CUSTOMS
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Flag of Swaziland by N.A. used under public domain
Burials |
African burials are very much like what we have in the United States because their custom stuck here. They believe in giving the “correct” funeral with various religious ceremonies to honor the life of the diseased. This also correlates to their religious views about afterlife. Africans will often cut a hole in the wall of the house, only to immediately seal it up again, to allow the body to exit the house not through the front door. This is followed by taking a zig-zag route to the burial grounds to confuse and separate the dead from the living. If the dead is not given the correct burial or funeral, this can lead to the belief of the ghost continuing to live, wonder the earth and cause trouble. This belief is also if the person lived a dishonorable life. Having a "correct" burial is both an honor and required to become an ancestor.
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Religion |
African religion was mostly Islamic and Christian although there was still belief in the ancestors having a major role in the way life was lived. They believe that ancestors communicate with the family after they pass away and have power over the living. These beliefs are spread mostly through oral sources. “Human existence is a dynamic process involving the increase or decrease of ‘power’ or ‘life force,’ of ‘living’ and ‘dying’, and there are different levels of life and death.” (Anderson). Africans peacefully coexist with the different beliefs and belief systems.
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Ashanti Yam Ceremony by Thomas E. Bowdich used under Pubic Domain
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North African music is much different, and excluded from the definition of "traditional African music" than the music in other parts of Africa due to its Arabic sound. "The music of North Africa employs the use of the zither, lute, and rabab, a two stringed instrument that uses a bow" (Ekezie). Music customs are often handed down from generation to generation orally and a part of everyday life.
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