1. AFRICAN CULTURE

2. Languages More than 800 different languages are spoken in Africa today
6 major categories

3. Language 6 major categories: Congo-Kordofanian Nilo-Saharan
Afro-Asiatic
Khoisan
Malayo-Polynesian
Afrikaans

4. Language
Afrikaans- Spoken mainly in South Africa, contains words adapted from English, French, German and African Languages (kinda like Spanglish)

5. Language
English and French are the official languages of many African countries today; they are the lingua franca.
Lingua Franca- common language throughout the region.

6. Religions Most Africans are Muslims or Christians.
Christians make up the largest religious group.

7. Religion
Xtianity was introduced in Ethiopia in 300A.D.

8. Religion
Most African Muslims live in West Africa.

9. Religion
Today Nigeria has the largest Islamic population in Africa.

10. Religion
Conflicts
Although many followers of different religions live together peacefully, conflict sometimes occurs between competing religious groups. In recent years Nigeria and Sudan have been scenes of conflict among Xtians and Muslims.

11. Education
In the past, African children did not attend school but apprenticed to trades such as wood carving and metalworking. However in the 1900s formal school became widespread as Europeans introduced new ideas and education in Africa.

12. Education
Since Independence in the 1950s, higher education has expanded.
Education grew from 120,000 students enrolling in Universities in 1960 to 2,000,000 in the 1990s.

13. Education
Literacy Rate- 60% over 15 years old, can read and write

14. Education
Television has become a teaching tool as well as the internet.
However, 1 in 100 Africans have access to a computer and internet.

15. The Arts
African art, often expressing traditional religious beliefs, comes in many forms, from ritual masks, rhythmic drum music to folktales.

16. The Arts
African visual arts include 2000 year old terracotta heads by the Nok culture.

17. The Arts Textiles- patterns reflecting distinct ethnic groups
Ghana’s Kente East Africa’s Khanga

18. The Arts
Music and dance are art forms that are part of everyday African life.

19. The Arts
Dancers wear masks to honor specific deities, or spirits of their ancestors.

20. The Arts
Blues and Jazz has its roots in the music Africans brought with them during the slave trade.

21. The Arts
Oral Literature, which is chanted, sung, or recited, has a strong tradition in Africa. Oral Tradition- passing down stories from mouth to mouth, is evident in folktales, myths, and stories that have helped preserve African history.

22. Family
No matter how different their lifestyles are, most Africans value strong family ties. In rural areas, most people still live in extended families, clans, or in their nuclear family.

23. Family
Extended Family- household made up of several generations (Grandpas, parents, uncles, children, cousins)

24. Family
Clan- large groups of people descended from an early common ancestor. (or like several extended families living in the same area.)

25. Family
Nuclear Family- husband, wife and children (rapidly replacing extended families)