Culture of Africa
From Halbeeg, the open encyclopedia · Af-Soomaali
29 languages
African culture is a broad term for the lifestyles, languages, religions, arts, music and social systems found across the African continent. The continent comprises over fifty countries and thousands of ethnic groups with distinct languages and customs, so there is no single "African culture"; rather, there are many cultures linked by history, trade and migration.
Scholars generally divide Africa into cultural regions: North Africa, closely linked to Arab and Berber lifeways; West Africa; Central Africa; East Africa and the Horn; and Southern Africa. This division is a rough analytical tool and does not mark rigid boundaries, as many languages and customs cross state borders.
Languages
Hundreds of mutually unintelligible languages are spoken across Africa. Linguists generally group them into four large families: Afro-Asiatic (which includes Arabic, Amharic and Somali); Niger–Congo (which contains Bantu languages such as Swahili and Zulu); Nilo-Saharan; and Khoisan. Colonial languages such as English, French and Portuguese are now official languages in many countries and widely taught.
Religion and belief
Islam and Christianity are the most widespread religions, having been established on the continent for centuries. The north, parts of the Sahara, and the Horn are predominantly Muslim; much of the south and centre is Christian. Indigenous belief systems focused on ancestors, land and nature also persist, often coexisting with the major religions.
Music, dance and visual arts
African music is characterized by the use of various percussion instruments (polyrhythm), call-and-response vocal patterns, and instruments such as drums, xylophones and horns. Dance is not merely entertainment but part of weddings, naming ceremonies, harvests and healing. Visual arts—weaving, pottery, printed cloth and architectural decoration—express social meanings such as family or clan rank.
Oral literature and history
Oral literature played a major role in preserving history. Storytellers and poets—such as the griots of West Africa or Somali poets—maintain genealogies, accounts of wars and community laws. In writing, early traditions existed such as Egyptian hieroglyphics, Ge'ez in Ethiopia, and Arabic texts in Timbuktu.
Food and dress
Food depends on local crops: grains and legumes, rice, plantains, bananas, and meat and dairy in pastoral societies. Dress includes woven cloth with colours and patterns that sometimes indicate region or occasion.
Modern change
Urbanization, media and the internet have created new forms: Nigerian Nollywood film, Afrobeats music, and written literature published in many languages. Ongoing debates concern the return of cultural objects taken during colonialism and the role of native languages in education.