africa Essay example - 1208 Words

African Cultures nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Africa has more than 800 languages native to its continent. African cultures are so diverse that they are different from any other culture of the world. African cultures contain many different languages. African languages range from common French to languages unheard of to most people such as Swahili. African arts are much different than American arts. Their art involves much more creative pottery, masks, and paintings. Africa has a very interesting culture. Reasons being the people are very creative and like to express their individuality. The most diverse cultures in the world belong to Africa. There are more than 800 languages spoken in the continent of Africa. Most Africans speak two or†¦show more content†¦It is the national language of Tanzania and the official language of Kenya (African Languages). It is also the official in German East Africa (Reader 265). Approximately 50 million people speak this language (African Languages). nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Art is very important to the Africans. In fact it is part of their everyday life (Fetzer 106). South African artists are active in many areas of art including sculpture, pottery, mask making, and many more (African Arts Information). nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Like African paintings, poetry, and woodcarvings, sculptures tell a tale and immortalize cultures and beliefs. Different artists have different styles (African Arts Information). Materials and styles differ from village to village. Most sculptors use green wood, copper, tin, zinc alloys, bronze, ivory, or terra cotta, a kind of earth ware. Most sculpture figures are believed to contain ancestor’s spirits. Others represent sacred ideas or events (Fetzer 106). Some objects are said to be magical and believed to have magical powers (African Arts). Africans carve figures, make masks, and decorate articles for ceremonies (Fetzer 106). nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Masks were created to be placed over the face, on the top of the head, or even over the head. Most masks represent spirits of ancestors (Fetzer 106). Some villages make masks with full costumes and use them with music to dance in ritual performances. They used masks for social control,Show MoreRelatedRelationship Between Africa And Africa987 Words   |  4 PagesAfrica could have developed trade relations with any other country but why with Europe? During the fifteenth (15th) century Africa developed a very unique relationship with Europe ¹. Before Africa and Europe established their trade relationship, the African s economic status was way ahead of Europe s.1 It was said that â€Å"The West African empire of Mali was larger than Western Europe and reputed to be one of the richest and most powerful states in the world.†2 Africa was known for its gold, whichRead MoreMultilateral Relations Between Africa And Africa1407 Words   |  6 Pages Introduction Africa, once regarded as ‘good for nothing but exploitation’, however, the block has gradually gained modest relations, and aspiring to cultivate a multifaceted partnership with major global political players in all directions from Left-Right, East–West, North-South, and South-South. The two major partners forged their own cooperation are Peoples Republic of China and United States of America and the partnerships they created are known as Sino - Africa relations named ‘Forum on China-AfricaRead MoreThe Scramble for Africa1154 Words   |  5 Pages What was the Scramble for Africa? The Scramble for Africa was a period of time where major European countries fought over and colonized land in Africa, stretching from South Africa to Egypt. The scramble for Africa began shortly after the slave trade, and ended at WW1, and is a strong representation of the ‘New Imperialism’. The first country to act was Belgium, who colonized Congo at 1885, but soon, other countries such as Portugal and Great Britain joined in in order to not miss out. FirstlyRead MoreScramble for Africa835 Words   |  4 PagesEuropean powers were involved in Africa since the mid-1500s but had restricted their area of influence to only the coastal regions of Western Africa, where powers such as Great Britain established hubs for their highly profitable slave trade (David). Over a period of nearly three hundred years, European ships had transported more than 11 million people from Africa to different areas of the world, including America after the slave trade was abolished in Europe, a nd sold them into slavery (David)Read MoreHunger in Africa905 Words   |  4 PagesSummative Task HUNGER IN AFRICA Christine Mande HEOR-02 Mr.Dragan January 18th 2013 Hunger is one of the most common problems in the world. It is such a dangerous thing. It kills more people in a year than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Many countries struggle with famine and they don’t have much help either. Countries like Somalia, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Sudan are some of the countries that suffer from hunger more than others do. In Africa there are 60% of people whoRead MoreThe And Its Effects On Africa1550 Words   |  7 Pages â€Å"In time, we shall be in a position to bestow on Africa the greatest possible gift - a more human face.†Ã¢â‚¬â€Steve Biko. The continent that the rest of the world looks down upon is struggling for a different reason than you may think. Though the white-washed, western world often believes Africa to be a land of inferior civilizations, inferior people, or inferior culture, all of these small civilizations that have spanned the continent for thousands of years cannot be blamed for any economic disadvantagesRead MoreThe Blessing Of Africa838 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"THE BLESSING OF AFRICA† God had deposited great wealth in Sub Saharan Africa and its lands holds the largest amount of the world’s wealth and treasures. Africa produces and export 60 percent of the world’s mineral resources, and supplies the largest amount of world’s precious stones. The nation of Africa is rich in metals, diamonds, gold, cobalt, beryllium, chromium, manganese, lithium, radium, oil, vanadium, metric tons, phosphate, copper, dolerite, granite, lead, bauxite, aluminum ore, QuartziteRead MoreColonization in Africa991 Words   |  4 PagesEuropean colonization effected Africa negatively, as it resulted in the continent being taken advantage of, people and resources exploited, and their economical standpoint being very low. By looking at Africa’s experience with the Berlin Conference and the effects it had, we can see how greatly the continent was negatively influenced. The Berlin Conference brought King Leopold II into Africa, but the world did not know that it would result in genocide of about 5,000 people in Sierra Leone. ContinuingRead MoreTransatlantic Trade Between Africa And Africa2039 Words   |  9 Pagestransatlantic slave trade occurred throughout the world and lasted well over four hundred years. Oversea trade between Africa a nd the Portuguese, along with other European kingdoms, formed, which began what is known as the transatlantic slave trade. Along with a variety of goods, copious amounts of slaves, roughly twenty-five million, were traded between the continents of Europe and Africa. Driving the trade were politics, economics, religion, business, and a desire for profit. Along with the majorityRead MorePoaching in Africa1243 Words   |  5 Pages Endangered animals all over Africa are on the verge of extinction due to human greed. It is very difficult to even fathom how many animals are lost each year to poaching. Animals are being stripped for their parts and left for dead. Poaching has completely exhausted animal populations in Africa, which damages the environment, and is affecting people all over the world both socially and through international relations. Poaching is a growing activity in Africa and it is dangerously depleting animal