Almanac of African Peoples and NationsMohamad Yakan The peoples of Africa are neither ethnically, culturally, nor religiously homogeneous. European colonial powers took little note of this reality in carving up the continent, a fact reflected in the periodic outbreak of civil war since decolonialization. Likewise, Western European models of development, whether in their liberal or Marxist manifestations, have so far failed to meet African development needs. The path to stability in Africa is through its people's character and goals. Almanac of African Peoples and Nations provides an essential guide to the major ethnic groups of the African continent, highlighting the major contributions and basic features of each.The Almanac reviews Africa's language families and their respective national and geographic concentrations, explaining ethnic classification based on linguistic difference and including language groups that are not indigenous to Africa. The major African peoples are then listed by country with a statistical breakdown on their respective shares in the total population of each country and maps indicating their concentration. The major section of the volume includes a comprehensive listing and descriptive profile of each ethnic, national, and tribal group detailing their history, customs, economic systems, and political and social organizations. The Almanac points out as well which groups support revisionist political aspirations and shows the internal and external pressures they are subject to. Yakan notes that African societies are not highly integrated and must support multitudes of influential sub-cultures with conflicting agendas and loyalties. Arguing that tribalism reflects Africa's historical experience and cultural heritage, he sees the resolution of the continent's problems in consociational democracy, proportional representation, federalism, or some form of autonomous rule. |
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Common terms and phrases
African Bantu-speaking African ethnic group African languages agriculturalists agriculture Ahel Akan Angola Arab Ashanti Berber Botswana British Cameroon Central African Republic Central and East central regions century Chad clans concentrated in Kenya Congo Zaire constitute country’s Cultures Democratic Republic Dinka Eastern Sudanic Ethiopia European family of African Fula Fulani Ghana groups and/or subgroups Hausa Ibibio Ibid Igbo Ivory Coast Kalenjin Kanuri Kenya Kikuyu kingdom known Kongo Lake language that belongs largest ethnic group lineages live Lozi LUHYA Lunda main concentrations Mali Malinke Mande Muslim Namibia neighbors include Niger Niger-Congo family Nigeria Nilotic northeastern northern notably Oulad patrilineal political primarily region of Morocco River Shona society Somali Sotho South Africa southeastern regions southern African Southern Nilotic language southern regions Southwest African southwestern speak a language Tanzania TAUREG Togo total population trading traditional tribal Tswana Uganda villages Voltaic West African West Central African western Yoruba Zaire Zambia