Africa The Cultures of Africa The Cultures of

Africa The Cultures of Africa

The Cultures of North Africa • The region of North Africa includes the following countries: – – – Egypt Libya Tunisia Algeria Morocco Sudan

The Cultures of North Africa • Culture – the way of life of a group of people who share similar beliefs and customs. • Culture includes: – – – – Food Clothing Homes Jobs Language Religion How people view the world, etc…

The Cultures of North Africa • The Influence of Islam • Islam forms a common bond of culture among the people of North Africa • More than 95% of North Africans practice Islam and are called Muslims. • Islam and the Arabic language unify the different peoples of North Africa.

The Cultures of North Africa • Cultural Diffusion occurs when people travel, bringing their customs and ideas with them AND picking up new ideas and customs along the way. • In this way, customs and ideas are spread (or diffused) from one place to another. • The location of North Africa has contributed to the diffusion (spreading) of culture there.

The Cultures of North Africa • Because of its location (very close to Africa, Europe and Asia), North Africa has been a hub of trade. • Due to all the trading with Africa, Europe and Asia, North Africa has been influenced by culture from all of these places. • The mixing of cultures in North Africa did not only occur through trade. It also occurred through conquest. • The ancient Egyptians both conquered and were conquered by other empires. • These conquests also helped to bring about cultural diffusion. • The mixing of cultures in North Africa occurred because of trade and conquest.

The Cultures of West Africa • West Africa is famous for its cultural diversity (or variety of cultures). • Why does West Africa have a wide variety of cultures? – There are many ethnic groups living in West Africa. Because West Africa has hundreds of different ethnic groups, it has a variety of cultures.

The Cultures of West Africa • One important change affecting family life in West Africa is urbanization, in other words, people are moving from villages to the cities. • The Ashanti people • live in West Africa

The Ashanti King: notice his gold jewelry and kente cloth

The Cultures of East Africa • East Africa has great cultural diversity because its location is along the Indian Ocean.

The Cultures of East Africa • Due to frequent trade with the Middle East, East Africa has developed a culture, called Swahili, that is a mixture of African and Arab influences. • The Swahili language is important in East Africa because it is used for business and communication.

The Cultures of Central and Southern Africa • The struggle for majority rule in South Africa lasted so long that it inspired similar movements in Namibia and what is now Zimbabwe. • The important result of the formation of the National Union of Mineworkers in South Africa was that the workers led a movement for equal rights.

Bantu Migrations • Around 2, 000 years ago, a group of people who spoke Bantu languages began to migrate, or move, out of West Africa. • They moved to Central and Southern Africa perhaps looking for new land to farm. • They introduced farming, herding, and iron tools to these regions.

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The Cultures of Africa Region Culture North Africa Islam and the Arabic language unite the peoples of North Africa West Africa Hundreds of ethnic groups that speak different languages The Ashanti people are here. East Africa Central and Souther n Africa Swahili a mix of African and Arab cultures. Hundreds of ethnic groups that speak different forms of the Bantu languages South Africa is still largely economically divided by skin color.