AFRICA: An Introduction

Africa is the world’s second largest and second most populous continent after
Asia, which comprises 54 independent countries and territories within its borders mostly
ruled by European nations and contains about one eighth of the world’s population.
People and cultures are different, ranging from desert nomads to pygmies of the rain
forest to tribes men of the central plains.

Africa covers an area as large as the United States, Western Europe, India, and
China put together. It has one-fifth of the entire land surface of the globe. It is
unbelievably rich continent. It contains ninety-eight percent of the diamond mines of the
world and fifty-five percent of the gold mines. It produces two-thirds of the world’s
supply of cocoa and three fifths of the world’s supply of palm oil. It has immense
reserves of water power.

Historically, Africa is called the Dark Continent not because of the complexion of
the original inhabitants but because most people know very little about it. Africa is not a
dark continent; it is a land flushing with sunshine and vivid light. It is the last of the
continents to feel the influence of Western civilization; therefore many people consider it
a background continent.

Archaeologists are now becoming increasingly sure that the first man appeared
in Africa. Fossilized remains of man have been found there that, when given the carbon
dating test, show man roamed the African continent two million years ago. Stone
implements have also been found in certain parts of Africa that testify to two million
years of human occupation. Today, its societies are still largely tribal. A typical African
tribesman has a role assigned to him by the society. He learns the ways of the society
and the tasks expected of him.

Most Africans practice local traditions which have sprung from different religious
systems. There are hundreds of local religions in Africa because each ethnic group has
its own set of beliefs and practices. Many recognize a supreme god as well as many
lesser gods and spirits which include the souls of the dead ancestors.

The geography of Africa is so varied and extremely diverse. Most of its local arts
is closely associated with religion. It is primitive in nature and is associated with
superstition and spiritual motifs. Decorative motifs are used to honor the animal and
plant life of a region. Africa is the best place in the world where wild animals can still be
seen migrating across the plains, rivers, swamps and on the savanna.

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 The Literatures of Africa

Literature that has been written for or by African people is called African
literature. Their literature refers to oral and written literary pieces produced on the
African continent. The oral literature of Africa may be in prose or in poetry. Storytellers
in Africa often tell stories using the call-and-response technique. This is because an
African storyteller would expect his/her audience to give response or comments. Poetry
is often sung or recited in a sing-song voice.

Poetry types include the narrative epic, occupational verse, ritual verse, and
praise poems to rulers or other prominent people. The praise singers, bards sometimes
known as griots, tell their stories with a musical background. Also recited but most
often sung, are love songs, worksongs, children’s song, epigrams, and riddles.

The Africa’s written literature, on the other hand, is in European languages,

owing to European colonization of the 10th to the mid-20th century. European
languages supplanted African languages in government, education, business, and in
daily communication during that period. By far the most widely used European
languages in African literature is English, followed by French and Portuguese,
respectively. Traditional languages became vehicles of cultural thoughts. Poetry, drama,
the novel and the short story flourished as literary genres. The peoples’ struggle to cope
with-or oppose-the changing atmosphere of their homelands was dramatically recorded
in what is now known as African literature.

African literature is also the home of literary masters. Writers who have been
witnesses of history articulated the call of change, and were recognized as literary
masters by notable literary distinctions, such as Wole Sojinka who won the Nobel Prize
for literature in 1986, Chinua Achebe, Christina Ama Ata Aidoo, Gladys Casey- Heyford,
Aime Cesaine, Isak Dinesen, Nadine Gordimer, Doris Lesing, Wa Thiongo and Naguib
Mahfouz are among those who have defined the literary standards of African literature.

To capture the beautiful soul of African literature requires careful scrutiny and
analysis. The texts chosen for this literary study are those that reflect the atmosphere of
African literature as represented in its traditions, customs and beliefs of the people.

Because literature represents the writer’s response to his milieu, the texts
selected represent the portrayal of African writers of the struggle of the people through
time and space. Literary backgrounds are the framework for choosing literary
masterpieces.

The major influences in African literature are embodied in Negritude, Apartheid

Law, Publication and Entertainment Act of 1963, and Harlem Renaissance.

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 African Culture

The culture of Africa encompasses and includes all cultures within the continent
of Africa. There is a political or racial split between North Africa, and Sub-Saharan
Africa, which in turn divided into a great number of ethic cultures. African cultures are
diverse and varied and not static and which have been impacted upon by both internal
and external forces.

Historically, Africa is home to innumerable tribes, ethnic and social groups and
also are greatly diverse in beliefs. Africa has a rich tradition of arts and crafts. African
arts and crafts find expression in a variety of woodcarvings, brass and leather art works.
It also include sculpture, paintings, pottery, ceremonial and religious headgear and
dress.

African culture has always placed emphasis on personal appearance and jewelry
has remained an important personal accessory. Similarly, masks are made with
elaborate designs and are important part of African culture. Masks are used in various
ceremonies depicting ancestors and spirits, mythological characters and deities.

In most of traditional art and craft of Africa, certain themes significant to African
culture recur, including a couple, a woman with a child, a male with a weapon or animal,
and an outsider or a stranger. Couples may represent ancestors, community founder,
married couple or twins. The mother with the child or children reveals intense desire of
the African women to have children. The man with the weapon or animal theme
symbolizes honor and power. A stranger may be from some other tribe or someone
from a different country, and more distorted portrayal of the stranger indicates
proportionately greater gap from the stranger.

Like all human cultures, African folklore and religion represents a variety of social
facets of African culture. In Ethiopia, Christianity and Islam form the core aspects of
Ethiopian culture and inform dietary customs as well as rituals and rites.

As to African clothing, women’s traditional clothes in Ethiopia are made from

cloth called shemma and used to make habasha qemis, which is locally cotton cloth,
about 90cm wide, woven in long strips which are then sewn together, and sometimes
shiny threads are woven into the fabric for an elegant effect.

Traditional male clothing, on the other hand. is usually light, consisting of a two-
part apron used to cover the genitals and buttocks. Married men will usually also wear a
headband called the umqhele, which is usually also made of springbok hide, or leopard
hide by men of higher social status, such as chiefs. Zulu men will also wear cow tails as
bracelets and anklets called imishokobezi during ceremonies and rituals, such as
weddings or dances.

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 The African cuisine is a combination of traditional fruits and vegetables, milk, and
meat products. The African village diet is often milk, curds and whey. In most parts of
Africa, traditional African cuisine is characterized by use of starch as a focus,
accompanied by stew containing meat or vegetables, or both. Africans also use
steamed greens with hot spices. Dishes of steamed or boiled green vegetables, peas,
beans and cereals, starchy cassava, yams and sweet potatoes are widely consumed.
Watermelon, banana and plantain are some of the more familiar fruits.

The continent of Africa speaks hundreds of languages with various importance to

every African. Among the most prominent languages spoken are Arabic, Swahili and
Hausa. However, some Africans speak various languages such as English, Spanish,
French, and Dutch.

African Traditions

African tradition is expressed through many different art forms, such as music,
dance, art, sculpture and beadwork. These traditions are deeply ingrained into the
whole African culture.

Naturally, singing is very important to the African society because the melody
and rhythm follow the intonation of the song text, and the songs are often sung in call-
and-response form.

In West Africa, a griot is a praise singer or poet who possesses a repository of

oral tradition passed down from generation to generation; They must know the
traditional songs and must also be able to improvise songs about current events and
chance incidents.

Oral tradition is very important in African culture, as it ensures the passage of

cultural practices from one generation to another. Listening is an equally important skill
which has been perfected by the traditional oral practices. Numerous songs and dances
have been transmitted by word of mouth.

Music is a form of communication and it plays a functional role in African society.

Songs accompany marriage, birth, rites of passage, hunting and even political activities.
Music is often used in different African cultures to ward off evil spirits and to pay
respects to good spirits, the dead and ancestors.

The most significant instrument in African music is the African drum. It expresses
the mood of the people and evokes emotion. The beat of the African drum is the
“heartbeat of the community and its rhythm is what holds the dancers together.”

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 Similarly, dance is an integral part of the African culture which utilizes symbolic
gestures, masks, costumes, body painting and props to communicate. Dance is used to
express emotion, whether joyful or sorrowful and it is not limited to just the dancers,
spectators, however, are encouraged to join in.

The African masks that are used in dances have religious, ceremonial and
functional origins. The artist who carves the mask will ceremonially purify himself and
offer prayers to his ancestors for guidance before he begins the actual carving of the
mask. The African mask represents a spirit and it is believed that the spirit possesses
the dancer as they wear the mask. The chosen dancer goes into a trauce-like state in
order to receive guidance and wisdom from the ancestors. The dancer will utter and
moan the messages received and a wise man, who accompanies the dancer will
translate the message.

Although music and dance are extremely important African traditions and are
very common forms of communication, many African people express themeselves in
other art forms as well.

The Zulu people are well known for their intricate beadwork. The color of each
bead carries a specific meaning. The beads have been used to carry messages known
as ucu, a Zulu term translated as love letters.

It is an African tradition for young girls to send a boy a beaded bracelet of

different colours. The boy will court her for a while and at the appropriate time, he will
ask her the meaning of the beads.

Art and sculpture are prevalent in African culture, and the most common themes
depict a couple, a woman and child, a male with a weapon or animal, or a stranger.

A male and female couple in African art usually depicts strength and honour
rather than love and intimacy, as it is uncommon for African men and women to publicly
display their affection.

A mother and child couple can represent mother earth and her people, or the
strong bond between mother and child.

The male figure with a weapon or animal represent honor to departed ancestors.
African men are often honored in warfare and there is a great emphasis on weaponry in
African art as it depicts survival and power.

When the stranger is represented in African art, it usually depicts someone from
a foreign country or tribe that is not welcomed.

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 In African culture, the self is not separate from the world, it is united and
intermingled with the natural and social environment. It is through relations with one’s
community and surroundings that an individual becomes a person of volition, whose
actions and decisions affect the entire group rather than just oneself.

The vast majority of people living in Africa are indigenous. They speak a variety
of languages, practice numerous religions and reside in various types of dwellings.

The customs and traditions of ethnic groups and African tribes have been woven
into a tapestry as colorful and diverse as the people of Africa themselves.

African Customs

Each group of people throughout Africa have customs that are unique to them.
One traditional custom in African culture is that of lobola, where the groom pays the
father of the bride in order to compensate for the loss of the man’s daughter.
Traditionally, lobola was paid in cattle, a valued commodity in many African cultures,
but today many modern couples pay lobola in cash.

Lobola is intended to bring together two families, fostering mutual respect. It also
indicates that the groom is financially capable of supporting his wife. The negotiations of
lobola can take up to two days.

Wedding Rites

The wedding is held at night when the moon is full. It is considered bad luck if the
wedding takes place when the moon is not bright. The wedding celebrations can last
several days but the bride’s parents do not attend because it is too sad for them and the
event is intended to be a joyous one.

A man can have as many wives as he can afford and the wives share the
responsibilities of the daily chores such as babysitting, pounding corn, preparing meals
and washing clothes. The practice of polygamy brings more families together and
deepens the interest of the welfare in others. The protection of the family is the core
value in most African tribes. Members in the tribe care for one another, share wealth
and food and assure that no child is abandoned.

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The Rite of Passage/Circumcision

The rite of passage is a controversial African custom that varies from tribe to
tribe. Circumcision, which is usually performed on males is, in some cultures, performed
on females as well. The ritual is usually spread over a period of several months and the
one being circumcised is forbidden from screaming or crying because doing so is
considered cowardly behavior.

The African customs of tribal circumcision has often caused mutilation and even
death. The victim seldom seeks medical care from a hospital because they are often
abandoned by their family and their tribe for doing so. It is believed that complications
arising from circumcision are the fault of the victim because they are either being
punished for having done something wrong or they are too weak to be qualified as men.

Famous People From Africa

Africa has a rich tradition of leaders, environmentalists, sportmen and statesmen.

Let’s have a few of these personalities.

a. Wangari Maathal – a famous environmentalist from Kenya, and founder of the

Green Belt Movement, which its main objective was to preserve native plant
species by creating nurseries: Dr. Maathal was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize in 2004.

b. Nelson Mandela – the first President to be elected democratically in the

history of South Africa. He demonstrated courage, patience and
determination to free his nation from the shackless of apartheid.

c. Kofi Annan – the former secretary – general of United Nations who had
influenced world politics positively and tried to resolve conflicts between
different nations in a peaceful manner.

d. Desmond Tutu – the world famous religious leader who voiced his opinion
fearlessly against apartheid and xenophobic violence in South Africa. He
received the Nobel Peace Prize and the Gaudhi Peace prize in 1984 and
2005, respectively.

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 ESSAYS FROM AFRICA

Pre – Reading Activity

What is an essay? Have you tried to write or read an essay explaining something
about different kinds of people or group of people of the world? What are the values of
an essay? Do they teach children a lesson about life? The following essay tells or
explains how marriage and the wedding are done or practiced.

Vocabulary:

Tambourines – a small drum, especially a shallow one headed drum with

loose metallic disks at the sides played especially by shaking or striking with the
hand.

Slave – a person hell in servitude as the chattel of another.

Plumpness – freedom from hesitation.

Coverbine – a woman with whom a man cohabits which being married.

Moorish Marriage Customs

This essay deals on the practices observed by Moslem Moors on

courtship and engagement before marriage. It also deals on how a Moorish
wedding is celebrated.

A Moorish wedding begins with a procession. First come the musicians playing
shrill pipes and beating small drums like tambourines. Then come the bearded elders of
the bride’s family, some of them limping and supported by canes. These are followed by
a woman dressed in red-and-white striped cloth, bearing aloft large green and yellow
candles. Next come more musicians followed by a group of eight men carrying a paper
box on long poles. The box is heavy because it contains the bride, who is carried to the
home of her fiance, where the marriage will take place.

The bride and groom have never seen each other. When the bride arrives at the
house, there is nobody except a female Negro servant who lifts her out of the box
because her feet must not touch the ground. The groom himself is not at home; she
waits until he arrives. She may have to wait for a long time; the ceremony cannot begin
without him.

When he comes in, the two eat together alone while the members of the family
wait outside, shrieking and sounding out loud music. This is the bride’s one and only
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meal with her husband, because afterward she will eat only with the women. For the
rest of her life, she is her husband’s slave; she almost never goes out of the house; she
will not be allowed to go out more than once or twice all her lifetime. She will not go to
see members of her family even if they live in the same town. Once a year, with her
husband’s consent, her mother might visit her.

To the Moslem moors, there is no courtship before marriage. All is arranged by

the fathers. Usually the father of the groom looks around to size up available young
ladies from thirteen to fifteen years old. Then, after having made a choice, he goes to
the girl’s father and arranges all matters pertaining to the wedding. The arrangement is
mainly financial. The groom’s father pays the girl’s father whatever sum is agreed upon.

The engagement must last for months. During this period, the girl is deliberately
fattened up because to the Moroccans, plumpness is fashionable. The Moorish ideal of
beauty in women is plumpness, a very small nose, a tiny mouth, and eyes as big as
possible. A Moslem can have only a maximum of four legal wives and he must treat
them equally and their children equally, too. However, he can have as many slave
concubines as he can afford.

After Reading

Discussion and Analysis

1. How is a Moorish wedding done? How does it differ to other culture of other
countries? How is it similar?
2. Does the essay teach any values to children and youth? Why? Why not?
3. Give as many interesting details as you can about a Moorish wedding.
4. What traditional customs, beliefs and practices if any are depicted and/or
reflected in the given essay?
5. Why do you suppose Moorish girls marry so young?

Beyond Reading

Values: Life Connection

Record a Filipino essay reflecting a Filipino marriage and wedding rites by

interviewing people from the barriors. Identify the value of this essay and cite some
traditions, customs and beliefs, practices and recognize and present it to the class. The

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presentation must be meaningful and creative. The teacher will set the criteria for
presentation evaluation.

Pre Reading Activity

Answer these questions:

1. When did you first attend a ball or a party? What did you enjoy/not enjoy during
the party?
2. What did you remember about it most? What was the feeling?
3. Were these disappointments for you or not? Why? Why not?
4. What would you want/not want to experience again while attending parties.

Vocabulary:

Divan – a long seat formed of a mattress laid against the side of the
room, upon the floor, or upon a raised structure or frame, with cushions to lean
against.

Crumb – a very small piece broken from a baked item, such as a cookie,
cake or bread.

Spout – a tube, mouth or pipe through which liquid is released or

discharged.

Banquet – a ceremonial dinner honoring a particular guest or occasion.

A Moorish Banquet

This essay illustrates some practices observed by Moslem in eating

before attending a Moorish banquet. It also illustrates how menu consists of
different courses are prepared and served in a banquet.

Guests at a Moorish meal sit an cushions laid on the floor or on law divans. They
are given a large white napkin that they lay on their knees. This is used to clean the lips
but never to clean the fingers. The left hand is used to. hold bread only. The left hand is
not to touch any other food. According to a Moslem belief, the left is unclean. There are
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no knives, forks, spoons, or plates or other implements for eating on the table. The
tablecloth is put on the floor to catch crumbs. Each person gets food with his right hand
from a common dish because there is no individual service. Arabians use only the
thumb and the first two fingers to hold food; the fingers are not supposed to touch the
lips when putting food into the mouth. No matter how greasy the fingers become, they
cannot be wiped on the napkin or be licked.

Bones and uneatable portions are thrown on the floor.

The meal begins with a servant bringing a copper kettle or pitcher with a thin
spout. The servant pours water into a bowl over the hands of each guest; at the end of
the meal, the same procedure is followed. Next comes mint tea, thick and heavy, which
is offered to each guest. Then follow plate after plate of the different courses which are
brought in an very large trays or casseroles. The guests reach over to the common dish
placed on the table. It is very significant that the women of the household are never
present at a banquet. If anything is left from each dish, it is passed to the women and
the children who are waiting for it. When the women and children finish eating, the left
overs are passed on to the male servants, then the female servants, and lastly to the
slaves and hangers-on.

The menu generally consists of the following:

The first course -a pale green soup consisting of almonds and fish. This is a
concession of Europeans who cannot begin a meal without soup. Arabians do not, as a
rule, take soup.

The second course -a whole roast lamb served intact and called mechour. The
guests tear off pieces of this with their hands.

The third course-another roast lamb served with another sauce that differentiates
it from the first.

The fourth course-a pastilla that takes no less than forty-eight hours to prepare.
This is a pie, three feet in diameter. Inside it is a miscellany of shrimps, sweetbreads,
tripe, olives, liver, clams, and fried eggs. It is extremely delicious but very difficult to eat
with bare hands.

After this, there must be four more courses in succession. The last main course
is called a coucous. This is considered the rice meal. It comes at the end of the meal. It
is served last so that heavy eaters, those who are not yet satisfied, can fill up. Rice
forms the basis of this dish. The rice is cooked dry and hard and formed into small
hollow mounds. Each mound is filled with an assortment of vegetables, mutton and
even grapes, and nuts. There is a certain technique observed in eating this dish. The
guest picks it up expertly, forms it into a ball in the hollow of his palm, and pops it into
his mouth by throwing it up slightly in the air and catching it with his open mouth.

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 The last course is generally the dessert that is a cake stuffed with dates or sweet
oranges or tangerines.

As at the beginning, the guests are given mint tea, the universal drink of northern
Africa, at the end of the meal.

Pork is forbidden for Moslems and fish is not generally served in a banquet.

After Reading

Discussion and Analysis

1. What is the head of a Moslem community called?

2. Show that the Moslems are very religious.
3. Why does one have to have some practices in eating before attending a Moorish
banquet?
4. Which of the courses in the banquet would you prefer to eat?
5. Give as many interesting and unique details about a Moorish banquet. How are
these details different and/or similar to other culture of other countries?
6. What traditional customs, beliefs and practices are exemplified in the given essay
which are observed and recognized in Filipino culture.
7. What particular customary practices and beliefs are observed in accommodating
guests, preparing and serving food, menu for guests, the manner of eating and
selecting food as reflected in the given essay?
8. How are those customary practices and beliefs observed and demonstrated by
Filipinos?

Beyond Reading

Values: Life Connection

1. How is the statement related to our customs: “In feats it happens and not
infrequently, that more guests arrive than are expected according to the
invitations.”
2. Interview a Filipino-Chinese and ask:
a. What unique African practices in holding an occasion or party do you still
practice in the Philippines?

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b. What adjustments did you and your family experience as you adapted to
the Filipino lifestyle and culture?
c. How did you and your ancestors come to live in this country?

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 STORIES FROM AFRICA

Pre – Reading Activity

Get acquainted with a foreigner: Interview a foreigner about something

particularly his/her life in the community. Ask of some unique cultural and traditional
practices and beliefs that people observe and recognize in a given community. Conduct
a survey and make an informative report for oral presentation in class.

Share Views and observations about one’s culture. Interact or socialize with a
person who is from other community and share the peculiar practices and traditions you
observe in your community. Make an informative report about the cultural beliefs,
practices, and traditions you observe in your community.

Vocabulary:
Transmigration – to pass at death from one body or being to
another.
Odoriferous – giving forth a strong odor or scent.
Debarch – to corrupt by sensuality.
Oblation –an act of religious sacrifice
Libation - an act of pouring a liquid as a sacrifice
Profession - extravagance

Life in Benin

From Equiano’s Travels

by Olaudah Equiano
Translated by Paul Edwards

This story describes the simple and luxuries rural life in Benin. It also
describes the values, practices, religious and philosophical beliefs of the people
in Benin.

As our manners are simple our luxuries are few. The dress of both sexes is
nearly the same. It generally consists of a long piece of calico or muslin, wrapped
loosely round the body somewhat in the form of a highland plaid. This is usually dyed
blue, which is our favorite color, it is extracted from a berry and is brighter and richer
than any I have seen in Europe. Besides this our women of distinction wear golden
ornaments, which they dispose with some profusion in their arms and legs. When our

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women are not employed with the men in tillage, their usual occupation is spinning and
weaving cotton, which they afterwards dye and make into garments. They also
manufacture earthen vessels, of which we have many kinds. Among the best are
tobacco pipes, made after the fashion and used in the same manner, as those in
Turkey.

Our manner of living is entirely plain, for as yet the natives are unacquainted with
those refinements in cookery with debauch the taste: bullocks, goats, and poultry supply
the greatest part of their food. These constitute likewise the principal wealth of the
country and the chief articles of its commerce. The flesh is usually stewed in a pan; to
make it savory we sometimes also use pepper and other spices and we have salt made
of wood ashes. Our vegetables are mostly plantains, eadas, yams, beans, and Indian
corn. The head of the family usually eats alone; his wives and the slaves have also their
separate tables. Before we taste food we always wash our hands: indeed our
cleanliness on all occasions is extreme, but on this it is an indispensable ceremony.
After washing, libation is made by pouring out a small portion of the drink on the floor,
and tossing a small quantity of food in a certain place for the spirits of departed relations
which the natives are supposed to preside over their conduct and guard them from evil.
They are totally unacquainted with strong or spirituous liquors, and their principal
beverage is palm wine. This is gotten from a tree of that name by tapping it at the top
and fastening a large gourd to it, and sometimes one tree will yield three or four gallons
in a night. When just drawn it is of a most delicious sweetness, but in a few days it
acquires a tartish and more spirituous flavor, though I never saw anyone intoxicated by
it. The same tree also produces nuts and oil. Our principal luxury is in perfumes; one
sort of these is an odoriferous wood of delicious fragrance, the other a kind of earth, a
small portion of which, thrown into the fire, diffuses a more powerful odor. We beat this
wood into powder and mix it with palm oil, with which both men and women perfume
themselves.

In our buildings we study convenience rather than ornament. Each master of a

family has a large square piece of round, surrounded with a moat or fence or enclosed
with a wall made of red earth which, tempered when dry, is as hard as brick. Within this
are his houses to accommodate his family and slaves, which if numerous frequently
present the appearance of a village. In the middle stands the principal building,
appropriated to the sole use of the master and consisting of two apartments, in one of
which he sits in the day with his family. The other is left apart for the reception of his
friends. He has besides these a distinct apartment in which he sleeps, together with his
male children. On each side are the apartments of his wives, who have also their
separate day and night houses. The habitations of the slaves and their families are
distributed throughout the rest of the enclosure. These houses never exceed one story
in height: they are always built of wood or stakes driven into the ground, crossed with
wattles, and nearly plastered within and without. The roof is thatched with reeds. Our
day houses are left open at the sides, but those in which we sleep are always covered,
and plastered in the inside with a composition mixed with cow-dung to keep off the
different insects which annoy us during the night. The walls and floors also of these are
generally covered with mats. Our beds consist of a flatform raised three or four feet from

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the ground, on which are laid skins and different parts of a sponge tree called plantain.
Our covering is calico or muslin, the same as our dress. The usual seats are a few logs
of wood, but we have benches, which are generally perfumed to accommodate
strangers: these compose the greater part of our household furniture. Houses so
constructed and furnished require but little skill to erect them. Every man is a sufficient
architect for the purpose. The whole neighborhood afford their unanimous assistance in
building them and in return receive and expect no other recompense than a feast...

Our land is uncommonly rich an fruitful, and produces all kinds of vegetables in
great abundance. We have plenty of Indian corn, and vast quantities of cotton and
tobacco. Our pineapples grow without culture; they are about the size of the largest
sugar-loaf and finely flavored. We have also spices of different kinds, particularly
pepper, and a variety of delicious fruits which I have never seen in Europe, together
with gums of various kinds and honey in abundance. All our industry is exerted to
improve those blessings of nature. Agriculture is our chief employment, and everyone,
even the children and women, are engaged in it. Thus we are all habituated to labor
from our earliest years. Everyone contributes something to the common stock, and as
we unacquainted with idleness we have no beggars.

Our tillage is exercised in a large plain or common, some hours walk from our
dwellings, and all the neighbors resort thither in a body. They use no beasts of
husbandry, and their only instruments are hoes, axes, shovels and beaks, or pointed
iron to dig with. Sometimes we are visited by locusts, which come in large clouds so as
to darken the air and destroy our harvest. This however happens rarely, but when it
does a famine is produced by it. I remember an instance or two wherein this happened.
This common is often the theater of war, and therefore when our people go out to till
their land they not only go in a body but generally take their arms with them for fear of a
surprise, and when they apprehend an invasion they guard the avenues to their
dwellings by driving sticks into the ground which are so sharp at one end as to pierce
the foot and are generally dipped in poison. From what I can recollect of these battles,
they appear to have been irruptions of one little state or district on the other to obtain
prisoners or booty.

As to religion, the natives believe that there is one Creator of all things and that
he lives in the sun and is girded round with a belt that he may never eat or drink; but
according to some he smokes a pipe, which is our own favorite luxury. They believe he
governs events, especially our deaths or captivity, but as for the doctrine of eternity, I do
not remember to have ever heard of it: some, however, believe in the transfiguration of
souls in a certain degree. Those spirits which are transmigrated, such as their dear
friends or relations, they believe always attend them and guard them from the bad
spirits or foes. For this reason they always, before eating, as I have observed, put some
small portion of the meat and some of their drink on the ground for them, and they often
make oblations of the blood of beast or fowls at their graves.

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 After Reading

Analysis and Discussion

1. What characterizes the simple and luxurious life in Benin? In what ways are they
simple or luxurious?
2. What are the traditional family values and cultural practices of the natives as
reflected in the story? Describe the rural life in Benin as compared to Filipino
rural with respect to culture, traditions and beliefs.
3. Identify and explain the religious beliefs of the people and discuss the logic
behind their beliefs.
4. In what ways do the religious and cultural beliefs in Benin affect their lives?
Identify those beliefs and relate to Filipino way of living.
5. Would you consider the culture of Benin more progressive and superior over
other cultures of the world? Why? Why not?
6. What practices, beliefs and traditions of families in Benin different from the
families in other countries of the world? Present in tabular form.
7. What could have been the writer’s reason or purposes for presenting the life of
his hometown?
8. Which of these beliefs, practices, traditions of Benin would you adhere to? Give
reasons.

Beyond Reading

Let’s read ...

Benin was a powerful West African kingdom located west of the Niger River in
what is now southern Nigeria. The kingdom of Benin became popular with its public
rituals and large palace which housed hundreds of wives of the oba or king. The
kingdoms reign lasted from the thirteenth to the nineteenth century.

Values: Literary/Life Connection

Why do people particularly writers write? In a group of ten members, express

your insights on the given question. Read the extract from the autobiography of the
Olaudah Equiano, present the ideas of the writer, his observations, feelings and
experiences using a graphic organizer. Identify the writer’s intention why he included his
experience when he boarded a slave ship in his autobiography.

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 Pre – Reading Activity

Discussion:

Looking back to the 60’s. the 60’s onwards characterized an era of revolutionary
events that have greatly shaped the 20th century. What have you heard from the adults
around you about this decade and the decades onwards? Was the name Meja Mwangi
ever mentioned? Describe the decade that is most familiar to you. Give a few of its
outstanding characteristics.

Vocabulary:

Protagonist(s) – the chief character of a novel or story in or around

whom the action centers
Liberation – the act of freeing control or domination by a foreign
power or the state of being freed from such power.
Inevitabilities – the state of being incapable of being avoided or
evaded.
Escalated – increased that counteracts an unjust discrepancy.
Ammunition – resources for attack or defense often in a contention
or struggle in which one must engage.
Disillusioned – the state of having lost faith or illusions

Carcase For Hounds

(Synopsis)

This story revolves on the military struggle by the Mau Mau warriors
against the British troops aimed to achieve political freedom.

The story revolves around General Haraka, a former village chief who was later
converted to a Mau Mau warrior and Captain George Kingsley who is after the former.
The Mau Mau warriors are under the command of Haraka (Hurry). The plot centers on
the fight between Haraka's men and British troops led by a Captain Kingsley. The
fictional protagonists, Haraka and Kingsley, know each other as Haraka was once chief
of a village under Kingsley’s jurisdiction. The Captain is under pressure from his
superiors, who demand immediate results in the attempts to crush the resistance met
with from Haraka and his men.

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 Kingsley’s target is to put an end to Haraka’s liberation struggle and his group, no
matter what it takes but his efforts are being prevented primarily by some inevitabilities--
- unpredictable weather, bad roads and Haraka’s genius. As if these were not enough,
pressure has also escalated on him from his superiors who want to see immediate
results from his actions.

However in the later part of the story, it can be noted that Haraka and his men
suffered terrible blows of not being able to keep the principles of their struggles due to
lack of ammunition and support from the younger generations. Haraka fell sick and the
group is on the verge of surrender. Haraka was shot leaving behind Kimamo as the
leader, his favorite among the fighters who took charge. Terribly wounded, Haraka was
disillusioned whether or not to continue the war because of lack of support, not to
mention the fact that he begun to realize the inutility of the war.

After Reading

Analysis and Discussion

1. What was the principal cause of the military struggle staged by the Mau Mau
warriors?
2. Is Haraka justified in waging war against the authority? Explain.
3. Was the novel successful in conveying political message to the readers?
4. What does the author advocate in aiming to achieve political freedom?
5. What African customs, traditions and beliefs are shown in the novel?

Beyond Reading

With the linear type of plot in mind, do the following:

1. Present a brief background regarding the Mau Mau liberation struggle to be able
to shed light regarding the motivation of the author in writing the novel.
2. Rewrite/reorganize the story.

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 POEM FROM AFRICA

Pre – Reading Activity

The dove symbolizes peace and purity. For you, what does a butterfly
symbolize? Explain briefly in class why the butterfly is being used as the subject in most
poems about nature or as conveyor of a symbol in poetry.

Vocabulary:
Violence – exertion of any physical force so as to injure or abuse
Undulating – rising and falling in waves.
Mottled – makrked with spots of different colors
Convergent – tending to move toward one point or to approach
each other

Butterfly

This poem entitled Butterfly brings about the values of sacrifice,

patience and freedom.

Speed is violence
Power is violence
Weight is violence

The butterfly seeks safety in lightness

In weightless, undulating flight

But at a crossroads where mottled light

From trees falls on a brash new highway
Our convergent territories meet

I come power-packed enough for two

And the gentle butterfly offers
Itself in bright yellow sacrifice
Upon my hard silicon shield.

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 After Reading

Discussion and Analysis

1. What is the symbolism of the butterfly in this poem?

2. What might the automobile signify?
3. Is the collision discussed in the poem literal or figurative?
4. What in Achebe’s experience makes this poem particularly ironic?
5. Sacrifice, patience and the like were somewhat depicted in this poem, what other
customs, traditions or beliefs among Africans are reflected in this poem?

Beyond Reading

Research Work:

Who among the modern day African writers do you consider as of the same
caliber as Achebe? Make an internet search on poems written by other African writers
and try to compare them with that of the work of Achebe.

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