An Introduction to Africa
Photo - Abraham
Global Studies - Today’s Activities and Objectives

Act: Overview of Africa’s Geography
Essential Questions
• How has Africa’s geography shaped its population distribution
and history?
• Why is Africa sometimes described as having a symmetrical
climate distribution?
• How does the Sahara and the Sahel serve as a major cultural
demarcation line?
• Why might it be of academic usefulness to divide or break Africa
into sub-regions?
Maps – Physical Features Africa
Africa’s
Major
Rivers
Nile
White Nile
Blue Nile
Congo
Zambezi
Orange
Niger
Africa’s Climate Zones
The Sahara desert dominates
northern Africa.
The purple area is known as the
steppe (low lying shrub), or Sahel.
Note the large amount of savannah,
also called grasslands, or “wet-dry”
climate.
Note the relatively small area of
rainforest in Africa.
A look at Africa’s climate patterns
reveals a unique symmetry.
What is the reason for this
symmetry?
Northern Africa
The countries of northern Africa
are largely Arab speaking and
closely linked with the affairs
and cultures of the Middle East
and Islamic world at large.
Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia
are sometimes referred to as
the Maghreb, or Arab west.
The rest of the continent –
below the Sahara – is often
referred to as Sub-Saharan
Africa.
The Northern Coast - Africa’s north coast,
the Mediterranean Sea, has mild weather
all year around.
The Nile
From its origins in Central
Africa to its outlet on the
Mediterranean Sea the
Nile flows for more than
4,000 miles.
Photo - Abraham
The White Nile which
begins near Lake Victoria
is joined in Sudan by the
Blue Nile which begins in
Ethiopia.
By the time the Nile arrives
in Egypt it has passed by
several nations.
SEARCH FOR PATTERNS OF AMONG AFRICAN SOCIETIES
Discovering what is “African” isn’t easy. With some 56 nations and over 1,000
different ethnic groups and languages, the search for common themes among
African peoples can be elusive. Still, study of Africa can reveal some common
attributes. These include:
 Means of sustenance (e.g. - hunter-gathering, herding, agriculture)
 Artwork that is often spiritual and functional, in that it is intended to
appease, or satisfy a spirit or divinity
 Music that accompanies storytelling, ceremony, rites of passage
 The co-existence of local and outside religions (Islam and Christianity)
 Patriarchal societies whereby men appear to make major decisions, and
women perform a multitude of tasks
 Importance yielded to elders
 The colonial experience
A Multitude of
Ethnic Groups
Within any single African
nation exists a large
number of different ethnic
groups or tribes. Usually,
these tribes have different
languages and traditions.
In some cases, such as
the Masai in Kenya and
Tanzania, tribes are split
by national borders. This
is due to the fact that the
present borders of African
nations grew out of the
period of European rule or
colonization.
Language in Africa
Most Africans speak either
indigenous (local or Bantu) or
European colonial languages
such as English or French.
The only African “super
language” that is spoken
across several nations is
Swahili which blends bantu
languages and Arabic.
Used largely on the east
coast of Africa, Swahili is a
blend of indigenous (native)
African words and Arabic.
ExploringAfrica.matrix
Traditional African
Governance
Contrary to popular
beliefs, by tradition most
African societies arrived at
major decision-making
through an intricate
process of discussion,
negotiation and
compromise, rather than
being ruled by a single
person, or “chief”.
Often, a council of elders
was granted the right of
final approval of major
decisions.
Photos Abraham
Religion in Africa
Many African societies
today blend traditional, or
folk religions with outside
religions such as
Christianity and Islam.
Today, Islam is practiced
widely in northern Africa,
while Christianity and
indigenous religions are
prevalent in other parts of
Africa.
Ife bronze – Benin. Representation of
15th century king later worshipped as
ancestor. Photo – African Studies Center
The Artistic Tradition
Nok Bronze from
Nigeria
Nok – Terracotta head
DB Weldon Library
Meaning Behind Masks
Wee masks embody spirits of the
forest who request (through
dreams) that masks be made so
they can "appear" before the
people. The Dan classify their
masks into masculine and
feminine types. The masculine
mask, such as the bagle
grotesque mask shown here, has
square outlines, tubular eyes,
and zoomorphic features. This
mask is intended to look powerful
and fearsome, with its animal
horns, bulging forehead, tubular
eyes, gaping and toothy mouth,
large beard, and mustache. The
bagle masker dances vivid
pantomimes that entertain the
guests at festivities and often
caricatures the events of the day.
Deangle, We/Dan, Côte d'Ivoire/Liberia,
20th century, wood, fiber, pigment, and
feathers. Museum purchase, de Young Art
Trust and Salinger Bequest Fund. (78.40)
Wee Mask – wood, fiber,
metal and fur. Liberia &
Cote d’Ivorie.
Music and Ceremony in
Africa
Music – particularly drum
playing accompanied African
storytelling and ceremonies.
Ceremonies that
incorporated music included
those celebrating childbirth,
achievement of adulthood,
marriage, and funerals.
Drum, Senufo, Côte d'Ivoire/Mali,
20th century, wood and skin with hair.
The Fine Arts Museums of San
Francisco. (1991.17)
Mende Mask
Worn by the women of Sierra Leone and Liberia.
This mask is worn over the head of a female elder who dances for the Sande women's
society. The mask displays and celebrates Mende ideals of female beauty and virtue:
elaborately braided hair (cosmetic skills, sexuality); neck creases (full-bodied, good health);
smooth, broad forehead (nobility, intelligence); lowered eyes (contemplativeness, restraint);
well shaped ears; small nose; small mouth (not given to gossip); composed expression (inner
serenity), smooth skin (youthfulness). All these features are exaggerated in the mask, its three
thick rows of braided hair, large neck folds, wide forehead, diminutive nose and mouth, and
polished surface. The bird figure (missing its head & tail) perched on top of the coiffure has
many meanings: clairvoyance, love, fertility, power, danger, discipline, prudence, and laughter.
The mask's shining blackness connotes the essence of female beauty and moral purity.
CASE STUDIES OF AFRICAN
ETHNIC GROUPS
The Pygmies
The Pygmies refer to themselves
as Mbuti, or Twa and inhabit the
rainforests of central Africa.
Traditionally, the Pygmies were
hunter-gatherers and known for
their short stature and intimate
knowledge of the forest and ability
to gather foods and plants for
medicines. Pygmies usually travel
in small bands, and the family
serves as the main social outlet.
The Pygmies have been severely
intruded upon by outsiders logging and development threaten
them. Most Pygmies have been
forced to give up their wandering
way of life.
The Bushmen
Thousands of years ago, the
Bushmen (a.k.a. San, Khoi) left their
mark on Africa in the form of cave
drawings. Over the centuries the San
migrated to the remote Kalahari
Desert of southern Africa due conflicts
with white settlers and stronger tribes.
The San language includes a unique
system of “clicks”, that have infiltrated
other languages in southern Africa.
The San along with the Pygmies are
among the very last of the huntergatherers in Africa. Initiation, or rite of
passage for a young San was once to
shoot an eland.
A popular portrayal of the Bushmen
was the 1980’s film The Gods Must
Be Crazy.
Rites of Passage
Childbirth
Adulthood
Marriage
Having Children
Death/ Funerals
The Dinka
The Dinka are a tall, proud,
pastoral (nomadic herders)
people of Southern Sudan. By
tradition, the Dinka were cattle
herders. Men measured their
wealth in cattle, and fathers set
aside cattle for their sons in
order to marry. The Dinka diet
relied primarily on milk, and
occasionally meat when a cow
was slaughtered.
The Dinka were also noted for
their unusual scarification
patterns that indicated manhood
or womanhood.
For decades, the Dinka fought a
civil war against the Arab
dominated gov’t of the north.
The Masai (Masaai)
The Masai are a pastoral
(nomadic herding) people of
Kenya and Tanzania. They
measure wealth in cattle, and
their diet relies mainly on milk
and on special occasion meat.
Masai society is led by a laibon,
or priest and the Masai revere a
supreme creator god - Ngai.
The Masai have a proud
tradition as warriors and
hunters, and circumcision is as
a rite of passage into adulthood.
Masai women fashion jewelry
out of cowry shells.
Present challenges include loss
of land and tribal members to
outside employment.
Dogon, Mali
The Dogon often live
on cliffs within the
mountains of
Burkina Faso and
southeastern Mali
close to Timbuktu.
They carve their
homes out of hills
and are renowned
for stilt walking,
mask making and
astronomy.
Photo - Boum Boum Workshops
The Zulu
The Zulu are agriculturalists with
a proud history as warriors.
Polygamy was once common,
and Zulu villages were arranged
in circular kraals. The Zulu
believe in a creator god –
Nkulunkulu.
The Zulu rose to prominence
among southern African tribes in
in the early 19th century under
the great chieftain Shaka. In the
late 19th century, the British
fought costly wars of resistance
against Dutch settlers known as
Boers, or Afrikaners.
The Zulu are by far the most
numerous of the ethnic groups in
South Africa today.
The Ashanti
The Ashanti live primarily in present
day Ghana in Western Africa.
The Ashanti once presided over the
powerful kingdom of Ghana that
flourished in the 9th–10th centuries CE.
Ashanti society is both matriarchal
(female influenced) and matrilineal
(family name comes from mother). The
Ashanti believe that all individuals
inherit their father’s soul, but their
mother’s flesh and blood. The Ashanti
worship a supreme being – Nyami and
acknowledge a host of spirits and
supernatural beings. They also believe
that all living things, including plants,
have souls. At right – replica of golden
stool and talking drum (djembe).
Yoruba
The Yoruba are an important
tribe in SW Nigeria and Benin –
long known for their
craftsmanship including
woodcarving, pottery and mask
making.
A good deal of Yoruba artwork
is produced to pay homage, or
respect to the many Yoruba
gods (i.e. the Yoruba are
polytheistic).
The Yoruba, unlike their
neighbors the Fulani, did not
embrace Islam but chose to
hold onto traditional Yoruba
religion. This has led to
tensions between the two.
During the era of the slave
trade many Yoruba were taken.
SMA Art Museum
Yoruba Elder
Description of Yoruba Wood Crafting
“ Among the Yoruba, twins (ibeji) are
special children whose birth can bless their
parents with good fortune. The Yoruba have one
of the highest rates of twin births in the world,
and the loss of twins is therefore considered a
great misfortune. If a twin dies, the mother
commissions a memorial figure (two if both twins
die), and the soul of the deceased twin is
transferred to it. The mother dresses the
statuette in cloth and adorns it with jewelry, and
keeps it near her bed. She also offers it food and
prayers weekly and performs more elaborate
rituals on the occasion of birthdays and annual
festivals.
The statuettes conform to the Yoruba
aesthetics of physical proportion. The head is
one third the size of the body, because the head
is associated with a person's destiny or "inner
head," which determines success and failure in
life. Artistic emphasis is placed on "human
resemblance," rather than photographic likeness,
and the facial features, though stylized, are
carefully deliniated and delicate.”
Benjamin Ray – Photographer and
Anthropologist
Hausa
Ibo
Modern African Art
Modern African art is distinctly
different from traditional African art
in that it is one-dimensional (e.g.
paintings) rather than three
dimensional (e.g. sculptures).
Much of the credit for modern
African art goes to the famous
Spanish painter Pablo Picasso who
studied and reinterpreted African art
from 1907 – 1909. Picasso is
supposed to have received a gift of
an African mask from French
painter Henri Matisse that sparked
his interest.
The two figures farthest to the right
of the painting reveal Picasso's
strong interest in the form of the
African mask.
Below: Paintings based upon Picasso’s
travels to the Dan region of Africa