People of Africa: Tribes, Culture and Religion

There are many tribes of people across the lands that make up Africa. Each one is as culturally enveloped and true to itself as the last. These close-knit tribes teach a lesson in faith, family, and friendship beyond what most people can comprehend.

Living in rocky and dessert land mostly in Ethiopia you will find the Afar. The Afar people have their own language and a unique culture. The Afar people are nomadic and are dependent of the livestock that they tend to. Although most are Muslim, a few practice Orthodoxy, religion is part of their way of life. In the Republic of Ghana, you will find the Anglo-Ewe people in the Southeast Corner. The drum dancing rituals that are practiced by the Anglo-Exe people is just a brief look into their culture and way of life. The have three military units whose goal is to preserve their people and their values.

Located around the mountains of the central highland plateau in Ethiopia are the Amhara people. The farming society of Amhara, have their own language whose words and letters share with the Arabic and Hebrew languages. Aggrieved with western ways of living they are true to their culture and their Ethiopian Orthodox religion. In Western Africa in central Ghana, you will find the Ashanti people. The religious and cultural aspects of the Ashanti people focus on spiritual and supernatural powers. The men tend to be polygamous, as it tends to show generosity among the community.

From Congo to Angola along the Atlantic coast, you will find the Bakongo people. The Bakongo people tend to cash crops such as urena, cacao, palm oil, coffee, and bananas that are traded in small towns. Many small independent villages make up the Bakongo, people whose religion is based on spiritual and ancestral cults that is also carried into their social and political organizations. The largest and most dominant group of Mali are the Bambara. The Bambara are farmers that raise livestock and crops that have been hurt by the droughts of the past years. Although some Bambara still worship the ancestral spirits, most of the people are Muslim in faith.

The Bemba people are found in Northeastern Zambia. The Bemba Charter Myth reveals a religion that focuses on the higher god of Leza that lives in the sky, has magical powers and controls the fertility of the people. It is the basis of their tribal folklore. There is a strong family bond among the extended families of the Bemba people. Possibly the oldest tribe in Africa is the Berber. They can be found in many countries across the continent with the majority in Morocco and Algeria. In Spain and France, you will find migrant workers of the Berber people while other crow crops and tend to livestock. The main religion is Muslim amongst the people.

Trying to restore the balance of nature in the countries of Burkina Faso and Mali with ceremonies and sacrifice you will find the Bobo people. The Bobo people have a religion of their own that focuses around the primary god Wuro, who controls everything that is in pairs to keep a natural balance and semetry. A secondary god that lives in a mask until worn where it then possess the wearers body is Dwo.

This is the first part of a look into the cultures and People in Africa.