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African People & Culture
Introduction | African Tribes |
Art & Craft | Music &
Dance | African Weddings | African Festivals & Events |
People & Culture Books |
People and Culture Posters |
People & Culture Photographs |
African Language Books |
Introduction
The vast continent of Africa is so rich and
diverse in it's culture with it not only changing from one country to another
but within an individual country many different cultures can be
found.
Much of Africa's cultural activity centers on the family and the
ethnic group. Art, music, and oral literature serve to reinforce existing
religious and social patterns. The Westernized minority, influenced by European
culture and Christianity, first rejected African traditional culture, but with
the rise of African nationalism, a cultural revival occurred. The governments
of most African nations foster national dance and music groups, museums, and to
a lesser degree, artists and writers.
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.
Over the centuries, peoples from other parts of the world
have migrated to Africa and settled there. Historically, Arabs have been the
most numerous immigrants. Starting in the 7th century ad, they crossed into
North Africa from the Middle East, bringing the religion of Islam with them. A
later movement of Arabs into East and Central Africa occurred in the 19th
century. Europeans first settled in Africa in the mid-17th century near the
Cape of Good Hope, at the southern end of the continent. More Europeans
immigrated during the subsequent colonial period, particularly to present-day
South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Algeria. South Asians also arrived during colonial
times. Their descendants, often referred to as Indians, are found largely in
Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa.
("Africa,"
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2003
© 1997-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights
Reserved.)
Individual countries People & Culture sections
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