Special occasions owned a distinctive type of African music. The African Diaspora, West African music, and music of the Colonies all had various musical instruments. West African music was representative, or the head of African music before the slave trade to America. It was incomparable to any other music in the style of which it was played as well as the motivation as to why it was played. West African music was documented around the 1600's when explorers kept note of what had been found when traveling.
Between 1500-1800 C.E. Sub-Saharan Africa experienced changes and continuity as they began to go further with their foreign relations. Culturally, Africa began to form syncretic cults that had Christian teachings and African traditions. Slavery continued to be one of Africa's main way of showing economic wealth. Africa experienced growth and change in their political organization and the rise and fall of kingdoms and states Before the syncretic cults, Africa's old traditions and beliefs surrounded deities, idols, and multiple gods.
Southern Africa B. Great Zimbabwe Learning Objectives 1. Why were the Bantu important connectors of African cultures? 2. How did Islam connect Spain to North Africa?
Although many of the elements of Black culture have been absorbed into the mainstream of American life and have helped give it its unique identity, real understanding is gained by observing the extent to which Black music is distinct from that of Europe. Until the time of
The African tradition of decorating the body both enhances one’s beauty and gives a person a higher status in their tribe” (African). Although African body art and scarification fuels many prejudices about the African people from the outside world, body art has existed as an important aspect of African history that allows self-expression in various tribes because forms of body decoration have existed for over five thousand years. Body art has existed as an important aspect of African history because of the many styles of body decoration that exist. Africans use scarification, body paint, mud coloring, body piercing, and lip disks to embellish their bodies. Scarification, also known as “The Proud Mark”, describes the art where a person marks his or her skin in decorative patterns.
“The power to define is the power to control.” (Johnson) Society influences our definition of self. This assignment was used to explore the ways African Americans took back this power to define who they are. The Harlem Renaissance movement is the perfect example of how Blacks in America tried to put this power into their own hands. The Harlem Renaissance is one characterized by the inundation of African-American expression through art, writing, dance, theater and the liberal arts. These expressions played a role in African-American’s creating an identity for their selves in America.
The ways in which sub-Saharan Africans were establishing new contacts with Europe paralleled their much older pattern of relations with the Islamic world. There were striking similarities and differences in Africans’ political, commercial, and cultural interactions with these two external influences between 1500 and 1800. Through Africa’s close proximity to the Middle East and Africa’s triangle trade with the Europeans and European influenced Americas, the customs, traditions and beliefs of many indigenous Africans changed and were replaced. Although both regions justified slavery, the Islamic and European concepts of slave work and obligation differed considerably. While Africa placed an essential role in the Atlantic and Islamic trading
African Perspectives on Colonialism Book Report Boahen’s piece on African Perspectives on Colonialism is a strong reflection of society’s current views and behaviors towards Africa and its history. Boahen emphasizes the impact of colonialism that has led to the “generation of a deep feeling of inferiority as well as the loss of human dignity among Africans.” He also stresses that the legacy of our colonial past has encouraged racial discrimination and constant humiliation and oppression of Africans. He examines the influence of the slave trade, the negative view of native religions in the cultural worldview of Christian missionaries, the economic value of colonial dominion of Africa for Europe, as well as details of the devastating impact of colonization on Africa. All of these topics are vital to the understanding of modern Africa; knowledge of how the continent became what it is today, through this information from the past. But what can we, as American citizens, take from what this collective information in this story is telling us?
I submit that ancient Egyptian music shares many parallels with that played throughout so-called “traditional” Africa, both in instrumentation and in musical style. Furthermore, I shall propose the possibility that these parallels between Egypt and the rest of the African continent reflect not simply technological diffusion from the former to the latter, but instead can be traced to a common pan-African cultural root. In other words, not only did the Egyptians resemble Africans in certain cultural respects, they were themselves an African people. I shall start with the instrument toolkit. The musical instruments available in ancient Egypt can be sorted into three main categories: wind, string, and percussion.
“The Establishment of Islam into Africa” By Bailee Lawrence World History AP Spring, 2011 “Given its negotiated practical approach to different cultural situations, it is perhaps more appropriate to consider Islam in Africa in terms of its multiple histories rather than as a unified movement” (Bravmann). Islam’s impact on Africa happened in different regions, cultures, and parts of society at different times. Culture such as architecture and language began to change as well as how governments and leaders ran their countries. Trade was also introduced which connected Africa to other countries, furthering the changes in society. Before 800 CE, Africa had little contact with the outside countries in the Mediterranean and Asia.