In Africa, rich and diverse cultures exist from country to country while distinctive and peculiar cultures also survive within each state.
The continent is home to a large number of ethnic and social groups each of whom have their own set of tribal customs and traditions.
The idea that the essential core of culture consists of traditional ideas, historically derived and selected, still has merit…but, in modern times, cultures are seen as ‘wholes’; integrated systems that reflect a way of life; a set of attitudes, values, beliefs and behaviors shaped by a particular group of people at a particular time…and, most importantly, at the same time different for each individual.
There are universal cultural aspects of human behavior which are helpful in defining a particular group’s culture:
- Language – oral and written story-telling
- Social practices – kinship, gender and marriages
- Principles – morals, law, customs, beliefs – (values)
- Expressive forms – art, music, mythology, ritual and religion
- Capabilities – learning, communication, functions
- Habits – behavior, routines, practices
- Technologies – cooking, shelter, clothing