a common ancestor called the Proto-language of that family
- The Afro-Asiatic languages are a language family of about 240 languages and 285 million people widespread throughout East Africa, North Africa, the Sahel, and Southwest Asia. The Afro-Asiatic languages constitute a Language family with about 375 languages ( SIL estimate and more than 300 million speakers spread throughout North Africa East Africa is the Easternmost Region of the African Continent. Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia (largely overlapping with the Middle East) is the southwestern portion of Asia.
- The Nilo-Saharan language family consists of more than a hundred languages spoken by 30 million people. The Nilo-Saharan languages are a hypothetical group of African languages spoken mainly in the upper parts of the Chari and Nile rivers (hence the term Nilo-Saharan languages are mainly spoken in Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, and northern Tanzania. Chad (Tchad تشاد Tshād) officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a Landlocked country in Central Africa. NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north Somalia to the northeast Tanzania to the south Sudan (officially the Republic of Sudan) ( السودان al-Sūdān is a country in northeastern Africa. The Republic of Uganda is a Landlocked country in East Africa. Tanzania ˌtænzəˈniːə officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya
- The Niger-Congo language family covers much of Sub-Saharan Africa and is probably the largest language family in the world in terms of different languages. The Niger-Congo languages constitute one of the world's major language families, and Africa 's largest in terms of geographical area number of speakers and number A substantial number of them are the Bantu languages spoken in much of sub-Saharan Africa. The Bantu languages (technically Narrow Bantu languages) constitute a grouping belonging to the Niger-Congo family
- The Khoisan languages number about 50 and are spoken in Southern Africa by approximately 120 000 people. The Khoisan languages (also Khoesaan languages) are the indigenous languages of southern and eastern Africa; in southern Africa their speakers are the Khoi Many of the Khoisan languages are endangered. An endangered language is a Language that it is at risk of falling out of use generally because it has few surviving speakers The Khoi and San peoples are considered the original inhabitants of this part of Africa. The Bushmen, San, Sho, Basarwa, ǃKung or Khwe are indigenous people of southern Africa that spans most areas of South Africa
With a few notable exceptions in East Africa, nearly all African countries have adopted official languages that originated outside the continent and spread through colonialism or human migration. East Africa is the Easternmost Region of the African Continent. An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory See Colony and Colonization for examples of colonialism which do not refer to Western colonialism Human migration denotes any movement by Humans from one locality to another sometimes over long distances or For example, in numerous countries English and French are used for communication in the public sphere such as government, commerce, education and the media. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Arabic, Portuguese, Afrikaans and Malagasy are other examples of originally non-African languages that are used by millions of Africans today, both in the public and private spheres. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from 17th century Dutch and classified as Low Franconian Germanic, mainly spoken in
Festivals & celebrations
Africa is a continent of festivals and celebrations and they touch all dimensions of life. A festival is an event usually and ordinarily staged by a local community which centers on some unique aspect of that community A party is a Social gathering for Celebration and Recreation. Festivals and celebrations mark birth and initiation, courtship and marriage, selection of tribal chiefs, harvest rites, beliefs and worships, and even death, also celebrating spirits and ancestors. A rite is an established ceremonious usually Religious act or Process art. The English word " spirit " comes from the Latin " spiritus " (breath
Food & drink
Africa is a huge continent and the food and drink of Africa reflect local influences, as also glimpses of colonial food traditions, including use of food products like peppers, peanuts and maize introduced by the colonizers. The cuisine of Africa reflects indigenous traditions as well as influences from Arabs Europeans and Asians Capsicum is a Genus of Plants from the nightshade family ( Solanaceae) native to the Americas, where it was cultivated for thousands The peanut, or Groundnut ( Arachis hypogaea) is a species in the Legume family Fabaceae native to South America, Mexico Maize (ˈmeɪz ( Zea mays L. ssp mays) known as corn in some countries is a cereal grain domesticated in Mesoamerica The African cuisine is a combination of traditional fruits and vegetables, milk and meat products. Cuisine (from French cuisine, "cooking culinary art kitchen" ultimately from Latin coquere, "to cook" is a specific set The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context and the term is not synonymous in Food preparation and Biology. The term " vegetable " generally means the edible parts of Plants The definition of the word is traditional rather than Scientific, however Milk is an opaque white liquid produced by the Mammary glands of female Mammals (including Monotremes. In modern English usage meat most often refers to Animal tissue used as food mostly Skeletal muscle and associated Fat, but it may also refer The African village diet is often milk, curds and whey. Curd is a Dairy product obtained by curdling (coagulating Milk with Rennet or an edible Acidic substance such as Lemon juice Whey or milk plasma is the liquid remaining after Milk has been Curdled and strained it is a By-product of the manufacture of Cheese Exotic game and fish are gathered from Africa's vast area.
Traditional African cuisine is characterized by use of starch as a focus, accompanied by stew containing meat or vegetables, or both. Starch, CAS # 9005-25-8 Chemical formula (C6H10O5n is a Polysaccharide Cassava and yams are the main root vegetables. The cassava, yuca, manioc, or mandioca ( Manihot esculenta) is a woody Shrub of the Euphorbiaceae (spurge family native Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae) Root vegetables are plant roots used as Vegetables Other underground plants are often erroneously called root vegetables Africans also use steamed greens with hot spices. Leaf vegetables, also called potherbs, greens, or leafy greens, are plant leaves eaten as a Vegetable, sometimes accompanied A spice is a dried Seed, Fruit, Root, Bark or vegetative substance used in Nutritionally insignificant quantities as a Food additive Dishes of steamed or boiled green vegetables, peas, beans and cereals, starchy cassava, yams and sweet potatoes are widely consumed. A pea (inaccurately called a '''sweet pea''' by food distubutors is most commonly the small spherical Seed or the seed-pod of the Legume Pisum Bean is a common name for large plant Seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae used for human food or animal In each African locality, there are numerous wild fruits and vegetables which are used as food. Watermelon, banana and plantain are some of the more familiar fruits. Watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus ( Thunb) Matsum & Nakai family Cucurbitaceae) refers to both Fruit and Plant of a vine-like (climber For the fruit see Banana. For other meanings see Banana (disambiguation. The plantain is a crop in the genus Musa and is generally used for cooking in contrast to the soft sweet Banana (which is sometimes called the
Differences are also noticeable in eating and drinking habits across the continent of Africa. Thus, North Africa, along the Mediterranean from Morocco to Egypt has different food habits than Saharan Africans who consume subsistence diet. Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Nigeria and coastal parts of West Africa love chilies in food. Non-Muslim population of Africa also uses alcoholic beverages, which goes well with most African cuisine. Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions A drink, or beverage, is a Liquid specifically prepared for Human consumption The most familiar alcoholic drink in the interior Africa is the Ethiopian honey wine called Tej.
Cooking techniques of West Africa often combine fish and meat, including dried fish. The cuisine of South Africa and neighboring countries have largely become polyglot cuisines, having influences of several immigrants which include Indians who brought lentil soups (dals) and curries, Malays who came with their curries with spices, and Europeans with "mixed grills" that now include African game meats. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Malays (Melayu are an Ethnic group of Austronesian peoples predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, the east coast of Sumatra, the coast Traditionally, East African cuisine is distinctive in the sense that meat products are generally absent. Cattle, sheep and goats were regarded as a form of currency, and are not generally consumed as food. Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domesticated Ungulates a member of the Subfamily Bovinae of the family The domestic goat ( Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat Domesticated from the Wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is Arabic influences are also reflected in East African cuisine – rice cooked with spices in Persian style, use of saffron, cloves, cinnamons and several other spices, and pomegranate juice. layout and formatting it should ensure no clashes with the top of the infobox Saffron ( Kurdish/Persian زَعْفَرَان is a Spice derived from the dried Stigma of the Flower of the saffron crocus ( Crocus sativus This article is about the Spice; for other meanings see Clove (disambiguation. Cinnamon ( Cinnamomum verum, synonym C zeylanicum) is a small Evergreen Tree 10–15 metres (32 The pomegranate ( Punica granatum) is a Fruit -bearing Deciduous Shrub or small Tree growing to between five and eight metres tall
Ethiopians lay claim to first regular cultivation of coffee, and they have a sort of coffee ceremony, like Japanese tea ceremony. NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page CoFFEE is an Open source Software for computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL in a digital classroom The Japanese tea ceremony is called chanoyu (茶の湯 lit "tea hot-water" or also chadō or sadō (ja From Ethiopia, coffee spread to Yemen, from there it spread to Arabia, and from there to the rest of the World. Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya
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