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AFRICA
The worlds second largest continent in
area next to Asia, and the third largest
population after Asia and Europe.

AFRICA
Has a regular coastline and is essentially a vast
plateau. With the Sahara to the North and the
Kalahari Desert to the south, the central portion is
tropical and equatorial in climate.

AFRICA
Historically called the Dark Continent not
because of the complexion of the original
inhabitants but because most people know
very little about it.

AFRICA
It is a land flushing with sunshine and
vivid light;
It is the last of the continents to feel
the influence of western civilization;
Therefore many people consider it a
background continent.

AFRICA
Archaeologists
are
becoming increasingly
sure that the first man
appeared in Africa.
Fossilized remains of
man have been found
there that, when given
the carbon dating test,
show man roamed the
African continent two
million years ago.
Stone implements have
also been found in
certain parts of Africa

AFRICA
Most Africans practice local traditions which
have sprung from different religious systems.

DOGON FUNERAL
DANCE

ZULU SANGOMA

AFRICA
The geography of Africa is so varied
and extremely diverse.
Most of its local arts is closely
associated with religion.
It is primitive in nature and is
associated
with
superstition
and
spiritual motifs. Decorative motifs are
used to honor the animal and plant
life of a religion.
Africa is the best place in the world
where wild animals can still be seen
migrating across the plains, rivers,
swamps and on the savanna.

FAMOUS PEOPLE
NELSON MANDELA
Before becoming the first black
president of South Africa in
1994, Nelson Mandela spent
much of his life in prison for
leading black opposition to the
oppressive rule of the white
minority government. During
his many years in captivity,
Mandela became a worldwide
symbol of resistance to white
domination in South Africa.
Here, he speaks to supporters
upon his release from prison
on February 11, 1990.

FAMOUS PEOPLE
DESMOND TUTU
Desmond Tutu, a South African
clergyman, was the first black
man to be appointed general
secretary of the South African
Council of Churches. Tutu won
the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984
for his leadership in the
peaceful crusade against South
Africas
racial
apartheid
policies. In 1995 he was
appointed head of the Truth and
Reconciliation
Commission,
established
to
investigate
crimes committed during the
apartheid era.

FAMOUS PEOPLE
SHAKA
Shaka was a famous African
Zulu King and warrior. He
was a military genius
training his warriors in
special military tactics and
in use of modern weapons.
Under his rule, the Zulu
people became a powerful
nation.

FAMOUS PEOPLE
KOFI ANNAN
Kofi Annan of Ghana served
as secretary general of the
United Nations (UN) from
1997
through
2006,
becoming the UNs first
secretary general from
sub-Saharan Africa. Annan
succeeded
Boutros
Boutros-Ghali of Egypt as
secretary-general and was
followed by Ban Ki Moon of
South Korea.

FAMOUS PEOPLE
WANGARI MAATHAI
Wangari Muta Maathai
won the Nobel Prize for
Peace in 2004 for her
environmental activism.
Maathai, a native of
Kenya, was the first
African woman to win
the peace prize.

HISTORICAL PLACES
CASTLE OF GOOD HOPE
South
Africas
oldest
surviving colonial building
was built by the Dutch East
India
Company
as
a
replenishment station for
their ships journeying from
Europe to the East on
trading expeditions. The
pastel-painted
buildings
constructed of stone are
now home to the Castle
Military Museum and the
William Fehr Collection

HISTORICAL PLACES
ROBBEN ISLAND PRISON
A symbol of hope for all South
Africans. Once a symbol of
oppression, it is now a
cultural
and
conversation
showcase for the new South
African
democracy,
an
international icon of the
triumph of good over evil.
Declared a World Heritage
Site in 1999 and housing a
world-class museum, it is
here where Nelson Mandela
and
other
anti-apartheid
activists were incarcerated.

HISTORICAL PLACES
GROOT CONSTANTIA
WINELANDS
South Africas oldest wine
estate, has consistently
produced top quality wines
over the centuries which
visitors can taste at the
estate.

HISTORICAL PLACES
BO-KAAP MUSEUM
Showcases south africas islamic
heritage in the cheerful bo-kaap
neighbourhood of multi-colored
houses established centuries
back by freed slaves who hailed
from south east asia and
practiced the muslim faith.
The museum is in the process of
transformationinto
a
social
history museum that will tell
the story of local population
within a cultural and sociopolitical context.

HISTORICAL PLACES

TULBAGHS ENTIRE
CHURCH STREET
Has been declared a heritage
site and features lovingly
restored and maintained
Cape
Dutch
buildings
straight out of the 18th
century.

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS
THE DUTCH CAPE COLONY
First European settlement in South
Africa
established by the Dutch in 1652 for the purpose of
resupplying ships such as they sailed around the
southern tip of Africa.
THE BRITISH CAPE COLONY AND THE GREAT
TREK
Great Britain captured the Cape colony from the
Dutch in 1806 and began to impose English law on
the Afrikaners.
THE AFRICAN WARS
The Great Trek brought Afrikaners into conflict with
African Kingdoms, which viewed the arrival of the
white settlers as an invasion.

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS
THE MINING OF GOLD AND DIAMONDS
The discovery of gold and diamonds
changed life dramatically for blacks. The
policy of segregating blacks and whites
took on strict new forms in the face of
rapid industrialization.
THE UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA
The British granted independence to South
africa in 1910, after an international outcry
over their treatment of Afrikaners during
the war and assurances that British
industries would be protected.

CULTURE
The culture of Africa encompasses and
includes all cultures within the continent of
Africa.
There is a political or racial split between
North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa, which in
turn was divided into a great number of ethnic
cultures.
Africasculturaltraditions
are
extremely
diverse. Traditionally, art, music, and oral
literature served to reinforce existing religious
and social patterns.

CULTURE
During the colonial period, some educated city
dwellers rejected traditional African cultural
activities in favor of Western cultural pursuits,
but a cultural revival sprang up with the rise of
African nationalism and independence in the
mid-20th century.
Arabic written literature has a long history in
North
Africa,
while
European-language
literature has developed more recently.
The governments of most African nations
sponsor national dance and music groups,
museums, and to a lesser degree, artists and
writers.

LITERATURE
Oralandwrittenliterature produced on the
African continent. Africa has a long literary
tradition, although very little of this literature was
written down until the 20th century. In the absence
of widespread literacy, African literature was
primarily oral and passed from one generation to
the next through memorization and recitation.
MostofAfricaswritten literature is in European
languages, owing to European colonization of the
continent from the 16th century to the mid-20th
century. During that period European languages
supplanted African languages in government,
education, business, and, to a great extent, in daily
communication.

LITERATURE
By far the most widely used European language in
African literature is English, followed by French and
Portuguese, respectively. Works written in African
languages and traditional oral texts went virtually
unacknowledged until the late 20th century, but today
they are receiving increased recognition. Many scholars
prefer to speak of African literatures, to emphasize the
many
different
literary
traditions
the
term
encompasses.
Thissurveycoversonly African literatures south of the
Sahara. The literatures of North Africa are not included
because North African cultures share greater affinities
with the Arab world than with sub-Saharan peoples and
cultures. The literature of white South Africa is similarly
excluded, as it is more closely linked with the European
literary heritage.

TRADITIONS
CLOTHES/CLOTHING
Ken-te strips narrow strips of cloth
from silk which are sewn together
into large cloths
Shemma womens traditional
clothes in Ethopia
Habesha qemis cotton cloth,
woven in long strips which are
sewn together
Umutsha usually made of
springbook or animal hide twisted
into different bands w/c cover the
genetals
Ibheshu made of a single piece of
springbook or cattle hide

TRADITIONS
MUSIC AND DANCE
Music and dance in africa
are a mix of traditional
and modern which are
observed during birth
and marriage
celebrations.

DOGON FUNERAL
DANCE

Traditional dancers often

wear masks made
from wood or animal
skins. Masks can be in
the form of a person
or animal or a mixture
of both.

TRADITIONS
STORYTELLING (STORY TIME)
A great tradition in africa where people told stories and
poems that entertained them and helped them to
make sense of the world.
CUISINE/FOOD
The african cuisine is a combination of traditional fruits
and vegetables, milk and meat products. The african
village diet is often milk, curds and whey.