Africa South of the Sahara

The People African Roots Ten thousand years ago, people were already moving from place to place across Africa to hunt and gather food. There are no written records of these people but early cave paintings show people hunting, fishing, and celebrating. Cave paintings would eventually show people farming and herding.

First Civilizations The first great civilization in Africa were the Egyptians along the Nile River. When the Egyptian civilization began to fade, the kingdom of Kush rose to power in what is now Sudan. The Kush fell once their trade routes were conquered by the Axum, a powerful trading empire in northern Ethiopia.

Empires in the West Centuries later, trading empires began to develop in West Africa. The empire of Ghana grew rich by trading gold for salt. Salt was valuable because of its use as a food preservative. The trading empires of Mali and Songhai also grew rich from the gold-for-salt trade. The Bantu were migrating people who spread their culture across one-third of the continent. Today, 150 million people speak Bantu in Africa.

The Slave Trade in Africa Europeans began trading with Africans during the 1200s and started setting up trading posts and colonies. By the 1600s and 1700s, Europeans were trading for gold, ivory, textiles, and enslaved workers. Slave trade greatly increased once Europeans began shipping Africans to the Americas to work on large plantations. African slaves were forced to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a ship’s cargo hold and millions of Africans died while making the passage to America.

Europe Divides and Rules By 1914, all of Africa was under European control except for the independent countries of Ethiopia, Liberia, and South Africa. African Culture Today Africa south of the Sahara is home to over 711 million people, about 11% of the world’s population. This region also has the world’s highest birthrate and death rate, and the shortest life expectancy for its people.

Languages More than 800 different languages are spoken in Africa today. There are numerous ethnic groups in Africa that people are put into mass culture – popular culture promoted by the media. Ethnic groups and languages are divided into six major categories: Congo-Kordofanian, Nilo-Saharan, Afro-Asiatic, Khoisan, Malayo-Polynesian, and Afrikaans. Because there are so many different languages in Africa, French or English usually serve as a common language throughout.

Religions Most people in this region are Christian or Muslim. Christians make up the largest religious group. Traditional religions believe in one supreme being (Igbo) and a ranked order of lesser deities (nature spirits).

Varied Lifestyles Africans value strong family ties. In rural areas, people live in extended families, households made up of several generations. Families are also organized into clans, large groups of people descended from an early common ancestor. People often marry within their clan. In cities, people live with their nuclear family – made up of husband, wife, and children.

Problems Africans Face The disease AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) has killed over 17 million Africans. About 70% of the 36 million with the AIDS virus live in Africa. Malaria is another widespread disease in Africa. Mosquitoes and tsetse flies transmit the virus to people and animals. Population density is another major problem in Africa. Soaring population and economic challenges affect food production and health care. People in Africa are producing less and eating less as the population triples. Only a third of Africa’s drinking water is clean, and only a fourth live in an area with proper disposal of waste.

Endangered Animals Many plant and animal species in Africa are facing the risk of extinction, disappearance from the earth. Savanna grasslands are being plowed for farming and animals such as elephants, giraffes, antelopes, and lions are losing their habitats, living areas. Hunting also threatens wildlife mainly because of poaching, or illegal hunting. For example, ivory from elephant tusks brings a high price despite international bans on its trade.

The Economy Agriculture Farming is the main economic activity in Africa south of the Sahara. More than two- thirds of the population is involved in agriculture. Most farmers in this region engage in subsistence farming, small-scale agriculture that provides primarily for the needs of just a family or village.

There are two types of farming that people practice: shifting farming and sedentary farming. Shifting farming is a method in which farmers move every one to three years to find better soil. Often done in forested areas, farmers cut and burn down trees so that the ash from the fire makes the soil fertile. This type of farming is good for the growing of cacao, coffee, and rubber trees.

Sedentary farming is when agriculture is conducted at permanent settlements. This farming is done in areas that have good soil. A small number of people work at commercial farms, which produce crops on a large scale. Commercial farms grow cash crops that are sold for profit instead of used by the farmer. Cash crops include palm oil, peanuts, cacao, and sisal. Sisal is a vegetable fiber used to make rope.

Some farmers are beginning to use a new technique called conservation farming. This is a land-management technique that helps protect farmland. Farmers plant different crops where they will grow best and this helps save the land. Logging and Fishing Wood from the rain forest and savanna can be used as fuel and for lumber. People in this region also export fish like herring, sardines, and tuna.

Mining Resources South Africa has a 300 mile long gold deposit which makes the country the largest producer of gold. Miners also mine diamonds, coal, platinum, chromium, vanadium, and manganese. Internet Commerce Another way people in this region make money is by selling goods on the internet. This is called e- commerce. People who don’t have the internet at home can go to cybercafés and pay to use the internet.

The Government From Colonies to Countries Until the 1900s, most African areas were under European control. This is when educated Africans launched independence movements and by the second half of the century, these colonies became independent countries. These new countries did not understand democracy and many adopted political boundaries. These boundaries divided people of similar language and ethnic background. Rival ethnic groups struggled for power and civil wars erupted throughout these newly formed countries.

South Africa gained its independence from Great Britain in the early 1900s, but the country’s white minority population still ran the country. They imposed a policy called apartheid, separation of the races, on the black majority population. Black South Africans were denied political rights, education, jobs, and housing. The U.S. and many other countries passed sanctions against South Africa. Sanctions are actions taken against a country by other countries to try to bring about change. An example of a sanction would be countries not buying or selling goods to South Africa.

South Africa did not end the apartheid until the early 1990s. Nelson Mandela, the most popular anti-apartheid leader, was released from prison after 27 years and became South Africa’s first black president. South Africa now has universal suffrage, voting rights for all adult citizens, and a democratic government. Besides democracy, other governments in Africa south of the Sahara include: republics, Islamic republics, absolute monarchies, and constitutional monarchies.

Arts and Recreation The Arts African art often expresses traditional religious beliefs including ritual masks, rhythmic drum music, and folktales. African visual art includes 2000-year-old Nok culture terracotta heads and bronze plaques from the Benin kingdom.

Music and dance is an important part of everyday African life. The roots of North American blues and jazz comes from the music of enslaved Africans. Oral literature is chanted, sung, and recited and comes from strong African tradition. Folktales, myths, and proverbs are part of oral tradition – passed down stories from generation to generation by word of mouth.

Sports Soccer is the most popular sport in Africa south of the Sahara. Rugby, boxing, cricket, and long- distance running are also enjoyed by people in this region of the world.