|
[ Home ] [ Bwa Mask ] [ Weaving of Mali ] [ What is Art? ] [ Chi Wara Headdress of the Bamana ]
[ Test Your Knowledge ] [ Misconceptions Today ]
[Art of Mali] [Songhai
Empire] [Senufo Ancestor] [Dogon
Ancestor] [Masking Societies] [Masks
Today] [Dogon Masks] [Weaving]
[Cloth Examples] [Preservation
of Art] [Art Resoures Home]
Background information on Africa
From: Martin, P. & O'Meara, P (1995). Africa.
Third Edition. Indiana: Indiana University Press.
Martin and O'Meara (1995) dispel any misconceptions
one might have about Africa today. They present the reader with an objective perspective
on the problems facing Africans today: the diversity, the conflicts, and the changes--all
a result of Western interference.
Our media does not begin to present the vast
diversity and problems of the African people. Political instability, economic stagnation,
international marginalization and health and ecological crises are only a part of what is
happening in Africa today. In recent years, the people have expressed their discontent
with one-party government and military dictatorships and have reasserted demands for
protection of human rights. In countries such as Malawi, Zambia, and Cote d'Ivoire there
have been peaceful transitions to new leadership. Many countries suffered from economic
conditions because of drought and mismanagement. Some countries export minerals and
petroleum. Local farmers have found ways to increase food production. We must take notice
of the ability of these indigenous people to create new organizations when the state is
unable to meet their needs. Cultural vitality and inventiveness remain an important and
animating presence in African daily life.
Africa, more that three times the size of the
United States, includes fifty- three very diverse countries and a population of about 700
million people. Africans are divided not only by boundaries, which did not exist prior to
colonization, but also by ethnic identities, class distinctions, urban and rural
experiences, geographic barriers, and vast distances. Population varies widely (Gabon- one
million; Nigeria- 115 million). Ways of life vary dramatically. Some live in cities and
work in offices or skyscrapers, buy clothes from department stores and have all of the
modern conveniences- yet may travel to the rural areas for traditional festivals, to see
healers or to visit extended families. Rural community members may seldom visit the
cities, may walk miles for water in the dry season, and listen to transistor radios as
they welcome a relative back from graduate studies overseas.
All countries, except Ethiopia and Liberia,
experienced different forms of foreign domination and control under colonial rule, which
lasted from about 1880 to the 1960's (+ or - a few years). This experience created many
levels of diversity, causing language and cultural divisions between anglophone,
francophone, and lusophone countries. Norms and values continue today; governments are
left with problems from the colonial past. Colonial boundaries imposed separate ethnic
groups. Very few countries, such as Swaziland and Lesotho, have one ethnic group. Tribal
identity is not fixed. Ethnicity has been accentuated through the use of language,
symbols, and history for political ends. Mangosuthu Buthelezi uses elements from the Zulu
past to rally support for the Inkatha Freedom Party. In Rwanda and Burundi, The Hutu and
Tutsi have been locked in conflict. Divisions were intensified during the Cold War when
United States and South Africa aided the opposition while the Soviet Union sent Cubans to
bolster the government forces.
A division between North Africa and the rest of the
continent- often referred as black Africa or sub-Saharan Africa -- is also seen as another
point of diversity. North Africans have been influenced by forces of Islam in all aspects
of life -- political, social, and in ideological. Historical and cultural influences and
the use of Arabic have provided linkages between countries such as Mauritania, Morocco,
Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt and to some extent Sudan and Somalia and the Arab
countries of the Middle East. The North Africans are connected to the people across the
Red Sea and the Mediterranean as much as to the rest of the African continent.
African governments are aware of the difficulties
in bringing the continent together. Various territories have formed alliances. The OCAMM
(Organization commune African malgace et mauricienne) has brought the francophone areas
together to promote cooperation. The ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African
States, established in 1975 brought together countries in West Africa for cooperative
activities. The ECOWAS sent aid to Liberia during their civil war to promote peace. In
1990, the SADCC (South African Development Coordination Conference) was established by
nine nations to reduce dependence on South Africa. After majority rule in South African in
1994, the organization became the South African Development Community (SADC) evolving into
a regional cooperative organization with South Africa as key member. Another
organization--the Organization of African Unity (OAU)--established in 1963 has as its goal
to bring the entire continent together in the mediation of disputes and achievement of
common aspirations.
History has given a false impression that Africa
was isolated from the rest of the world -- as Western writings refer to the
"discovery" of the Continent by white explorer. Africa was the source of some of
the earliest human and cultural developments. Africa borrowed from other continents for
innovations in agriculture and material technology: food crops, such as Corn (maize),
manioc (cassava), and yams from the Americas and East Asia (Readings in Seeds of Change
indicate the maize, cassava and yams were introduced during the slave trade. The
introduction of these crops created more abundance of food, providing more people to be
captured into slavery. As early as the first millennium, Africa was trading over the
Indian Ocean with Arabia, India, Persia, and China. They exported gold and other
commodities across the Sahara Desert to Europe. Europe and the Middle East were in contact
with Africa, exchanging scholars and ideas.
Beginning in the sixteenth century, transatlantic
slave trade linked Africa to the Americas. At least 11 million people were taken to the
Caribbean, North America and Latin America. Today, African Americans are an important
group adding to the multiculturalism of this country. Many African Americans celebrate
their African ancestry through special festivals, food and dress. African beliefs and
symbols are becoming part of religious practices.
The colonialism of the nineteenth century brought
white rule to the continent. With it came land alienation, exploitation of raw materials,
forced labor, racism, and political domination. Along with colonialism came Christianity,
which challenged the indigenous beliefs, and western education, which had little emphasis
on the history of the African continent--it was a history designed by the white man.
Technology came--but only enough to get the raw materials out to benefit the European
parent country. While Colonialism lasted less than a century, its impact was great.
Associations between many of the colonial rulers and the African states continue. These
ties have helped some countries receive privileges and economic benefits--while others see
it as continued dependency. Boundaries continue to create hardships for cultures and
families split across arbitrary lines.
Another problem occurred in the mid-1980s when the
World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) emerged as the most significant
external influence on the economic and political life of many African countries. The IMF
has required drastic changes in domestic monetary and fiscal policies. Severe strains on
internal stability and the viability of regimes continue -- creating a new form of
colonialism.
The terms "traditional" and
"modern" are frequently misused in describing Africa today. The two terms cannot
be separated. Traditional is often seen as archaic and inadequate, while modern is seen as
superior -- modern as that which has been introduced by Western ideas and technology.
African has evolved over centuries. While conflict exists between the two value systems,
there are not absolute categories into which individuals, institutions, and societies can
be placed. These terms -- modern and traditional -- continue to be used out of
convenience, however they should not be seen as counterbalancing or opposing forces but
rather independent.
Tradition refers to the continuity of ideas,
values, and institutions that have been imbedded in the people over time, from one
generation to the next. This concept also involves change as well as continuity for all
societies. Change in traditional societies was less rapid during colonialism than in the
twentieth century. In colonialism, the change first began with the traders, missionaries,
and petty bureaucrats -- settlers and businessmen followed. This period of intensive
change was compounded by the introduction of world capitalist economics, highly developed
communication systems and formal Western education.
"Modern" and "traditional"
should not be used to differentiate between urban and rural. Town life incorporates
elements of the past and present indigenous and foreign influences. Rural laborers carry
with them the elements of city culture: tape recorders, pop music, the latest fashions,
and new ideas. Many city dwellers own land or have relatives in the countryside and return
there for ceremonies. In contemporary politics, politicians recognize the significance of
chiefs whose authority is hereditary and of representatives who have been chosen by the
people. In general, Western style democracy -- as a whole -- has not been successful. The
Africans have needed to weave democratic principles with traditional practices -- fusing
new with old.
READ
MORE ABOUT THE PROBLEMS AND CONFLICTS IN AFRICA
[ Home ] [ Bwa Mask ] [ Weaving of Mali ] [ What is Art? ] [ Chi Wara Headdress of the Bamana ][ Test Your Knowledge ] [ Misconceptions Today ]
[Art of Mali] [Songhai Empire]
[Senufo Ancestor] [Dogon
Ancestor] [Masking Societies] [Masks
Today] [Dogon Masks] [Weaving]
[Cloth Examples] [Preservation
of Art] |
