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AFRICA CONTINENT CULTURE
The National Museum of African American History and Culture is now
open to the public. As we begin a gradual, phased reopening for the
Museum, we’re putting safety first with new measures in place to protect
everyone’s health.Please review important visitor information as you plan your visit.
The Museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesday and open Wednesday through
Sunday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Admission is free. Timed-entry passes are required.
The culture in Africa is varied and manifold, consisting of a
mixture of countries with various tribes that each have their own unique
characteristic from the continent of Africa. It is a product of the diverse populations that today inhabit the continent of Africa and the African Diaspora. African culture is expressed in its arts and crafts, folklore and religion, clothing, cuisine, music and languages.[1]
Expressions of culture are abundant within Africa, with large amounts
of cultural diversity being found not only across different countries
but also within single countries. Even though African cultures are
widely diverse, they are also, when closely studied, seen to have many
similarities; for example, the morals they uphold, their love and
respect for their culture as well as the strong respect they hold for
the aged and the important, i.e. kings and chiefs. Africa has influenced and been influenced by other continents.
This can be portrayed in the willingness to adapt to the ever-changing
modern world rather than staying rooted to their static culture. The
Westernized few, persuaded by American culture and Christianity, first
denied African traditional culture, but with the increase of African nationalism,
a cultural recovery occurred. The governments of most African nations
encourage national dance and music groups, museums, and to a lower
degree, artists and writers
Held
every year on 24 January, World Day for African and Afrodescendant
Culture celebrates the many vibrant cultures of the African continent
and African Diasporas around the world, and promotes them as an
effective lever for sustainable development, dialogue and peace. As a
rich source of the world’s shared heritage, promoting African and
Afrodescendant culture is crucial for the development of the continent,
and for humanity as a whole. UNESCO adopted 24 January as the World Day for African and
Afrodescendant Culture at the 40th session of the UNESCO General
Conference in 2019. This date coincides with the adoption of the
Charter for African Cultural Renaissance in 2006 by the Heads of State
and Government of the African Union. Celebration of this day also aims
to promote the widest possible ratification and implementation of this
Charter by African States, thereby strengthening the role of culture in
promoting peace on the continent.There is much to learn, share and celebrate on World Day for African
and Afrodescendant Culture, and UNESCO encourages everyone to join in
through various activities such as debates, conferences, workshops,
cultural events and presentations or exhibitions.
Depicting
the history of Africa is a challenge due to the scarcity of written
sources, with many researchers having to rely solely on oral history,
archaeology and genetics to determine details of the continent’s past.
The recorded history of early civilisation began in Egypt and later
spread to Nubia, the Maghreb and the Horn of Africa. Islam spread
throughout Africa during the middle ages and remains to be the dominant
religion in Northern African today.
The
African Culture Fund is an initiative that defends a continent’s desire
to write new narratives and take its rightful place on the world stage
through the voice of its unique culture.Indeed, the sources of financing
for culture remain fluctuating, random and dispersed in Africa despite
the efforts made by African governments and financial partners in the
sector (foundations, international organizations, etc.). This situation
makes the activity of culture financing very complex, as much for the
financial partners as for the projects carriers. The creation of a
continental instrument for financing art and culture is therefore
becoming a priority for Africa.The Fund aims to contribute to the
writing and the establishment of new narratives of positive social
change in Africa through innovative projects that it finances.
