Ethnic Groups 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.

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.

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 the 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.

The Swahili People• 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.

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.

African Literacy

• 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.

Summary• Describe the diverse cultures of the people of Africa and how

literacy rate affects standard of living.