Sub-Saharan Africa

1. Sub-Saharan Africa Traditional Culture

2. Source of Misconceptions • Sub-Saharan Africa had no written history until the 19th century (European colonialism) • Often the subsequent histories have had an, inflexible, Eurocentric view. • European explorers constructed a vision of Africa as the “dark continent,” that was uncivilized, savage, primitive, and uncultured.

3. The “Tribe” • Many ethnic groups characterized as “tribes,” a form of social identity created by with common ideas and group affiliation based on shared kinship, language , and territories. • Tribe- this term is seen as a negative by many people because it represents colonial perceptions of savagery • Tribe= chaotic, nomadic, unintelligence, barbaric pastoralist. • Really, it is a word used to describe people you can’t understand (in a empire) • Tassedus

4. Oral Traditions • Europeans believed that if a group of people had no written language, they had no history • Oral tradition- cultural material and tradition transmitted orally from one generation to another. • Telephone Effect? • Community authorship- Kept track of people's histories, without that you can have no notion of progress.

5. Oral Traditions cont. • Not subject to radical change when passed through generations • Written records: Pro- seem concrete, tangible, constant, and you can assign authorship Con- Can be biased, which can be good or bad. • Bias- can be a lense, issues of perspective. • Oral vs. Written: product of agreement with the whole community

6. Human Beginnings • “Cradle of Human Kind”- Earliest evidence of human existence found I n the Great Rift Valley. • “Lucy,” a 3.2 million year old skeleton (oldest hominid) found in Ethiopia in 1974. • 1.7-1.8 million years ago, Homo Erectus walked out of Africa • 120,000-150,000 years ago Homo Sapiens existed. • These are believed to be the genetic ancestors of all modern humans • 50,000-60,000 years ago we begin to see recognizable patterns, cycles, and cave paintings (first obvious signs of humanity)

7. Pre-colonial Africa • Massive continent, most of its history it had a small population • “Land rich, people poor.” • Around 1780, the Industrial Revolution created money as a representation of time • Before that,- gold represented wealth, wealth was resources. Land was the ultimate scarce commodity . • Scarcity determines value, gold wasn’t nearly as important to africa culture because land was essentially free.

8. Traditional Cultures • Hard to generalize because it is an incredibly diverse continent with many distinct ethnic groups (over 800 living languages). • Subsistence based economies • Reliance on extended families, basic social unit. • Communal societies: Land couldn’t be bought or sold, no land aristocracy. • Land was viewed as given by the spirits, or held in trust for ancestors and future generations. • Reciprocity: gifts given in exchange for favors, source of many misconceptions in African culture.

9. Social Structure • Elders have the most power, and receive a significant amount of respect • Power was almost never permanent (ethereal) • No major compulsion (desire) to leave the family- kinship driven societies. (contact with 200-300 members) • No concept of racial slavery • Not a commodity driven society, humanity valued • Active role in child rearing, raising children seen as the goal of society.

10. Africa Today • Over 700 million people, projected over a billion by 2025 • Nigeria, Ethiopia, D.R.C., South Africa, Tanzania, and Kenya are the most populous • Higher birth rate than any continent • 42% of the population is under the age of 15 • Dominant ethnic groups; Hausa, Yoruba, and the Zulu • Almost all groups split geographically by colonial national boundaries • This along with 0 • Struggles for power between groups are a major source of conflict today