AFRICA(sub-Sahara)

• Background• Culture and Religion• Economic and Social Issues

• Politics and Government

AfricaOverview

AfricaOverview

The Chinese map, covering more than 17 square meters, was produced in silk, ~1389, more than 100 years before Western explorers and map-makers reached the continent.

African PeopleAfrican People

• BlackBlack

• WhiteWhite

• Family ImportanceFamily Importance

• Marriage and Marriage and ProcreationProcreation

• WomenWomen

• Arts and MusicArts and Music

African CultureAfrican Culture

• Family ImportanceFamily Importance

• Most important social unitMost important social unit

• Identity is first based on the extended Identity is first based on the extended family, then the clan, and then the family, then the clan, and then the ethnic groupethnic group

African CultureAfrican Culture

African CultureAfrican Culture

• Marriage and ProcreationMarriage and Procreation• Children represent the bond between Children represent the bond between their parent’s familiestheir parent’s families• Children are a source of pride and Children are a source of pride and prestigeprestige• Children are also valued as a source Children are also valued as a source of labor when necessaryof labor when necessary

African CultureAfrican Culture

• WomenWomen• Perform most domestic tasks; care Perform most domestic tasks; care for children, sick and elderly, collect for children, sick and elderly, collect firewood and water, grow/harvest firewood and water, grow/harvest foodfood• Traditionally limited access to Traditionally limited access to education and subservient to men education and subservient to men by custom or lawby custom or law• Status is improving in mostStatus is improving in most communitiescommunities

• Arts and MusicArts and Music• Originally created to record Originally created to record historical events or for religious historical events or for religious purposespurposes• African music has influenced almost African music has influenced almost all music of the worldall music of the world

African CultureAfrican Culture

African ReligionsAfrican Religions

• ChristianityChristianity

• IslamIslam

• Traditional BeliefsTraditional Beliefs

According to Professor John Mbiti, a leading expert on African religions, many African religions share the following concept of God. These concepts are quite similar to the way God is viewed in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, the three main monotheistic religions.

God is creator of all things. God sustains creation God provides for and protects creation God rules over the universe God is all powerful (omnipotent) God is all-knowing (omniscient-knows everything that happens in the world) God is viewed as parent (sometimes as a father and sometimes as a mother) God supports justice Human-beings cannot directly know God.

Given these similarities it should not be surprising that Africans from all over the continent often accepted the introduction of Islam and Christianity into their communities.

Economics

•Africa is a continent with vast potential Africa is a continent with vast potential wealth in terms of its people and its wealth in terms of its people and its natural resources, but Africa is the most natural resources, but Africa is the most underdeveloped region of the worldunderdeveloped region of the world

Economics•Many traditional jobs Many traditional jobs

•Fishing, herding, hunting, gatheringFishing, herding, hunting, gathering

Economics

•Large city migrationLarge city migration

Economics•High unemploymentHigh unemployment

•1/2 of Africans live on < $1 1/2 of Africans live on < $1 Per dayPer day

                                   

        

Environment • The continent has serious environmental The continent has serious environmental

problems such as deforestation and problems such as deforestation and desertification, which is rapidly expanding on desertification, which is rapidly expanding on a continent that already has substantial a continent that already has substantial desertsdeserts

• It results from poor land management: It results from poor land management: productive land that was over cultivated, productive land that was over cultivated, overgrazed, clear-cut or over irrigatedovergrazed, clear-cut or over irrigated

• Drought also contributes to the problemDrought also contributes to the problem

Economics

ECONOMICS• DEFORESTATION

– 500 million hectares, 30% of world’s tropical forests

– 15.4 million hectares lost per year worldwide; 0.8 annual rate

• 6 million acres (lost per year)• 2.7 million acres (Tennessee)• 60% for agriculture• Slash and burn

– 90% of African population use firewood for cooking; 50% of all energy

• DESERTIFICATION– 43% extreme desert

– 46% impacted

– 11% humid

• Greatest impact along existing deserts

• Sahara desert moving south ~30 miles per year

• Sahel is a name given to this area just south of Sahara desert

– Home to some of poorest people on earth

*hectare = ~2.5 acres

Khotso, Pula, Nala! (Peace, Rain, Prosperity!) Basotho Greeting

Rainfall records from the early 1900s to mid-1980s show that Africa's average annual rainfall has decreased since 1968.

<4 inches

4-8

8-16

16-24

24-40

40-80

80-120

>120

Tennessee ~55 in

(grassland)

Environment • Oil extraction in a number of African countries pollutes

the African environment • International corporations contract with African

countries allowing them to transfer toxic waste to Africa• Commercial mining also disfigures the African

landscape• Ore and other minerals are extracted, often leaving

contaminated and unusable land

Health

• Critical Health ProblemsCritical Health Problems

HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS

•Africa has 12% of the world population, but in 1999, had 70% of the world’s HIV/AIDS cases

•3.2M new cases (2007)•2.4M deaths•25.8M victims•47 vs. 62 years life expectancy

•Some of the hardest hit regions from HIV/AIDS have or will soon have life expectancies of < 30yrs

PovertyPoverty

• Unsanitary Conditions• ¼ population undernourished• Lack of funding for preventative health care and medicine

War

• Immense amounts of money are spent to conduct war

• Every $1 spent for war is $1 not spent on health and infrastructure

Politics and Government

•In the 1950s, and throughout the ’60s and ’70s, the African struggle for independence and democracy intensified•By the end of the 20th century, Africa had become 53 independent countries

Politics and Government

Why has it been so difficult for many African countries to achieve political

stability?• Impact from the European slave trade• Legacy of the colonial period

• Colonial rule was authoritarian• Problems with boundaries• Little preparation for independence

• Poverty (lack of exports)• Corruption, often backed by the military• Many countries warring with their neighbors and among themselves

World Affairs

•Africa is of strategic importance to the rest of the world for several reasons

•It sits squarely in the middle of three of the most important trade routes – the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea. •Vast energy resources and most of the minerals essential for industrial development. •1/3 of all votes within the General Assembly of the United Nations

World Affairs

•Africa is also important for economic reasons •Europe-Asia

•Africa also has many close ties to the U.S.. •13 percent of U.S. population is of African descent

• Africa is now seeking assistance from the rest of the developed world in three critical areas:• First, debt forgiveness to remove a major constraint

on Africa’s economic development• Second, aid, such as loans and technical assistance,

to deal with problems related to education, health, and the environment

• Third, increased foreign direct investment and trade to fund infrastructure and industry

World Affairs

• Background• Culture and Religion• Economic and Social

Issues

• Politics and Government

AfricaSummary

AfricaSummary

                                 

AfricaAfrica

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