Major themes in African life

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Major themes in African life

• Environmental conditions of scarce population and
  fragile environment
• Migration and mobility
• Wealth in people
• Enduring and distinctive family structures
• High flexibility of social and political
  institutions
• Pragmatism
• Hybridization
• Ideals of prosperity and harmony
• Generational conflict and gerontocracy

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Nursing mother, Cameroon grasslands, 20th century
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No marryd Women, after they are brought to Bed,
lie with their Husbands till three Years are
expired, if the Child lives so long, at which
Time they wean their Children, and go to Bed to
their Husbands. They say that if a Woman lies
with her Husband during the Time she has a Child
sucking at her Breast, it spoils the Childs
Milk, and makes it liable to a great many
Distempers. Nevertheless, I believe, not one
Woman in twenty stays till they wean their
Children before they lie with a Man and indeed I
have very often seen Women much censurd, and
judged to be false to their Husbands Bed, upon
Account only of their suckling Child being
ill.--F. Moore (European trader) on the River
Gambia in the 1730s, Travels into the Inland
Parts of Africa (London, 1738), pp. 132-3.
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Lineages
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Sande Masks
Generally, artistic forms come together through
the performing arts.
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No pure traditional African art

• Hybridization constantly bringing in new forms
  from outside.
• Novelty and innovation always been part of
  African artistic traditions a colon.

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Aladura church in London
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Stateless Societies

• Function of mobile population, underpopulation,
  and land as resource
• Even when dense population, there was no state
• Ideal was the large complex household with Big
  Man surrounded by 10-40 people
• Control happened laterally, not hierarchically
  (secret societies, age-sets societies, ritual
  experts as mediators)
• Disputes settled through the lineage Bohannan
  and Curtin, p. 93

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A map of the course
Family Land Labor Politics Religion
Family Land Labor
Trade Land Labor
Family Land Labor Music
Family
Trade Religion Art Family
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