Cultural
Characteristics of
Africa
Religions, Customs, and
Traditions
Africa is made up of 54 different countries
and many ethnic groups.
 A group’s customs and traditions often
come from religion, from where the group
lives, or from the demands of daily life.
 Most Africans today are either Muslim or
Christian, but traditional religions and
customs still play a role in African culture.
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Arabs
The term Arab refers to a mixed ethnic group
made up of people who speak the Arabic
language.
 Arabs mostly live in North Africa and the Middle
East.
 Some Jews, Kurds, Berbers, Copts, and Druze
speak Arabic, but are not usually considered
Arab.
 The term “Arab” includes Arabic-speaking
Christians in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan.
Overall, Arabs are divided into two groups—
nomadic Bedouins and settled Arabs.
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Ashanti
The Ashanti people live in central Ghana.
 The family, especially the mother’s family,
is most important to the Ashanti.
 They believe that children inherit their
spirits from their father and their flesh and
blood from their mother.
 The mystical Golden Stool has been the
center of Ashanti spiritual practice since
the late 17th century.

Ashanti
It is said to have arrived on Earth by
floating down from the heavens.
 The Ashanti people believe the strength of
their nation depends on this safety of this
stool.
 It represents the unity of the Ashanti and
the power of their chiefs.
 The Ashanti honor kings after death, in a
ceremony in which a stool is blackened.
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The Swahili People
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The Swahili people live on the East African coast
from southern Somalia to northern Mozambique.
The Swahili people practice a strict form of Islam.
In addition to Islamic beliefs, the Swahili believe
in spirits, or djinns.
Swahili Muslims use trances to speak to djinns.
Men wear amulets around their necks that
contain verses from the Koran, which they
believe will protect them.
Only teachers of Islam and prophets are
permitted to become spiritual healers.
Bantu
The Bantu originally came from southeastern
Nigeria, near the Benue-Cross Rivers that spread
east and south near Zambia, in Central Africa.
 Around 1000 CE, the Bantu reached present-day
Zimbabwe and South Africa.
 Here, the Bantu established the Munhumutapa
Empire.
 This new empire controlled trading routes from
South Africa to the area north of the Zambezi
River.
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Bantu
The Bantu traded many natural resources:
gold, copper, precious stones, animal
hides, ivory, and metal goods.
 They traded with Arab traders from the
Swahili coast, as well as others.
 The empire collapsed in the early 16th
century, after it used up all its resources.
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African Literacy
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The literacy rate in Africa is 50%.
This means that half the population of Africa
cannot read or write.
Literacy is good for individuals as well as their
communities.
More developed countries tend to have a higher
literacy rate.
Sudan and Egypt both have a literacy rate of
only 51 %.
South Africa, the most developed country in
Africa, has a literacy rate of 83%.
Art and Music from Africa
The dance and music of Africa has many distinct
styles and uses unique instruments.
 Sub-Saharan African music and dance is
different from the music and dance of the Arab
cultures of North Africa, or the Western settler
populations of southern Africa.
 Many of the Sub-Saharan traditions are
maintained by oral tradition.
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Summary
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Describe the diverse cultures of the people
of Africa and how is literacy rate affect
standard of living.