Why Does East Africa Have Great Cultural Diversity?

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Why does East Africa have great cultural diversity? East Africa’s coast borders the Indian Ocean . East Africa has traded with Arabs, Indians, and Asians for many years .

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Why did East Africa have a rich mix of culture?

Trade brought wealth and the Christian religion to Axum. East Africa’s trading cities also had a rich mix of people from many cultures. Each prospered through trade. As a result, East Africa became a mixed culture representing the influences of many societies .

What greatly influences East African culture?

The Portuguese, Germans, French, British and Italians all controlled large portions of East Africa during the colonial period; all of these countries influenced the local culture significantly.

What is so special about East Africa?

Geographically, the region is well known for its magnificent physical features. The two highest mountains in Africa are located here: Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya . The River Nile, the longest river in Africa has its source from Africa’s biggest lake, Lake Nyanza also known as Lake Victoria.

In what ways is African culture diverse?

The culture of each ethnic group centres on family and can be found in each group’s art, music and oral literature. Throughout Africa, the people speak a variety of languages , practice numerous religions and reside in various types of dwellings.

Which culture is a mixture of Arabic culture Islamic culture and the culture of the East African coast?

It is the mixture of Perso-Arab and Bantu cultures in Kilwa that is credited for creating Swahili as a distinctive East African culture and language. The diverse history of the Swahili Coast has also resulted in multicultural influences on Swahili arts, including furniture and architecture.

What were some of the effects of the East African trade on different cultural groups?

East African trade had many effects on different cultural groups. East African trade created an entire new language when the Bantu-speaking people and the Arabs started interacting with one another . ... East African trade also made many small towns bloom economically and made them very wealthy.

Why is African culture important?

Africa is a vast continent with diversity of cultures . Rather than see this as an impediment to development, the continent should take advantage of this rich cultural diversity in its quest for economic development and should change the attitudes of its people towards work, interpersonal trust, time, youth and women.

What makes African culture unique?

The Culture of Africa is varied and manifold, consisting of a mixture of countries with various tribes that each have their own unique characteristic from the continent of Africa. ... For example, social values, religion, morals, political values, economics and aesthetic values all contribute to African Culture.

Why did diverse cultures develop in Africa quizlet?

Why did diverse cultures develop in Africa? Push-pull factors caused people to migrate which meant trade and living in new places with their culture . What evidence shows that Djenne-Djeno was a major trading city in West Africa? It was located on a tributary of the Niger river where thousands of artifacts were found.

What is the main economic activity in East Africa?

The agriculture sector is generally the main driver of East Africa’s growth, followed by industry. Agriculture grew 5 percent in 2017, while industry grew 10.5 percent. Within the industry sector, the mineral sub- sector’s role in driving growth is increasing.

Which sentence best describes a way in which the cultures of East and West Africa were different?

Which resource helped make Ghana wealthy? Which sentence best describes a way in which the cultures of East and West Africa were different? – East African societies had more central control than West African societies. -Most West African cultures were Muslim, while most East African cultures were Christian.

What is East Africa also known as?

East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa is the eastern sub-region of the African continent. ... Burundi and Rwanda are at times also considered to be part of Central Africa. Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia are collectively known as the Horn of Africa .

Why is there a lot of diversity in Africa?

The paper thus suggests that Africa’s high levels of ethnic diversity are not mysterious in origin inasmuch as they are a consequence of the early modern slave trade, and its large standard deviation in in ethnic diversity is the result of internal variation in latitudinal spread , state size and urbanization.

What are the advantages of our diversity?

Diverse cultural perspectives can inspire creativity and drive innovation . Local market knowledge and insight makes a business more competitive and profitable . Cultural sensitivity, insight, and local knowledge means higher quality, targeted marketing.

How did Islam influence East African culture?

Islam brought to Africa new religious beliefs, rituals, and practices . Although some African cultures already had the idea of a supreme being, most also recognized the presence of many other minor gods and spirits. The Islamic belief that there is no God but Allah clashed with African polytheistic beliefs.

How did African culture influence the practice of Islam?

In West Africa, for instance, Islam was introduced from North Africa by the Berbers through the trans-Saharan trade as early as the ninth century . ... In this way a balance was established between local ritual prescriptions and those of universal Islam.

What were three products that were traded in East Africa?

List three products traded in East Africa. Ivory, Gold, and precious stones .

How did Islam influence the culture of West Africa?

Islam promoted trade between West Africa and the Mediterranean . The religion developed and widened the trans-Saharan Caravan trade. The trade enriched the West African and the Muslim traders. Muslims from North Africa came in their numbers and settled in the commercial centres.

What impact did the East African city states have on trade and on the world?

They improved the process and produced iron objects for trade as well as local use . Archaeology studies provide evidence that the city states carried on a flourishing long distance trade with Persia, India, and China. Coins from these states have been found in each of the African city states.

Why was the location of Great Zimbabwe advantageous?

With an economy based on cattle husbandry, crop cultivation, and the trade of gold on the coast of the Indian Ocean, Great Zimbabwe was the heart of a thriving trading empire from the 11th to the 15th centuries.

What influenced African culture?

Today’s development in Africa is largely influenced by foreign culture , especially western culture as there is a spread of the western consumerist life-style and patterns of elite citizens.

What cultures are in Africa?

  • Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania.
  • Himba of northwest Namibia.
  • Zulu of South Africa.
  • Bushman, San or Khoisan, of Southern Africa.
  • Southern Ndebele tribe of South Africa.
  • Samburu of Northern Kenya.

What is the main source of information about early African culture?

Archaeologists’ main source of information about early West African cultures has been from artifacts such as pottery, charcoal, and slag—a waste product of iron smelting . By dating these artifacts, scientists can piece together a picture of life in West Africa as early as 500 B.

How are history and culture preserved in African societies?

How were history and culture preserved in African societies? Much of it was done by oral history passed on from one generation to another . Also through artwork.

Why did African societies develop age set systems?

The age-set system serves many purposes in African societies. In the age-set system, young people create close ties with other individuals that are not part of their lineage . ... Many societies, like the Igbo for example, use this system to teach discipline, community service, and leadership skills to the younger children.

What is the lingua franca of East Africa?

The language dates from the contacts of Arabian traders with the inhabitants of the east coast of Africa over many centuries. Under Arab influence, Swahili originated as a lingua franca used by several closely related Bantu-speaking tribal groups.

What are the challenges of East African Community?

  • Poor Governance.
  • Inadequate legal and regulatory framework.
  • Insecurity.
  • Inadequate access to productive resources.
  • Inadequate participation of local communities.
  • Poor physical infrastructure and utilities.
  • Weak institutional framework.
  • Low public expenditure.

Which country in East Africa has the best economy?

Nigeria has the highest GDP in Africa, standing at $514.05 billion in 2021.

What is the difference between East and Eastern Africa?

“East Africa” commonly refers to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, and sometimes Rwanda and Burundi, whereas “Eastern Africa”, a UN scheme of geographic regions, refers to 19 territories throughout the eastern part of Africa: ... Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia – often reckoned as the Horn of Africa.

What resources does East Africa have?

The East African Community is endowed with various natural resources such as forests, water, wildlife, mountains, minerals and energy resources . The natural resources are the drivers of national and regional economic development.

What does East Africa export?

Exports to the EU from East African Community are mainly coffee, cut flowers, tea, tobacco, fish and vegetables . Imports from the EU into the region are dominated by machinery and mechanical appliances, equipment and parts, vehicles and pharmaceutical products.

How did the cultures of southern Africa differ from those of East Africa quizlet?

How did the cultures of Southern Africa differ from those of East Africa? The people of Southern Africa spoke different languages and practiced different religions . They were also influenced by outside groups. Why might many ancient societies have practiced slavery?

How did East Africa differ from the kingdoms of West and South Africa?

How did East Africa differ from the kingdoms of West and South Africa? East Africa remained divided in individual trading cities rather than one large kingdom . What did Mansa Musa’s successors do with his wealth when they gained power in Mali? They spent it lavishly on luxury goods.

How did the Bantu migrations contribute to African cultural diversity?

How did the Bantu migrations contribute to Africa’s cultural diversity? good farming and trade with Egypt and other nearby cultures . ... the Nile’s north-south trade route and the east-west trade route from the Red Sea to North Africa, where they traded in gold, ivory, animal skins, perfumes, and enslaved people.

How diverse is Africa facts?

  • Africans and those of African descent are the most genetically diverse among all racial groups. ...
  • There are at least 3000 ethnic groups and 2000 languages spoken in Africa.
  • Africa is the second largest continent in the world, by land (30.3 mil km2) and population (1.22 B)

How does diversity affect Africa?

Scholars have argued that ethnic diversity has been responsible for Africa’s low economic growth (Easterly and Levine, 1997; Posner, 2004a), political instability and conflict (Buhaug, 2006; Easterly, 2001), high inequality ( Barr and Oduro, 2002; Milanovic, 2003; ) and low provision of public goods (Kimenyi, 2006; ...

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.