our values: RESPECT FOR ELDERS

This is one of the values that is diminishing very fast! These days you can't really tell between a child and an elder apart from noticing wrinkles!  When i was a little girl, i would stand up to give up my seat for an elder in a bus and most times the elder would offer to carry me on h/er lap.  But i tell you, today whether you are 89 years old, sick and weak, a youngster will not give up his seat for you!

I also remember we used to have different greetings for elders.  There was a difference in ways of greeting the young, the peers and the elders....but i don't see it now.  your three year grandson can actually tell you "what'sup you" and its acceptable!  Well i don't blame them because that is how we raise them.  we let them do, say, act any how because apparently that is their right!  These days we don't parent any more, we just give birth and then everything else will be taken care of by the world.  The parenting is left to the children themselves because we are very busy and besides "you cannot control me, i'm my own boss!" that's what a little girl told me about a year ago and i have not forgotten the phrase because i was shocked!

In Africa, even when you find absolutely nothing to admire about in an old man you just remember that the grey hair has earned him some respect.  We respect the elders for one big reason, simply because they have lived long enough and seen a lot, their for they have acquired enough wisdom to be our teachers and mentors.  Respect and taking care of the elders is such a great blessing and a value highly held such that there is no need for old aged nursing homes in Africa.  No matter how old you are or how successful you are, your parent (In Africa, that's anyone old enough to be your parent) is highly valued and respected until death.

So, this notion of children taking care of themselves is actually eroding our values.  Children are just children and they must be directed and guided.  We should teach them these values and exhibit them ourselves to build up strong valued generations. 

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it

The mouth of an elderly man is without teeth, but never without words of wisdom.

-African proverb.

Our values: HOSPITALITY

Thankfully this value is still alive in our culture.  Africans are generally very kind.  Long ago it was very easy for a stranger to knock on  the door at night and be given a place to sleep.  These days however, due to safety issues many are careful not to get into traps in the name of 'kindness'.  This does not mean we have stopped being kind, we are just kind in a very wise way.

Africans have different symbolic ways of expressing hospitality.  In a certain part of Tanzania, a guest is served with roasted grass hopper.  This is a sign of high respect and an expression of warmth.  The Igbo in Nigeria present guests with kola nuts and Kenyans prepare githeri (a mixture of beans and maize).  Each nation, each tribe has a way to show love, kindness and warmth.  A way to say you are safe and welcomed.

A certain incident shocked me some years ago. My neighbor, a young wife and a mother of three got some visitors (who are actually her friends).  They happened to stay until late in the evening.  At around 8.30pm her youngest came over at my house and said he was hungry and his mother hadn't cooked.  After an hour or so, his mother came to pick him up after seeing off her visitors, so i asked her if she was so broke that she didn't have food in the house.  This is what she told me," Oh no my dear, i have food but i didn't want to cook when the visitors were around.  The three of them would have finished my food!".....now do you get why i was shocked???!!!

''In traditional African culture, whenever there is food to be taken,everyone present is invited to participate even if the food was prepared for far less number of people without anticipating the arrival of visitors. It would be a height of incredible bad manners for one to eat anything however small, without sharing it with anyone else present, or at least expressing the intention to do so” Dr. Festus Okafor.  This pretty much summarizes the attitude of Africans toward visitors.

It is very important that you relate well with people......

Our Values: TOGETHERNESS

"Go the way that many people go; if you go alone, you will have reason to lament" This proverb simply says "stay together."  Togetherness is one of the strongest of African values.  Africans believe that individuals get their identity from their communities.  If you are asked who you are, you mention your clan name.  Immediately one can tell which part of the region you are from, who your grand father is, what tribe you are etc. An individual who has been rejected by his community has no meaning in Africa, hence everyone is taught to stay close to his family. Family in Africa has a very broad meaning.  It simply means every body you know!  the dictionary explains that your sister's son is your nephew, in Africa he is your son.  Your aunt's daughter is your cousin, in Africa she is your sister.  The woman next door is your neighbor, in Africa she is your mother. Get what i'm trying to portray?...ya, i guess you do.

This might seem like a whole lot of nonsense, but trust me it is not! The sole purpose of family in the African context is support.  That is what the proverb means by "......if you go alone, you will have reason to lament"  If you are not with family no one will be there to support you be it in good times or bad times.  On your wedding day dozens of people will show up and introduce themselves as your brothers, aunts, daughters etc and you will wonder where they came from.  

they will dance and sing for you

When you are mourning a loss of a loved one, likewise they will come and introduce themselves as uncles, sons, sisters etc, again you will wonder where they came from.

they will cry with you

  In both occasions they will bring you material gifts of happiness and sympathy, they will sing, cry and dance for and with you. Most of all they will bring you love and support.

This beautiful value is slowly fading away in many of our nations.  We are slowly moving towards the nuclear families.  We concentrate so much on this small cycle and forget about the rest of our families.  We seclude ourselves as though we are orphans.  One dies and we fail to locate even one of his relatives, why? because he was living an alone life.  I understand that there are some hardships in being in such a large family, but i know the benefits beat the hardships.   

This value should not die.  There are many ways to uphold it and pass it down.......Give a call to one or two of your long lost relatives, let your children get to know their brothers and sisters and aunties, plan a family annual visit to your spouse's home village, attend family gatherings, keep in touch with your in-laws, arrange sleepovers for the clan's children etc  these are but a few of what we can do.  comments and suggestions are appreciated

If you don't stand for something, you will fall for something

-African proverb

OUR VALUES

Africa is normally mistaken for a country because of the many things its nations share including values.  Values are what makes us who we are.  Each continent,country,clan, family and individuals have their own values and they should all be respected.  We have two critical problems these days concerning culture and values...either we don't appreciate our own cultures or we force the rest of the world to follow our cultures!   We are very easy to judge and condemn others of their cultures.  You find a Nigerian mother spanking her child then you go around saying she is violating human rights!!  You see a Ugandan paying dowry and say they buy and sell women in Uganda!! You meet an American with a tongue piercing and call her a slut!! It is absurd! Every one should appreciate and uphold their culture and understand and respect that of another person.

You will agree with me that Africa is loosing its values day by day.  Our cultural values are being diluted each day that passes by and we will soon find ourselves with no values or identity at all.  Honestly we have no one to blame but ourselves.  We are loosing  our values because we don't even know what they are.  So, if we don't know then who is to teach our children? who is to pass them to the next generations?  We are raising children who have nothing in their heads concerning their culture and values, and as you know an empty mind is the devil's workshop! anything can be shoved in their heads because they are empty.  These children will grow up to have no direction or identity whatsoever, confused of who they are and what they should uphold.

It is your duty as a parent, as an adult and as an African to pass down our values to the youngsters.  In order to do this, we must first know these values, practice them and internalize  them.  

In the next few weeks we shall have a series focusing on the essential values that African nations share and how we can uphold them or revive them, and suggestions on how best to implant them to our children especially for the Africans in the diaspora.  Comments, suggestions and ideas are all welcome.

Until then, stay blessed.

DIFFERENT FATHERS TODAY

A friend of mine, Josephine* gave birth last week to a healthy baby boy.  She isn't married, her ex boyfriend, Richard*(the father of the child) doesn't want anything to do with her or the baby, her father has chased her away from home and now she has dropped out of college.  When she was about seven months pregnant she got a new boyfriend, Baraka* who accepted to live with her and the baby after birth.....to cut the long story short, she now lives with her current boyfriend, Baraka*.  But she is consistently worried that he might just decide to kick them out one day.

Now, Since it is fathers day, i want to draw attention to these three men/fathers.  First, Josephine's* father.  He has been her father for about 20 years, gone through all the fatherhood stress and joy but disowns her daughter for getting pregnant out of wedlock.

Secondly, Josephine's* ex(the father of the baby).  He has been in a relationship with her for two years.  Got her pregnant ( unplanned), admits that it is his baby but wants nothing to do with him because he is not ready to be a father.

Lastly, Baraka* her current boyfriend, he is now a father for another man's child.

So, i am confused about a couple of things, whether these fathers are right or wrong. Whether they can justify themselves...........here are my queries

• As a father in a community that upholds marriage and abominates pregnancy out of wedlock.  What would you do if your daughter found herself in such a situation? 
• What was Richard supposed to do? he wasn't prepared to be a father, yet his girlfriend is pregnant for him....
• Do you think Baraka is genuinely accepting the baby?Would you do that for a woman you love?
• Ladies, would you forgive your father and your ex when/if they came back later?

All names* are not their real names

"Dogs do not actually prefer bones to meat; it is just that one never gives them meat"

-Akan proverb

AWESOME CREATURES

As fathers day approaches(which i like to call men's day), i want to draw attention to our men.  Not all of them are fathers of coarse but i am pretty sure they have been a father figure to someone at some point, so they all at least deserve a happy men's day! So before the day comes, we should just remind ourselves of how precious they are...i agree, sometimes you want to punch them in the face, but again sometimes you want to give them the stars and the moon!!.  

We have talked and appreciated the African man's character before, so today we shall dwell on what we can see....the handsomeness, the cuteness, the sexiness...whatever you call it!, just to let them know that they don't have to use whitening creams, they don't have to do hair implants, they don't have to pierce every part of their body to look handsome or to impress us. So lets begin...........

The eyes...
You can all agree with me that these creatures have peculiar eyes. Shiny,piercing,dark.. Kind yet fierce, focused yet playful.  Their the eyes to make a woman say yes, but the same eyes scare away lions!  They are so mysterious you can't know what is going on inside...they rarely cry and rarely blink when watching football!!

The eyebrows
Well...most of us don't notice these.  They are normally forgotten when describing someone, but i think they are a distinct feature.  If someone ever tells that you have hair like an African man's eyebrows, give that person a hug! that is a huge compliment. i tell you these guys have the thickest, bushiest eyebrows ever!  It makes them look so sophisticated and dangerous and scary especially when they frown. so every time someone messes with you, tell them "hey,don't mess with me, my man has bushy eyebrows!" they will know what your are talking about and just run away!

see what i'm talking about?!

The smile
ooh! now what can i say about this.?! I think our men have the best smiles....i know mine has! Hasn't your day ever been brightened up by just your man's smile. They do wonders.  Some are so wide you can see all 30 teeth plus the gaps...some are not open at all...some can't differentiate between a smile and a laugh...but all in all, they are just amazing smiles! I just wish they could smile more often.

One last feature...I don't know why, but these guys go bald very early in life! THANK HEAVENS they don't look bad bald otherwise it would be a disaster.!

These are very few beautiful physical features that our gorgeous men posses. I am sure yours is different in their own way, but the point is to just appreciate them and make them aware that they are one of a kind.  We might think that only women have low self esteem and they are the only ones conscious about how they look, but this is creeping into men too.  Just the other day a man got a very bad infection from doing hair implants because he thought his wife doesn't find him handsome being bald!
So, as we celebrate our men next week, let them know that they are awesome looking creatures!

The Equality Concept

Many people have miss understood the equality concept, as a result of this misunderstanding we have women who want to be men and men who are useless and undermined.  Now, before you judge, hear me out first.
  In the last post we talked about divorce and pointed that one of the cause is loosing our cultural values.  Every culture is different and have different values and beliefs, so does ours.  I say Africa should accept change(it is inevitable), but to what extent should we accept these changes.  

The equality concept for instance, it was and still is a very strange concept in Africa.  Simply because in Africa people aren't equal!  That does not mean that one's right to live is better than the other, no.  It just means that people are categorized; children, elders, parents, chiefs, mothers, fathers etc, and all these are treated differently. I do agree that there were some practices that were directly suppressing and harming other people.  For instance, circumcising girls, beating up wives etc.

Now, the equality concept was brought to us with good intentions of eliminating these bad practices.  However, we have taken it in such a way that it has become war between men and women!!! Women are striving to overtake men and men are still puzzled at what is happening they even become useless!  In African culture, a man takes his role as a family provider very seriously, his manly responsibilities at home are also not forgotten. But today you will find a wife painting the house by herself and the man is watching football while waiting for lunch!! what kind of nonsense is that!  

Ever since we, women started earning degrees we see our husbands as good for nothing, we undermine them and call them useless.  We want to be the men of the houses and do everything. This is when bitterness creeps in marriages and divorce is warmly welcomed.  It has become chaos!  We have even forgotten how our system use to work.
We all, as a continent and individuals should critically think, analyse, understand and sieve every theory and concept introduced to us.  Is it necessary? does it contradict with my values? what is wrong with the current one? These are some of the many questions we should ask ourselves before we accept change.

Divorce before the first anniversary!

Statistics for divorce rate in the world is shocking, but the divorce rate in Africa is just frightening! Have you ever asked yourself why the divorce rate keeps on rising even in Africa?  Growing up, even the mention of the word 'divorce' was frowned upon.  The extended family, the clan and counsel of elders did whatever it took to restore harmony in a crumbling marriage.  Today however, it is so normal and even fashionable to file for divorce even before the first wedding anniversary!
We have so many dysfunctional  families, i even wonder how our children's generation will turn out to be.  We have young children moving from one home to another weekly.  One week in mum's house, the next in dad's; being abused by their father's or mother's new spouses! even worse, we have cases of siblings marrying each other because they don't even know that they are siblings.  In the best scenario, the children are handed over to their grand mothers in the village to take care of them.  It is a shame!
One of the biggest reason for all this is the act of loosing our culture and values.how?(we shall discuss that in the next post)
So, today our mother, Africa cries.  She moans, for her children are lost.  in a soft voice she calls and wants you to understand how important and sacred marriage is in your culture.  see how your grand parents managed to live in matrimony for a lifetime.  She calls for you to sit down, look back where you have fallen and pick yourself up.  She will be a proud mother when her children rank the lowest in divorce rate, and surely it is possible.
"The buttocks are like a married couple though there is constant friction between them; they will still love and live together''
-African proverbs

HONGERA TANZANIA!!....Congratulation Tanzania

On the 26 April 2014, Tanzania celebrated 50 years of unity between Tanganyika and Zanzibar.  It is a huge accomplishment.!

Mwl nyerere and Abeid Karume

This unique union was formed on the 26th April 1964 under the leadership of Mwalimu Julius K Nyerere and  Sheikh Abeid Karume.  On this day, The United republic of TANZANIA was born and got her first president; the late J.K Nyerere while Abeid Karume became the first vice president.

Mwl Nyerere mixing sand fron Tanganyika & Zanzibar as a sign of unity

For 50 years Tanzanians have leaved in peace and harmony, their motto being peace and love.  with more than 100 local tribes, her people are united by one language "swahili" which is spoken by every one.  With multiple political parties, she has managed to preserve peace.  with so much interaction from all over the world, she has kept her culture.
The union is alive, it is strong and it is keeping Tanzania going.

Tanzanian flag and map

Mungu ibariki Tanzania, muungano pamoja na watu wake.

Dowry................is it even right???

Recently, a young man was whining and complaining to me how sad he was that he won't be able to marry his girl friend until December next year.  I din't pay attention because he always whines about every thing!  Towards the end of his bleating, he asked me for 3 million Tz shillings which he explained that it was what was needed for bride price.  Mind you, this man is a local carpenter.  In disbelief, i asked for the paper he was holding which had the list of things to pay.  This is what was on the list:

• 2 Male cows with four legs
• 3 female cows with four legs
• 2 goats with four legs
• 5 chicken with two legs
• 2 heavy blankets
• 2 bead sheets
• 1 kitenge for mother
• suit for father
• 2 hoes
• A sac of maize
• 200,000 for aunties
• 100,000 for spoilage( since the man had slept with the lady)   

Since we are now modern, they told him to not bring the cows and hoes and stuff, just convert them into money which amounts to what he told me.
Now let us look at what was being done before.  This is the bride price my father paid for my mum, in fact he never even finished paying!

• 2 male cows with four legs
• 1 female cow with four legs
• 1 goat
• 4 hoes

There is a huge difference between the first and second list.  Dowry, i believe is a tradition practiced all over Africa, and it it a beautiful thing.  But dowry has lost meaning these days.  Dowry was meant to unify the two clans together, besides the same cows paid by the man would be slaughtered in their wedding day for feasting.  It was meant to say "thank you for taking care of my wife".

Many westerners have interpreted bride price or dowry to buying a wife, and i don't blame them; seeing what men have to pay these days.  Dowry has been taken for granted, it has become a means of income, a way to sell daughters!  Eloping was never a choice in Africa and was not tolerated at all, but tell me, what will these men do now that they can't marry without paying the huge amount of dowry? isn't it a shame that a man has to take a bank loan to pay dowry?

Now this man has broken up with his girl friend because he doesn't think he will get that amount even by December next year.  I am sure there are similar cases out there.
Africa, look back and see the beauty dowry had, and restore it. 
"only a fool tests the depth of a river with both feet"
-African proverb

Why is Heart angry at Beard???

Story story story....Once upon a time, the heart and beard were best friends.  One day heart stole beard's high heels and burned them because she was jealous.  Beard found out and started chasing heart to beat her up.  Heart was running so fast she couldn't even breath.  She saw from a far a man laughing so hard and thought, "well, that must be a nice place to hide.."  so she ran into the man's mouth.  The man; in shock shut his mouth and swallowed her, so beard couldn't enter but she stayed on the chin waiting for heart to come out.  Heart realized that she forgot her makeup kit in the house and she became furious;jumping up and down( this is how the heart started pumping!).  Every time heart gets too furious she bursts(that is how a person dies).
This story was told to me by my mother when i was about six years old and i have never forgotten it ever since.  I listened attentively; amazed at how heart is so heartless to burn beard's shoes!! At the end she said, "This teaches us not to be jealous of people because we will not get along with people, also forgive because we may get too furious and burst like heart."  To date, these words ring a bell in my mind every time i get furious with people.
Story telling has played a big role in passing down traditions, morals, values and wisdom to children.  Apart from that it brought a sense of family bonding and entertainment. This tradition is totally forgotten these days.  Let us take time and educate our children through African stories.  In your busy schedule, find time to fix family story telling, you will be surprised how much they will all love it.  Tell them about your child hood, how animals in Africa use to talk, about what your grand parents taught you, make something up even.  Through this, they get entertained and learn about their amazing culture.
Try it....

This....only African mama can do!!

"ooh ooh, baba huyo katoka shambani na mkungu wa ndizi...nyamaza mwanangu..lala mwanangu." you would hear a Tanzanian mother singing this to her baby to get her to sleep. It simply translates to "don't cry my baby, sleep my baby, daddy is coming with some bananas"  why bananas?, i have no idea!  She sings this in a very soft voice and her baby eventually sleeps.  All African mothers have some type of song to sooth their babies, and it works wonders.  I am sure you can remember one from your mama, or you probably sing it for your baby as well.

You know what else works wonders? and only Africans do it best?

African sling

That!! I don't know how you call it in your language, but i am sure you know it. Lets just call it the African sling Tell me, who does it best than our African woman? The way she does it so fast yet so skillful..the way she turns her baby to the back and front without even opening the sling..the way the baby is positioned well on her well rounded behind...it is just wonderful don't you think?! 

It is a simple yet convenient way to carry our babies. With all the chaos and busy lifestyle, we no longer find time to sit and bond with our babies.  This way you can carry your baby, sing to her and while doing other chores.  Its a win-win situation; you bond, you do your chores and the baby laughs till she sleeps!  Its not old fashioned, i promise...you can use your baby stroller, yes, but once in a while give your baby the comfort and warmth of your back.  Let her bounce up and down as you sing to her.  Let her enjoy her cultural right

"A baby on its mother's back does not know the way is long"

-African proverb 

Resilient Africa; Resilient us!

Resilience is the ability to withstand and recover from difficulties, stress and catastrophe.sounds easy hey? well, its easier said than done.But we, Africans have a long history of resilience.  Not that we don't experience pain, not that we have no feelings, not that our lives are a bed of roses, but because of the spirit of resilience within us we don't break.
As a continent we have been given many names; poor,dark,third world, poverty land and many others that don't reflect the real us.  I do admit, we are poor and we have got loads of problems which by the way is just life, because what is life without puzzles to fix.  But that doesn't define us either, i'l tell you what does..."RESILIENCE''.  This single word covers every nation in Africa and every corner of every nation.  AIDS has engulfed us, malaria has killed our children, TB has left our brothers helpless, but within all that we still find the strength to fight.  After weeping and mourning, we wipe our tears, wash our faces, stand and get back in the battle field. We fight and emerge stronger.
They say fire's daughter is fire, and a baby snake is not taught how to bite, its in his nature to bite.  Whatever is born of mother Africa has veins flowing with African resilience.  Mama Africa passes this trait to all her children(the nations).
Take Rwanda for instance, this month it marks its 20th year after the deadly genocide.  the genocide was gruesome, taking more than 800,000 lives; men, women and children.  No one thought it would ever recover from that.  But look at Rwanda today, shinning!!  People who killed each other live under the same roof(forgiveness), mothers taking care of their once enemies' children(compassion), it is now strong and back on track(resilience)
The 2012 Kenyan elections were expected to be full of blood shed considering the 2007 post election violence which took thousands of lives.  But Kenyans knew better, they had learnt their lesson, They chose to show the world what they have inherited from their mother; resilience.
From nations, this quality is passed down to each African; dead, alive and the yet to come!  You should know that you are resilient.  No matter the challenges and struggles you are going through today, you have the power to not just get through them but to come out sane and stronger.  There is no need to commit suicide;remind yourself of your resilient trait, turn to your resilient brothers and sisters who can lift you up.
Remember, weeping endureth for the night but joy comes in the morning.

Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.

-An African proverb

Mother Africa Smiles

Mother Africa Smiles...

Africa Smiles...
As Her Captured Children's Strength Survives
Africa Smiles...
As Her Cultures and Comportment Thrives
and As Anglo / Caucasian-Persuasion Desires
Joins Euro... To Ancient Kush and Congo Lives
In Manner and Speech and Slang and Strides
and Intergrated-Jives and New Age Styles
and Black Berry Lips of Voluptuous Size
... Yes, Mother Africa Smiles

Africa Smiles...
Covered In Coal Dust of Diamonds Pressurized
Africa Smiles...
With A Star-Lit-Sparkle, In Her Big, Dark Eyes
and Like A Milky, White Moon - Her Full Teeth Shines
Saying, 'You Too, Will Dance The Dance of My Child'
... O' Yes, Mother Africa Smiles

Africa Speaks...
Calling To Our Hips, Our Bosoms, Our Feet
Pounding and Pulsing - Even Strained, She Seeps
At First, Her Voice Was Soft and Weak
Then Vocal Tremor Became Tribal Deep! 
Across The Earth, Her Sound Sways and Sweeps
Saying, 'You Too, Will Feel My Heart's Drumbeats'
And Like A Sultry Siren - Africa Sings So Sweet
Songs So Warm-Bodied and Sleek
... Africa Smiles, Singing Us To Sleep

Yet, Africa Bleeds...
Almost Bled Dry As Her Arabian Sands, Shifts & Increase
Africa Bleeds...
Even Tho' Her Resources Are As Rich As Jeweled Sheiks
Africa Bleeds...
As Her Continental Beauty, She Struggles To Keep
Africa Bleeds...
Like Poured-Out-Souls, Inked Upon Ledger Sheets
Africa Bleeds...
Like A Slow, Boiling Passion of Lava-Flowing Heat
Africa Bleeds...
Into Far Away Fields and Neighborhood Streets

Africa Bleeds...
And One Drop of Her Blood Floods Like The Power of Seas
and It Makes Her Children Hold Out Their Arms To Reach
And At Her Tears, Her Children Fall To Their Knees
But One Day, Dear Mother... GOD Will Heal The Breach

and Teach - That Mother Africa Holds A Place Unique
And When We Remember - How We Ate Her Seeds
And Climbed Up Her Bosom Like Proud Pyramid Peaks
And Kissed Her Rivers of Glowing Sunset Cheeks...

Africa Smiles Again and Dries The Blood, She Weeps
And Africa's Smile Will Transform The World's Waiting Scene
Rising From Forgotten Shadows To GOD's Garden of Peace
For When Africa Smiles All Civilization Will Greet...

Africa's Smile


Written & Copyrighted ©: 12/22/2013
by: MoonBee Canady 

MoonBee Canad

Our Music

You will agree with me that rhythm is natural in Africans. We start singing at a very young age; whether you sing alto, or base or even off tune(like my friend does all the time)! you just sing. I don't remember any game that we played as children that didn't have a song in it. Be it hide-and -seek, skipping rope, playing ball...you name it, they all had songs to accompany with. As a woman cooks,washes dishes or soothes her baby to sleep,you will hear her sing. As a man cleans his bicycle, you will hear him whistle or hum some type of song. We are just naturally musical!

Most African songs were never written and the composers are not known, but the songs last generations. They are passed down orally from one generation to the other. Don't be surprised that the song you are singing has been around for ten generations! When we say 'sing', we actually mean singing, dancing and playing instruments. We use different locally made instruments producing amazing sounds and each nation in Africa has beautiful songs and dances.

When do we sing, one may ask...well, we sing when we are happy, we sing when we are crying, we sing when we are grateful, we sing when praying...basically, we sing in every situation! Different songs hold meaning for different occasions. For instance Zaffa music is played in Egyptian weddings and Mang'oma dance is performed in southern Tanzania during the harvest season.
Our music is extraordinarily special. The instruments used; carefully stringed and curved from our very own wood, The dancing moves that are danced uniformly through out, the ululating sounds made by our mothers and the bases sang by our men! You'v got to love our music...You'v got to love Africa.

(You can listen to some incredible African songs on the purple music bar at the top of the page)

"If we stand tall it is because we stand on the backs of those who came before us"

-African proverb

Pregnancy & baby naming

Soon after marriage in Africa, in-laws, the clan and the entire village awaits for a baby to be born. In fact if there is no sign of pregnancy few months in marriage, both families begin to worry. it is believed that a child seals the marriage and bonds the two families by blood for eternity.

A soon as a woman finds out that she is pregnant, she tells her mother and aunts. they then tell other extended family members and news travel fast to the rest of the village. News about pregnancy isn't taken lightly. Through out the pregnancy, an expecting mother does minimal or no work at all. She sometimes moves to her mother or her mother in law so that she can be taken good care of. Fetching water from the river is prohibited for her because the baby may be born 'with nothing but water in the head!!' Traditional healers work day and night giving her her tones of herbs to ensure the safety of the baby.

Delivery of a baby is a celebration and measures to determine how long or how powerful the baby will grow up to be are taken. In Zaire, Gambia, Senegal and Uganda, a chick is taken from its mother and kept separately with no food or water for several days.(poor thing!!). If it survives then chances are the child will grow and thrive.

In most parts of Africa, naming is done during the first eight days after birth, depending whether the child is a boy, a girl or a set of twins. It is done in the evening, when the chickens are coming back home. A name is given only after the traditional experts have taken time (even days) to study the baby and determine who of the hundreds of departed relatives the child resembles most. After this is done, villagers gather and the baby is given to the namer (usually the oldest woman or man. She then whispers the appropriate words and lifts the baby high announcing all its names. The first name is that of the departed one that the baby resembles most, then the rest of the names are given by both families. some are named after the season they were born in. This is why it is not a surprise to find an African with seven names!!

In other parts of Africa for instance Zambia, they make the baby start crying. As it cries, they shout different names of the departed relatives. When the baby stops crying at the mention of a certain name, it means that relative has come back in form of that baby, so the baby keeps the name.

There are two things that i particularly adore about these old African ways. One is the unity and support they give to an expecting mother. Every one who got news knew that he/she had a part to play. Young boys and girls helped her fetching water and firewood, women helped her prepare for delivery, traditional doctors provided medicine and preyed for her. They all shared the blessing. Two is the naming. Apart from giving departed relative's names, Africans gave meaningful names. They did not combine two names to form one, they just picked really meaningful names that takes the child's character.

Here are some meaningful African names

Kirabo meaning gift(Luganda-Uganda), Amara meaning Grace(Igbo-Nigeria), Adofo meaning fighter(Egyptian), Furaha meaning happiness(swhahili-Tanzania), Mlungisi meaning brings order(zulu-South Africa), Nyambura meaning rain(Kikuyu-Kenya) and many more.

Let us appreciate by commenting our African names, origin and meaning.You might get a name for your new born!! i'l go first..

A chick that will grow into a cock can be spotted the very day it hatches.

-An African proverb

Our gorgeous Men

Honestly, i don't think we give enough credit to our men. we know and talk of the many bad characters they have but seldom remember of the good qualities.

An African man today may ignore the very strong qualities that he naturally posses. He concentrates more on making himself handsome, takes pride in dating many women and strives to be "cool". Lets see the natural African qualities that our fathers possessed, that lured our mothers and gave them confidence, qualities that i yearn to see our men embrace them today.

Surely our fathers were not any good at romantic gestures such as sending flowers or breakfast in bed (which i'm thankful our men do today). An African man took pride in being the:

# protector: Every time we heard some weird noise outside and our dog 'tyson' barking, my father would take a torch and a humongous stick and start walking towards the door leading outside. My mum.....well my mum would just tiptoe behind him whispering "be careful" and she would repeat this so many times!!!

This was a very typical scenario. The father of the house simply had to be the man, period! He was raised up being told by his father to look after his sisters and cows and goats, even the chicken! He knew that he was responsible for all of them. The boy carries this trait to his manhood. He prowls around his wife and children. Any threat to the is dealt with immediately. He brings a sense of security to the family.

#provider: At a young age an African boy is taught that he, as a man must make sure that he provides for his family. He would see how his father comes back home with a deer and his mother receiving it happily. An African man does not only provide for his immediate family, but also for both his and his wife's extended family. He takes his responsibility very seriously that even when things get tough, he never stops trying.

Now these were lions of Africa.

It is the eye that has seen the smoke that will perceive the fire.

A Hausa proverb

Niger men

Maasai man-Tanzania

our phenomenal women

Our mothers had it all!! From Egypt to Angola, South Africa to Libya, Senegal to Tanzania....they had it all. Their curves, their smile, their kitchen skills, their humility and humbleness, but most of all their caring and loving nature.

Do you remember long a go when your friend's mother would punish you for misbehaving?...and you would be lucky if she wont tell your mom because she would punish you as well!! this is how they made sure their children grew up to be responsible people. This is how we learned to call every woman mama, because every mother was a mother to every child in the society.

Africa is sometimes referred to as a country because of the many things countries within it share. our dressing for instance; a Nigerian woman in her abaya, a Rwandise lady in her Mushanana, a Tanzanian mama in her kitenge and a Somalian in her guntiino. They all have something in common; they are conservative, colourful attires. An African woman dressing portrayed respect for herself, her father(family) and her husband. Our mothers dressed gracefully!

Who can beat mama's food!!? with all going on in her life; taking care of children(probably five!), doing house chores and gardening, she never failed failed to put food on the table for her family. Not just any meal, but a delicious one that she learned from her mother. She knew exactly what to cook to change her husband's mood, a special ingredient to include to make her sick daughter eat and the exact amount to give her son for him to have enough strength to rear cows.

I am not sure how they did it, but our mothers were strong! both physically and emotionally. I can personally testify of women who went through hell and came back alive. These were no-nonsense women but were wise and humble. They knew when to speak and when to keep quiet, when to argue and when to let go. Through these, they gained respect and dignity.

our mothers beat us with one hand and pamper us with the other.

Now these were African Beauties!!

It takes a whole village to raise a child

-An African Proverb

A reminder

so what is culture?
It is generally the way a certain society lives. This includes their values, beliefs, languages, dressing, daily practices and much more. This means each society has its own culture: the Chinise culture, European culture, Asian culture etc, and no culture is superior to the other.
It seems to me today that people are disturbed by the word culture. It is associated with some bad myths and disgusting practices. But the truth is, our culture is our identiy. when we identify ourselves as Africans, we are automatically associated with its cultures.
Cultures evolve, adapting itself to new environment and circumstances and Africans have had to deal with multiple changes in their cultures. But does this mean we abandon our cultures? Nope! it just means we learn to incoporate the modern lifestyle with our own cultures. It means we develop without abandoning our identiy or perhaps use our identity to develop.
Our culture is in danger of being totaly forgotten. We,(The modern generations) either don't know it well or we just don't want anything to do with it or we find it easier to just move with the current. We are reminded more of our problems and failures than our resilient selves. Our grand parents are dying without telling us of the old golden stories (probably because they have been replaced by TV).
well, let us remind ourselves of how it used to be....
"Sometimes you need to swim against the current for you to achieve what you want"
-M.Zulu

Be grateful to the tree so that it may yield more fruits
-A Shona Proverb

overview

Are you passionate about Africa and its cultures? Do you want to learn more about it? Do you want to share your views and experiences? well, if so then lets do it together. The objective here is appreciate African culture and show its relevance to the modern era. To remind ourselves of our beautiful ways of living that we should embrace. To share our views on how we can develop without losing our identity. but most of all, to appreciate our roots, our heritage!

A wise man never knows all, only fools know everything

African Proverb.