Bantu Ban-tu (no prefixes or suffixes) The Bantu make up a significant amount of Africa’s total population. ethnic group – farmers who migrated from West Africa to Central Africa 2000 years ago. Bantu is one of two dominant language families in Africa, having some 200 different dialects

Sub-saharan Sub Sa-har-an Sub = under The sub-saharan area of Africa is slowly expanding into a desert. an area in Africa south of the Sahara Desert

Sahel Sa-hel (no prefixes or suffixes) The sahel region stretches across six nations, from Senegal to Chad. a semiarid area that lies between the Sahara and moister regions to the south in northern Africa

Standard of Living Stand-ard Of Liv-ing Standort = standing point The United States enjoys a very high standard of living compared to many other nations. level of subsistence and comfort in everyday life enjoyed by a community, class, or individual

Bantu People

Bantu The term Bantu refers to both a language and an ethnic group The Bantu migration, which spanned many centuries, influenced the development of many ethnic groups and languages in Sub- Saharan Africa It is estimated that 2/3 of the people living in Africa today have roots in the Bantu language & ethnic group

History Archeologists have uncovered scratches on rocks, massive stone pillars, and tools that have placed the Bantu people in Angola since 50,000 BC or earlier Their original language appears to have evolved in present-day Cameroon and then spread eastward and southward Today the Bantu are in countries from the equator to southern Africa

Bantu Influence The migration of Bantu speakers had important effects on African life They brought new ways for growing food They began to raise cattle and used tools made of iron, which others began to use

Language About 60 million modern day Africans can trace their language back to those of the Bantu of long ago Approximately 400 African languages have Bantu roots Some believe that Bantu is more of a language group than a culture group because of this incredible diversity

Religion Whether Islam or Christian, many Bantu retain their traditional beliefs that precede both those religions. They believe in the power of magic and curses

Bantu Muslims Local Muslim leaders forbid some Bantu drum playing and dancing as inappropriate Bantu Muslims are more liberal in their beliefs than many other Muslims

Women’s Roles Women can work in the fields Women dress modestly by American standards, but don’t have to wear the hijab, which most Muslim women must wear in public