CULTURE of

AFRICA
 1. Brief History of Africa
• Pre-Colonial Period
• Colonial Period
2. Ancient Civilizations
• Ancient Egypt
Topics to be • Nubia

Discussed: 3. Languages used in Africa

4. Beliefs  in Africa
History of Africa
Africa's history began with the appearance of hominids, archaic
humans, and — between 300,000 and 250,000 years ago —
anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens), in East Africa, and it
has continued unbroken into the present as a patchwork of diverse
and politically developing nation states.  The earliest known
recorded history emerged in Ancient Egypt, and later in Nubia, the
Sahel, the Maghreb, and the Horn of Africa.
Pre-Colonial
Africans
 Following the Sahara's
desertification, North African history
intertwined with that of the Middle
East and Southern Europe, while the
Bantu expansion from modern-day
History of Cameroon (Central Africa) swept
through much of the sub-Saharan
Africa continent in waves between about
1000 BC and 1 AD, resulting in a
linguistic commonality across much
of the central and Southern continent .
In the Middle Ages, Islam swept through the Maghreb and Sahel from Arabia to Egypt.
Africa's pre-colonial states and societies include the Ajuran Empire, Bachwezi Empire,
D'mt, Adal Sultanate, Alodia, Dagbon Kingdom, Warsangali Sultanate, Buganda
Kingdom, Kingdom of Nri, Nok culture, Mali Empire, Bono State, Songhai Empire,
Benin Empire, Oyo Empire, Kingdom of Lunda (Punu-yaka), Ashanti Empire, Ghana
Empire, Mossi Kingdoms, Mutapa Empire, Kingdom of Mapungubwe, Kingdom of
Sine, Kingdom of Sennar, Kingdom of Saloum, Kingdom of Baol, Kingdom
of Cayor, Kingdom of Zimbabwe, Kingdom of Kongo, Empire of Kaabu, Kingdom of Ile
Ife, Ancient Carthage, Numidia, Mauretania, and the Aksumite Empire.
the Ajuran
Empire
The city of Merca was one of several
prominent administrative centers of
the Ajurans.
It is believed that
the Bachwezi are
the founders of
the ancient
Empire of Kitara.
D'mt

• Given the presence of a large

temple complex, the capital of
Dʿmt may have been present day
Yeha, in Tigray Region, Ethiopia.At
Yeha, the temple to the god
Ilmuqah is still standing.
Adal Sultanate

• The Sultan of Adal (right) and

his troops battling King Yagbea-
Sion and his men. From Le Livre
des Merveilles, 15th century.
It is claimed that
Africa had up to
10,000
independent states
and autonomous
groups with unique
languages and
cultures at its
height, before
European
colonization. 
Colonial Period

• African colonial authority by

Europeans lasted only a short
time. Less than 80 years after the
majority of the colonies were
occupied or annexed, they gained
their independence. Yet this brisk
episode produced a massive
disruption of African societies and
left a legacy of strong,
centralized, authoritarian
governments
Colonial Period

• . European colonial states differed

dramatically from the traditional
political systems Africans had
developed during their long
precolonial history, and not
surprisingly most Africans
regarded them as the imposition
of an unfamiliar, unwanted, and
unnecessary means of
governance.
• Within a generation of colonization, their
unhappiness started to coalesce into
movements that eventually called for
political equality and, eventually,
independence. However, by that time,
European notions of powerful, protective
governments had become so deeply
ingrained that, ironically, after
independence, the leaders of the new
postcolonial states continued colonial-
style government, the very system they
had vowed to abolish. The majority of
African republics still use the
administrative structures that their
European conquerors left behind for
them. 
 • Although the traditions of law and
government that French, British,

Colonial
Portuguese, Belgian, German, and
Italian officials introduced into their
African colonies differed in terms of
the inheritance of European

Africa
influence, the various
administrative strategies used by
these imperial rulers shared some
fundamental characteristics in the
administration of their colonies.
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was one of
the greatest and most
powerful civilizations in
the history of the world. It
lasted for over 3000 years
from 3150 BC to 30 BC.
Ancient Egypt

The civilization of ancient Egypt was

located along the Nile River in
northeast Africa. The Nile was the
source of much of ancient Egypt's
wealth. Great Egyptian cities grew up
along the Nile as the Egyptian people
became experts in irrigation and were
able to use the water from the Nile to
grow rich and profitable crops.
Ancient Egypt

The Nile provided food, soil,

water, and transportation for
the Egyptians. Great floods
would come each year and
would provide fertile soil for
growing food.
Ancient Egypt
• Historians usually group the
history of ancient Egypt into three
major kingdoms called the Old
Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom,
and the New Kingdom. It was
during these times that ancient
Egypt was at its strongest. The
times between the Kingdoms are
called intermediate periods.
 Ancient Egypt
• Ancient Egypt was rich in culture
including government, religion,
arts, and writing. The government
and religion were tied together as
the leader of the government, the
Pharaoh, was also leader of the
religion. Writing was also
important in keeping the
government running. Only scribes
could read and write and they
were considered powerful
people.
Pyramids and Treasure
The pharaohs of Egypt were often buried
in giant pyramids or in secret tombs. They
believed that they needed treasure to be
buried with them to help them in the
afterlife. As a result, archeologists have a
lot of well preserved artifacts and tombs
to examine in order to find out how the
ancient Egyptians lived.
Fall of Egypt

The Ancient Egyptian Empire began to weaken in about 700 BC. It was conquered by a number of
other civilizations. The first to conquer Egypt was the Assyrian Empire, followed a hundred or so
years later by the Persian Empire. In 332 BC, Alexander the Great of Greece conquered Egypt and
set up his own ruling family called the Ptolemaic Dynasty. Finally, the Romans came in 30 BC and
Egypt became a province of Rome.
Kingdom of Kush (Nubia)

• The Kingdom of Kush was an ancient civilization

in Africa. It is often referred to as Nubia and had close
ties to Ancient Egypt.
• The Kingdom of Kush was located in Northeast Africa
just south of Ancient Egypt. The main cities of Kush
were situated along the Nile River, the White Nile River,
and the Blue Nile River. Today, the land of Kush is the
country of Sudan.
Nubia
• The Kingdom of Kush lasted for over 1400 years.
It was first established around 1070 BCE when it
gained its independence from Egypt. It quickly
became a major power in Northeast Africa. In
727 BCE, Kush took control of Egypt and ruled
until the Assyrians arrived. The empire began to
weaken after Rome conquered Egypt and
eventually collapsed sometime in the 300s CE.
Map of the
Ancient
City
Nubia
• The Kingdom of Kush had two different
capital cities. The first capital was Napata.
Napata was located along the Nile River in
Northern Kush. Napata served as the
capital during the height of Kush's power.
Sometime around 590 BCE, the capital
moved to the city of Meroe. Meroe was
further south providing a better buffer
from the fighting with Egypt. It also was a
center for ironworking, an important
resource for the kingdom.
Kingdom of Kush

• The Kingdom of Kush was very similar

to Ancient Egypt in many aspects
including government, culture, and
religion. Like the Egyptians, the
Kushites built pyramids at burial sites,
worshiped Egyptian gods, and
mummified the dead. The ruling class
of Kush likely considered themselves
Egyptian in many ways
Nubia
• Outside of the Pharaoh and the ruling class, the
priests were the most important social class in
Kush. They made the laws and communicated
with the gods. Just below the priests were the
artisans and scribes. Artisans worked the iron and
gold that was such an important part of the
Kushite economy. Farmers were also respected as
they provided the food for the country. At the
bottom were servants, laborers, and slaves.

Like the Egyptians, religion played an important

role in the lives of the Kushites. They believed
strongly in the afterlife. Women played an
important role and could be leaders in Kush.
Many of the Kushite leaders were queens
• In battle, Kush was famous for its archers and the bow and arrow were
often depicted in the art of Ancient Kush. Sometimes the region was
called the "Land of the Bow" because of its famous archers.
• One of the most famous leaders of Kush was Piye who conquered Egypt
and became pharaoh of Egypt.
• Most of the people of Kush were farmers. Their primary crops were
wheat and barley. They also grew cotton to make clothing.
• The pyramids of Kush tended to be smaller than the pyramids of Egypt.
The burial chambers were located below the pyramids. Many of these
pyramids were built near the city of Meroe and can still be seen today.
• The priests were so powerful they could decide when it was time for the
king to die.
• People didn't live very long in Kush. The average person was expected to
live only 20 to 25 years.
• Besides gold and iron, other important trade items included ivory, slaves,
incense, feathers, and wild animal hides.
Language used in
Africa
• With anywhere between 1000 and 2000
languages, Africa is home to approximately one-
third of the world's languages.
• The diversity of Africa's languages is evidenced
by their populations. In total, there are at least
75 languages in Africa which have more than
one million speakers. The rest are spoken by
populations ranging from a few hundred to
several hundred thousand speakers.
• Most of the languages are primarily oral with
little available in written form. The languages
of Africa break down into four large families
(phyla), with an additional Austronesian family
spoken in Madagascar; the four continental
language families are:
• Niger-Congo
• Nilo-Saharan
• Afroasiatic
• Khoisan
Practices and
Traditions
The religions practiced by the majority of people living
in Africa are Christianity and Islam. However, there
were many traditional religions practiced prior to the
arrival of these two religions. Today, around 10
percent of the African population still practice some
form of traditional religion.

Common Beliefs

Although Africa is a huge continent with many

different peoples and traditional religions, some
beliefs and practices are common through many of
the religions. These include:
Supreme God - Many African religions believed in a
supreme god that created the world. Some examples
include the gods Oludmare of Nigeria and Katonda of
Uganda. In some religions this god may be prayed to
for help, but in others the supreme god does not
interact with humans.
Beliefs and • Nature Spirits - Beneath the supreme god are a number of

Practices
spirits who mostly live in nature including animals, water,
and the earth.
• Ancestral Spirits - The spirits of dead ancestors often played
an important part in traditional African religion.
By honoring these spirits, believers hoped that the spirits
would help them or would talk to the supreme god on their
behalf.
• Sacrifice - Most Ancient African religions offered some sort
of sacrifice to their gods or the spirits. This sacrifice varied
from small items, like a portion of food or drink, to much
larger items like cattle or even human sacrifice.
• Rites of Passage - Traditional religions played an important
role in the rites of passage. These included rituals
surrounding marriage, entering adulthood, birth, and death.
 Beliefs and
Practices
• Magic

Many traditional African religions believe in mysterious

forces and magic. Priests (sometimes called witchdoctors)
could cast spells or provide charms to help people with their
illnesses or other problems. Sometimes the witchdoctors
used herbs and other remedies to help the sick. They also
would tell the future by using magic and "casting the bones"
where they would toss bones (or sometimes other items like
shells) and then tell the person's fortune from the way the
bones fell.

Certain artisans were considered to use magic in their craft.

The most powerful of the artisans were the ironworkers.
Ironworkers would keep the secret of how they forged iron
within their group in order to maintain the mystery and
power of their craft.
 Beliefs and
Practices
Rituals
• Traditional rituals and ceremonies played an important part in the community. Masks, drums, chanting,
and dancing were often a part of the ritual. Generally the rituals called on the spirits of ancestors or the
spirits of nature for help and assistance.
The people of the Mali Empire believed in a magical force called "nyama."
• The religious beliefs of Africans impacted all aspects of their everyday lives including their food, work, and
family life.
• They believed in both good and bad spirits. Good spirits would protect them, while bad spirits could make
them ill or make them misbehave.
• In the dry areas of Africa, certain priests would specialize as "rain-makers." They would drive away bad
spirits that may have caused a drought and ask for help from good spirits on how they could make it rain.
• Although many Africans today identify with Christianity or Islam as their religion, many of them still
participate in traditional African rituals.
• Some traditional beliefs and rituals from Africa spread to the Americas in places like Brazil and Cuba.