The Cultures of East Africa

Africa

Living Along the Indian Ocean

• Most people speak more than one language– Ethiopia 70+ languages are spoken

• There are many ethnic groups which is the result of location– Many ethnic groups have migrated to E. Africa

from other regions of the continent.– The ocean connects people of E. Africa to

people living across the ocean to the east.• Arabs, Indians, and other Asians

Living Along the Indian Ocean

• Arab traders first made the link to E. Africa when they settled in the coastal villages approx. 2,000 years ago.– They brought Arab culture into E. Africa

where it mixed with various African cultures. The mixture produced Swahili

Swahili Culture

• Swahili are Africans who have mixed African and Arab ancestry

• Live along the east coast of Africa from Somalia to Mozambique.

• Language is called Swahili (a Bantu language)

• Swahili is just one of the hundreds of ethnic groups in E. Africa

Swahili Culture

• Swahili is the first language of about 49million people worldwide

• Second language of millions of E. Africans

• Official language of Kenya and Tanzania– Tanzanian children are educated in Swahili

through the primary grades—later they learn English as well

A Mixture of Religions

• Islam and Christianity• Islam

– Introduced into E. Africa by Arab traders

• Christianity– Introduced by the Romans into the North

African territories, and later it spread to Ethiopia

– 1800s Europeans pushed into Africa and spread Christianity farther.

Changing Ideas About Land

• Prior to the 1800s Africans did not own land• Families had the right to farm plots of land near

the village• Extended families farmed the land to produce

food for the whole group• Men cleared the land and broke up the soil• Women planted the seed, tended the fields, and

harvested the crops• Men also herded livestock or traded goods• This division of roles still exists in many parts of

Africa today.

Changing Ideas About Land

• Owning land was introduced by European settlers

• In parts of E. Africa the British set up plantations (a large fram where cash crops are grown)

• When many African countries became independent, they broke up the old colonial plantations. They sold the land to individual Africans.

Changing Ideas About Land

• There is still available land in E. Africa– Much of it is poor farm land where few people

live– In Ethiopian Highlands and the Rift Valley

land for framing is scarce.• Many people live in these areas where the farm

land is fertile

– In densely populated countries, such as Rwanda and Burundi, conflicts have developed over land

Where is home?

• Traditionally Africans feel a loyalty to the area where they grew up.

• E. Africa is becoming urban, yet many people do not call it home.– Most Africans will identify their village as

home– Most people consider their stay in the city as

temporary.