African Values

Greeting
Greet people whenever you see them; even strangers. Ignoring anyone is rude.
Strangers
Welcome strangers, respect them, and treat them well, because they may return the
favour in the future. The good you do for someone else will eventually be paid back to
you.
Elders
Respect your elders. They have many years of experience. They know and hold the
traditional values that have always kept communities together. Their minds are less
poisoned by the modern world than young minds.
Integrity
You will be judged not by how you look, what you wear, or what you have, but who you
are and how you act.
Honesty
If you do something bad, people will find out about it. It helps keep you honest.
Responsibility
No person is an island. Each person exists as a part of the community. No one cannot
act without consequence. Each person has great responsibility. You always have a role,
responsibility and duties in the community, determined by your age, gender, health and
abilities.
Selflessness
Share what you have, even if it is very little. Do not be selfish.You must struggle against
the community's problems and not be content to please yourself. Work for the common
good.
Extended Family
The young, the elderly and the handicapped live at home and are the responsibility of
the extended family. Invest in your child's education, because he or she will get a job to
support the extended family. People survive even with 50% unemployment because the
workers support their extended families.
Monogamy
One man, one woman is not always practical; polygamy and the extended family system
often works better in traditional settings. Do not marry if you cannot afford it.
Entertainment
Entertainment for its own sake is foolish. Film, music and literature should be didactic
and instructive; it should contain a moral message.

Time
Time is subjective. There is plenty of time. Don't let time control you. Your watch cannot
tell you when an event should begin or end.
Judgment
When evaluating the time, food, a car, a house or a person, scientific statistics and
numbers are less important than your own feelings.
Land and Environment
The environment is sacred; it should be protected and preserved. Land is the property of
nobody and everybody; it should be shared. It belongs to the ancestors and to the
unborn as well as to the living. Each family should farm as much land as they need.
Access should be equal.
Holism
Medical cures must take into ACCOUNT the mind and the body together. Science must
synthesise its results, not merely analyse its data.
Death
Death is part of nature and should be discussed openly as something natural. The
ancestors exist in the minds of the living; they influence and guide their actions.
Religion
Religion should not be based on sadness, guilt and suffering but joyous celebrations.

African Traditions
African Traditions are expressed through music, art, dance and sculpture...
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.
Many African languages are tone languages, meaning that pitch level determines meaning.
Naturally, singing is very important to the African society because the melody and rhythm follow
the intonation of the song text. 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 insures 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.
Although the musical styles and instruments vary from region to region, there are some
common forms of musical expression. 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.
Dance is an integral part of the African culture. and it utilizes symbolic gestures, masks,
costumes, body painting and props to communicate. The dance movements can be simple or
complex with intricate actions including fast rotation, ripples of the body and contraction and
release. Dance is used to express emotion, whether joyful or sorrowful and it is not limited to
just the dancers. Often spectators will be encouraged to join in.

Dancers wearing traditional African masks

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 trance-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 themselves in other art forms as well.

The Zulu people are well known for their intricate beadwork. The colour of each bead carries a
specific meaning. The beads have been used to carry messages known as ucu, a Zulu term
loosely 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.
Couples are usually freestanding figures of the same size, representing the importance of two
as one. 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 honour to departed ancestors. African men
are often honoured 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.

I am an African Child by Eku McGred

I am an African child
Born with a skin the colour of chocolate
Bright, brilliant and articulate
Strong and bold; Im gifted
Talented enough to be the best
I am an African child
Often the target of pity
My future is not confined to charity
Give me the gift of a lifetime;
Give me a dream, a door of opportunity;
I will thrive
I am an African child
Do not hide my fault
show me my wrong
I am like any other;
Teach me to dream
And I will become
I am an African child
I am the son, daughter of the soil
Rich in texture and content
Full of potential for a better tomorrow
Teach me discipline, teach me character, teach me hard work
Teach me to think like the star within me
I am an African child
I can be extra-ordinary
call me William Kamkwamba the Inventor;
Give me a library with books
Give me a scrap yard and discarded electronics
Give me a broken bicycle;
Plus the freedom to be me
And I will build you a wind mill
I am an African child
We are the new generation
Not afraid to be us
Uniquely gifted, black and talented
Shining like the stars we are
We are the children of Africa
Making the best of us
Yes! I am an African Child