Culture “encompasses the set of beliefs, moral values, traditions, language, and laws held in common by a nation, a community, or other defined group of people” (Hahn 1994). The definition is broad, but if broken up into four main areas of focus a better understanding and analysis of a culture can be accomplished. This essay will discuss in depth how the cultural factors of religion, ethnicity and nationalism, modernization, and geography have shaped the continent of Africa into the region it is today.
Religion Religion has always been central to the lives of African people. Now most Africans are either Muslim or Christian, however, traditional religions have endured through and still play a very large role in daily life. One aspect that …show more content…
By the end of World War I, Africa for the most part had been completely colonized with European colonists effectively managing to stop the efforts of Africans to resist the colonial rule. For the next two years, although unhappy, the African people remained quite about the rule until World War II came around and many Africans were asked to fight against the evils of Nazism and Fascism (Berman 1998). This brought the African people to think, “why are we fighting against these evils when we are not even free?”. Combined with major changed taking place across the world such as Asia earning independence from Europe along with India and Pakistan from Britain, the Africans saw the opportunity that such was possible for themselves (BBC Story of Africa). This resulted in nearly every African colony forming new “mass-based” political parties between the 1940’s and 1950’s. By 1966 all but six African countries were independent, with the remaining facing a violent struggle ahead of them. Finally, with the support of independent African nations and the Eastern Bloc, the liberation movement succeeded in 1994 with South Africa being the last African colony to achieve majority rule (MSU 2013). The effects of this long process of colonization has led to much of the conflict which has turned Africa into a very violent nation. The road to independence game birth to very strong rebel groups who were fighting against colonialism and tyranny. After winning the battle again Europe these groups found out that it did not take much to be powerful, but instead all you needed was a gun and there were plenty of AK-47s to go around. These rebel groups start with good causes brought out by an attractive, well spoken, rhetoric filled leader that eventually goes against everything he supported and
Religion Religion has always been central to the lives of African people. Now most Africans are either Muslim or Christian, however, traditional religions have endured through and still play a very large role in daily life. One aspect that …show more content…
By the end of World War I, Africa for the most part had been completely colonized with European colonists effectively managing to stop the efforts of Africans to resist the colonial rule. For the next two years, although unhappy, the African people remained quite about the rule until World War II came around and many Africans were asked to fight against the evils of Nazism and Fascism (Berman 1998). This brought the African people to think, “why are we fighting against these evils when we are not even free?”. Combined with major changed taking place across the world such as Asia earning independence from Europe along with India and Pakistan from Britain, the Africans saw the opportunity that such was possible for themselves (BBC Story of Africa). This resulted in nearly every African colony forming new “mass-based” political parties between the 1940’s and 1950’s. By 1966 all but six African countries were independent, with the remaining facing a violent struggle ahead of them. Finally, with the support of independent African nations and the Eastern Bloc, the liberation movement succeeded in 1994 with South Africa being the last African colony to achieve majority rule (MSU 2013). The effects of this long process of colonization has led to much of the conflict which has turned Africa into a very violent nation. The road to independence game birth to very strong rebel groups who were fighting against colonialism and tyranny. After winning the battle again Europe these groups found out that it did not take much to be powerful, but instead all you needed was a gun and there were plenty of AK-47s to go around. These rebel groups start with good causes brought out by an attractive, well spoken, rhetoric filled leader that eventually goes against everything he supported and