But many West Africans lived in stateless societies with no government other than that provided by extended families and lineages. ... Elders in the extended family had great power over the economic and social lives of its members .
Why was family important in West Africa?
During slavery , the family remained a principal base for social affiliation, economic activity, and political organization. Family traditions in Western Africa served as the model for family life during the period of slavery.
Why was family so important in African society?
Family is very important throughout Africa. Families, not individuals, are the building blocks of African society. ... Family members act as both an economic and emotional network and provide individuals with a sense of who they are and where they belong.
Why family is importance?
Family is the single most important influence in a child's life. From their first moments of life, children depend on parents and family to protect them and provide for their needs . ... Every parent knows that it's sometimes difficult to do this important work without help, support, and additional resources.
What is important about West Africa?
A profitable trade had developed by which West Africans exported gold, cotton cloth, metal ornaments , and leather goods north across the trans-Saharan trade routes, in exchange for copper, horses, salt, textiles, and beads. Later, ivory, slaves, and kola nuts were also traded.
What was family like in West Africa?
But many West Africans lived in stateless societies with no government other than that provided by extended families and lineages. In extended families, nuclear families (husband, wife, and children) or in some cases polygynous families (husband, wives, and children) acted as economic units.
What is the most important structure in ancient West Africa society?
Probably the most famous class of structure in all Africa, the Pyramids of Egypt remain one of the world's greatest early architectural achievements, regardless of practicality and origins in a funerary context.
What is the role of family in African culture?
Family plays a central role in African society. It shapes such daily experiences as how and where individuals live , how they interact with the people around them, and even, in some cases, whom they marry. It can determine a person's political identity and the way money and property are transferred.
What is the African family?
The traditional African system, composed of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, form both sides of parents, even unrelated persons , will be considered to be a “family” (Infield, 2001). ... In traditional African culture, there were ‘no orphans' as parentless children were cared for within the kin system (Foster, 2002).
What family members are considered immediate family in Africa?
CFR §170.305: Immediate family is limited to the spouse, parents, stepparents, foster parents , father-in-law, mother-in-law, children, stepchildren, foster children, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and first ...
What family really means?
“Family means having someone to love you unconditionally in spite of you and your shortcomings . Family is loving and supporting one another even when it's not easy to do so. ... Family isn't always about being connected biologically, because understands that other things and influences bind us.
What is the importance of family in today's world?
Families are our most intimate social environment . They are the places where we begin the vital processes of social- izing our children, and teaching them — in partnership with countless others in the community — how to survive and thrive in the world.
What is the most important role in the family?
Answer. Answer: The primary function of the family is to ensure the continuation of society, both biologically through procreation, and socially through socialization . From the point of view of the parents, the family's primary purpose is procreation: The family functions to produce and socialize children.
What are the three facts about West Africa?
The 14th-century king was named the richest person in all history by the Celebrity Net Worth website. Mansa Musa I ruled West Africa's Malian Empire in the early 1300s, making his fortune by exploiting Mali's salt and gold production. 4. West Africa is more culturally diverse than the whole of Asia.
How did trade develop in West Africa?
With the use of camels trade routes began to form between cities across the Sahara Desert. ... Islamic traders entered the region and began to trade for gold and slaves from Western Africa. The trade routes remained an important part of the African economy throughout the Middle Ages until the 1500s.
What is the economy like in West Africa?
Overall economic growth in West Africa is projected to be at 3.6 percent in 2019 and 2020, boosted by the recovery of commodity prices and improved production and service sectors in the region, although challenges and uneven performance would remain, the African Development Bank's regional economic indicator report ...
