African Peoples Cultures And Traditions

Africa is the birthplace of civilization. There have been so many societies that started on this continent, and some would dare to call it the birthplace of humanity. There are many different religions, different people, and so many cultures to take in.

Weddings

Every society has some sort of wedding ceremony. The centerpieces of weddings in any culture have always been religion and spirituality as a rule, though in Africa there is a sense of family. This is more than two people joining, this is an entire family. The traditions involved in the ceremony date back hundreds or thousands of years.

Even up to this time, here and now, the continent of Africa is still defined heavily by it’s level of religious diversity. There are Muslim traditions, and even Christian or Hindu. Some of the regions are exclusive to this continent.

Weddings will always be complicated. They are not like the wedding ceremonies that you have become used to seeing in other nations. In fact if you attend such a wedding you might find that it can last for several days and involve many different couples.

When you’re dealing with Africa, polygamy is quite common. In the Sudan a man can have up to four wives. The groom will pay the bride’s family a fee, also known as a bridewealth for the loss of their daughter. In many cases it will be paid in livestock instead of currency.

Prearranged marriages are also a part of African culture and are common in many African countries. In fact, it is not at all uncommon for a girl to be engaged before she is even born. These agreements are made between families who are either close friends or have some sort of business arrangement.

Throughout these weddings, there will be many different elements. Such elements can include songs, dancing, and even bright colors which are supposed to represent a transition. This is the transition from childhood to the world of adulthood. Many from western cultures might not consider them to be adults however, as they are barely reaching adolescence in many cases.

You won’t find much evidence of divorces in African culture, and therefore it is not done very often. Typically problems that could be seen as a divorce are discussed and a solution will be found. It is an investment by the entire family, as the two families are joined once the wedding ceremony is completed.

Music

We already mentioned how important music and dance are to African culture. Reading and writing were latecomers to the continent, meaning that the primary forms of communication involved dance and music. African music is very different. It is defined by it’s rhythms, it’s beats, as well as it’s unique harmonies. In the beginning the African musicians knew and played many different instruments, though the main instrument is the drum.

To learn more on African traditional culture and traditions and listen to free African traditional music at the African Side site.

African History And African Slaves

It’s sad to realize that such a large part of African history relates to the African slave trade. This was the unfortunate era during which African men, women and children were ripped from their homes and sold to serve as slaves in other regions of the world.

The transatlantic slave trade period began when it became clear that Europe’s burgeoning New World colonies would require a large workforce. The European colonists soon discovered that large numbers of African slaves would be perfect. Familiar with agricultural principals as well as cattle management, the Africans brought over were also accustomed to working in tropical climates. From the 15th century on, African people were captured and brought to the Americas to work in the mines or on the large farms and plantations that were being established there.

It might surprise you to know that African slavery was not actually new to Africa, and had actually been going on for centuries by that time nor was it the sole brainchild of evil Europeans. In fact, from about fourteen fifty to the end of nineteenth century, African kings and merchants actually were fully cooperative with slave traders and were willing participants in the slave trade process.

The transatlantic slave trade was unique in that it was specifically engaged in as a part of what was called the “Triangular Trade.” This profitable practice involved several stages. The first stage involved manufactured goods such as guns, beads, tobacco and cloth being taken from Europe to Africa. Guns were included because they helped the Europeans expand their empires, but they also helped them capture more slaves. This practice later backfired, when the guns were turned against the Europeans. But nevertheless, the goods that were brought to Africa were traded for African slaves.

The slaves were then shipped to the Americas as the second part of the Triangular Trade. The third and final stage of the trade was that a return to Europe was made with products from plantations run by slave labor, such as molasses, tobacco, cotton and sugar. When transatlantic slave trade began, slaves were first taken from Senegambia and the Windward Coast, and then moved to West Central Africa in Angola and the Congo in the 1650s.

Portugal was the first European country to export African slaves, and it was the only country engaging in the slave trade between -1440 and about 1640. That same country was the last in Europe to abolish slavery, but even after the slave trade was ended, Portugal continued to use slaves as contract laborers. Britain was the largest slave-exporting country during the peak of the transatlantic slave trade. That country alone was responsible for 2.5 million out of the roughly 6 million African slaves that were transported during this difficult period in African history.

African slaves were under terrible conditions during forced marches along the coast and during the beginning of the transport; it’s estimated that fully -13% of them died before ever reaching their destinations. Most African slaves were shipped to the Caribbean, the Spanish Empire, and Brazil, with less than 5% traveling to North America.

Slavery’s effects continue to be felt today, and not just because descendents of African slaves remain scattered throughout the world through their ancestors’ forced slavery and not because of choice. African American author and activist Maulana Karenga called the effects of the African slave trade “the morally monstrous destruction of human possibility involved redefining African humanity to the world, poisoning past, present and future relations with others who only know us through this stereotyping and thus damaging the truly human relations among people of today.” He has said, in fact, that African slavery destroyed not just the people of that time but in fact the language, the culture, the religion — and the very essence of “human possibility.

You can learn more about African history and African slaves by watching the African Side movie. Visit the African Side website today by clicking on any of the links above to see the movie trailer.

The Songs Of African

People all over the world have one thing in common and that is the love for music. It can be simple spontaneous harmonies or complex musical compositions that take many months to perfect. Either way, music is an important part of our lives and even plays a part in how we relate to each other. The different types of music are formed by the culture it springs from. For example, African music tells the story of its culture and source.

African songs, as the name suggests, are songs that have their roots and origin in the continent of Africa. Africa is home to many different cultures from many different countries. Some of these cultures have been very prolific in getting their music out there and it has been accepted well by both the African and international markets. There have been different African songs that have made it to the world stage. Let’s take a look at a few.

The Afro Beat is one of the most easily recognized and most popular types of African music. These African songs blend together different styles to create a unique new sound. The Afro Beat draws from percussion, jazz, funky rhythms from the 70s, and Yoruba music. Fela Kuti is credited with creating this musical style. He was a Nigerian musician who used his music to express his radical political opinions. This style of music became very popular in Africa and has caught the attention of the world stage. It has grown into one of the most influential musical styles to emerge from Africa. A newer form or variation is Afro talk which was recently created by an artist simply known as Georgy B. This form of music is quickly gaining popularity and is the next genre of music to hit the airwaves.

Another popular kind of African song is Kwaito. Kwaito is popular among people on the southern tip of Africa. It began during the resistance against apartheid. South African tribes used the music to express their opinions about the oppression they faced. Kwaito may have even played an important role in the collapse of the oppressive regime. This African music has a well defined sound and its followers have spread beyond Africa to include a world wide audience.

African music known as Lingala is common in the Central and East African regions. Its origins can be traced to the Democratic Republic of Congo. A particular form of Lingala known as Saben is said to have its rhythm based upon the sounds of a moving train. Saben is one of the most popular African songs and the most common form of Lingala. This musical influence has spread beyond the Congo and is played in many parts of Africa today.

Kapungala is a unique blend of Lingala and Kapuka. Kapuka is a traditional type of African music played by the people of Kenya. Kapungala brings together the old and new and emerges with a distinct new sound that is quickly gaining popularity in the East African market.

Africa is also known for its many traditional African folk songs. These songs have deep roots and have been passed down through the generations. These songs tell the history of African ancestors and the story of Africa itself. They were used for teaching and instilling morals. Some of these African songs are work songs that groups of women would sing as they toiled in the field or went about their daily chores. These songs kept them motivated and provided them with an outlet for expression.

As one can see, African songs have a colorful history as well as a world of diversity. The cultural richness in Africa will continue to produce good African music for the whole world to enjoy. This is truly exhibited in all forms of the variety of African songs available today.

You can learn more about African songs at the African Side website. While you are there, you can also watch the trailer of the hit African movie called The African Side.

categories: African songs,African music,African history,African slaves,African movies,About Africa,Africa,African people,African culture,African traditional

Dancing The African Way

African dancing has both historical and social traditions that reflect more significance than those of many other cultures. The dances help celebrate not only special events and festivals, similar to other cultures, but often tell the stories of the nation’s history. Unwritten oral history, passed through generation before writing became part of the culture, often included African dance as part of the process.

These dances were not only celebratory they were also instructive and were used to teach the younger generation about morals and values. They were also used to praise and pray to the gods and give thanks for a bountiful harvest or a successful hunt.

Many tribes trained singers to provide the music for the African dance. They produced intricate harmonies and set the rhythmic pace for the dance. While most of the music came from vocals, often drums accompanied the singers to provide heavy rhythms for the dancers. The bougaragou, on of the drums used, is by far the most popular, although there are dozens of others.

The drum is often seen as a sign of vitality and life and is considered the heartbeat of the tribe or village. Oftentimes the beating of a single drum will serve the same purpose as a bugle call in the military – it lets the community know that it is time to get up and gather together. The drum is also a symbol of solidarity in African music and Dance and lets people know that they are all different but connected. They are all cut from the same cloth.

The African dances not only told of historical feats and actions; they were a way to pass on the societies social values to the tribe’s young people. Some of the dances, however, were actually praises to the gods for help with the crops or a victory in war or on the hunt.

Singers for the dance provided the background music. The trained voices produced intricate harmonies and melodies and often provided the rhythmic pace for the dance. Some tribes used more than just the vocals for the rhythm; they used drums also. Of all the many different drums the tribes used in their dance ceremonies, the bougaragou was the most popular and frequently used.

The following is a list of some of the most popular traditional African dances:

The warrior dance is a wild and violet dance that prepared the men for battle. As the dance continued, the fervor of the dancers increased in violent actions and mimicked those movements found on the battlefield.

European dancers, displayed affection with a touch and an embrace. This is not typical of African dancers where social morays condemned the display of public touch. The culture maintains that moral value in their dance. This explains why most dances are gender specific, don’t have the dancers touching and are often relegated to specific age groups. Some examples of the African dance help to display the information on its history and tend to be typical of the types of dance used by the many tribes.

Coming of Age Dance: Performed to mark the passing of a young person from childhood into adulthood.

While there are other important dances in the African culture, these few mentioned are often included in many tribal celebrations. The steps of the individual African dances might be different but the meaning it held remained the same and showed solidarity of the people of Africa.

You can learn more about African dance by watching the African Side movie to see some great African dancing. Visit the African Side website today to obtain your copy.

categories: African dance,African dancing,about Africa,African movies,Nigerian movies,African history,African people

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