Tribes of Africa

Yakö, also spelled Yako or Yakurr, people of the Cross River region of eastern Nigeria; they speak Luko, a language of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo family.
The Yakö are mainly yam farmers; subsidiary crops include cocoyams (taro), corn (maize), okra, and pumpkin. The main cash crop is palm oil. The Yakö occupy compact villages divided into wards, each containing several patrilineal clans. Patrilineal descent governs rights to farmland, house sites, and cooperative labour. Men of the same patrilineal clan live together and cooperate in farming activities. The head of the clan arbitrates disputes, performs clan rituals, and represents the clan in external relations. The Yakö also recognize matrilineal descent, which governs the inheritance of transferable wealth, such as livestock and currency.

Tanzania’s largest tribal group is the Sukuma, a Bantu group of around 5.5 million people that lives in the north of the country and around the southern shores of Lake Victoria. The name “Sukuma” actually means “north” and is used in reference to the “people of the north”. While the majority live in rural areas, some also inhabit cities, particularly Mwanza and Shinyanga where they’ve adapted to modern life.
Traditionally, the Sukuma worshipped the spirits of their ancestors, believing that they contribute to the health of living family members, however, many now practice Christianity. They’re a predominantly matriarchal society, although polygamy is still a standard practice amongst many Sukuma.

Mbembe, is a group of people living along the middle Cross River in Nigeria. Numbering about 100,000 in the late 20th century, they speak the language of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo family.
The Mbembe cultivate yams, rice, cocoyams (taro), and cassava. In modern times wage laborers generally clear the fields and cultivate the yams. The land is either followed after one year or planted with cassava by women, who receive the profits from its sale. Compact settlements of wattle-and-daub houses with a mat or thatched roofs range in size from 100 to 3,000 inhabitants.
The Mbembe trace descent through both matrilineal and patrilineal lines. Movable property (such as yams, money, and clothing) is inherited matrilineally. The matrilineage is collectively responsible for its members in jural matters. Rights to land and houses are inherited patrilineally, and lineage members usually live together. Age sets cutting across kinship ties are formed in each village. Of village associations that function as agents of social control, the okwa, the most powerful, has certain authority over women and authority to issue orders in such matters as public works. Members of the okwa also select the village chief.

The Iraqw are a Cushitic-speaking (a branch of the Afroasiatic language family) tribal group that live in the Arusha and Manyara regions of Tanzania, just south of the famous Ngorongoro Crater. There are around 350,000 believed to be living within the country and they are renowned for their sharply defined features. While many safaris often travel through Iraqw territory, they tend to be shy people who sell their cattle and crops only when it’s necessary.
Male Iraqw are famed for their blacksmithing while many of the women are skilled at pottery. They’re thought to be the descendants of the Neolithic Afro-Asiatic people who first introduced domesticated plants and animals to the Great Lakes Region. The Iraqw people speak the Iraqw language, which isn’t endangered but is becoming less widely spoken and written due to the increasing importance of Swahili as the main language in Tanzania.

Ndebele, also called Transvaal Ndebele, any of several Bantu-speaking African peoples who live primarily in the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces in South Africa. The Ndebele are ancient offshoots of the main Nguni-speaking peoples and began migrations to the Transvaal region in the 17th century.
The main group of Transvaal Ndebele traces its ancestry to Musi, or Msi, who, with his followers, diverged from a small group of Nguni people migrating down the southeastern coast of Africa and eventually settled in the Transvaal at the site of modern Pretoria. The descendants of Musi’s people were joined in the 18th and 19th centuries by Nguni people fleeing from the wars of Dingiswayo and Shaka in Natal. The Transvaal Ndebele survived the Zulu raids by hiding in the bush. As a result, however, they were geographically divided into separate groups.

The Hadzabe are one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribes in the world, with just 1,200-1,300 believed to live in Tanzania today. Rather than keeping livestock and tending the land, they spend their days hunting and foraging for food, maintaining a simple diet that’s changed little throughout the centuries. They inhabit caves and establish simple dwellings around Lake Eyasi, just to the south of the Serengeti National Park, and they are the only people allowed to hunt inside the borders of the Serengeti.

The Damara, also called Daman or Damaqua, are an ethnic group who make up 8.5% of Namibia's population. They speak the Khoekhoe language and the majority live in the northwestern regions of Namibia, however they are also found widely across the rest of the country. They have no known cultural relationship with any of the other tribes anywhere else in Africa and very little is known of their origin. It has been proposed that the Damara are a remnant population of south-western African hunter-gatherers, otherwise only represented by the Cimba, Kwisi and Kwadi, who adopted the Khoekhoe language of the immigrant Nama people.

The first settlements of the Himba people can be traced back to the early 16th century when they crossed the Angolan border and chose Kaokoland (nowadays called Kunene region) as their new homeland. At that time, the word Himba did not exist because they had not yet separated themselves from the Herero tribe.
At the end of the 19th century, Namibia was plagued by a relentless bovine epidemic. Most of the cattle that the Herero depended on perished, and the tribe faced a great crisis. Subsequently, the tribe moved south and started to explore different regions to enhance their chances of survival. Still, some members decided to stay and rather struggle for survival in familiar territories. Then and there, the schism between the two tribes became a reality, and the Himba identity came into being.

The Ghomara are a group of tribes in northern Morocco, living between the rivers Oued Laou and Ouringa, east of Chefchaouen and south of Tetouan, in the Western Rif. The river Tiguisas runs through their territory.
Originally, Ghomaras was a Berber tribal group belonging to the Masmuda confederacy. While most have shifted to speaking Arabic, a minority continue to speak the Berber Ghomara language.

Baganda tribes are called as Kings Men because of the significant role of their king-the Kabaka in their political, social and cultural institution. The Kabaka ruled over a hierarchy of chiefs who collected taxes in the form of food and livestock. All of the portions received are distributed through the hierarchy, eventually reaching the Kabaka’s palace in the form of taxes.

The Banyankole is located in south-western Uganda. The Mugabe [king] was an absolute ruler. He claimed all the cattle throughout the country as his own. Chiefs were ranked by the number of cattle they possessed.

Tutsi, also called Batusi, Tussi, Watusi, or Watutsi, ethnic group of probable Nilotic origin, whose members live within Rwanda and Burundi. The Tutsi formed the traditional aristocratic minority in both countries, constituting about 9 percent and 14 percent of the population, respectively. The Tutsis’ numbers in Rwanda were greatly reduced by a government-inspired genocidal campaign against them in 1994, however.

The Ijaws are a collection of people that are indigenous to the Niger Delta in Nigeria. And owing to the affinity they have with water, a good number of them are found as migrant fishermen in camps as far west as Sierra Leone and as far east as Gabon.
With a population of over fourteen million, the Ijaws are unarguably the most populous tribe inhabiting the Niger Delta region and arguably the fourth-largest ethnic group in Nigeria.

The Igala are one of the many ethnic groups attributed to Nigeria’s cultural diversity. They are the 7th largest ethnicity in Nigeria. The Igala Kingdom was so large, it expanded down to the Benue and Niger rivers. Today, the Igala are found in the present-day local governments of Dekina, Bassa, Ajaka, Ofu, Ibaji, Lokoja, Ajaokuta, Omaha, Ankpa, Olamaboro, and Idah of the present-day Kogi state. Idah is, however, the capital city of Igala.

Bekwarra is a tribe of people domiciled in a 306 sq2 of land mass with unique and rich cultural practices like every other tribe in the paradise state.
With a population of about 150,000 (2006 census), it boasts as one of the most populated local government area in the state. They have a unique language called Bekwarra. The word Bekwarra is both a name of a tribe, their language and a name of a local Government. So this make the Bekwarra people unique.

The Afemai, also spelled Afenmai, are an ethnic group living in the northern part of Edo State south geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Afemai people occupy six local government areas of Edo state: Etsako West, with headquarters in Auchi, Etsako Central, Etsako East, Owan East, Owan West and Akoko Edo. These make up the Edo-North Senatorial District.

The Suri are an Agro-pastoral people that inhabit part of the Suri woreda, West Omo Zone of the South Western Ethiopia peoples regional state in Ethiopia, while the other live partly in neighbouring South Sudan. Suri is a collective name for three groups of – Suri Chai, Timaga, and Suri Baale –they are politically, territorially culturally the same. They all speak "South East Surmic" languages within the Surmic language family, which includes Mursi and Majang, and Me'en languages.

Hamar people are a community inhabiting southwestern Ethiopia. They live in Hamer woreda a fertile part of the Omo River valley, in the Debub Omo Zone of the Southern
Nations. They consist of over 46,532 people. They are largely pastoralists, so their culture places a high value on cattle.

The Kalabari is a tribe of the Ijaw people of Rivers state living in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Kalabari people are ijaw speaking settlers who came from the Bini fringes of Ijaw land from the lineage of a man called Mein Owei.

The Afizere people are an ethnic group that occupy Jos East, Jos North, parts of Jos South Local Government Areas of Plateau State and parts of Toro and Tafewa Balewa local government Areas of Bauchi state, Nigeria. The Afizere are speakers of Izere Language. they are surrounded by the Berom to the west, Mwaghavul in Mangu to the south, Anaguta people to the northwest.

Situated in the present day Rivers and Akwa Ibom state, the Adoni people are a part of the Ijaw tribe and known to be related to the Annang, Ibibio and Efik people of Akwa Ibom State and Cross River State in Nigeria.
According to some historians, evidence of traditional history shows that the Andoni are descended from Ayama the son of Tara (Tarakiri) who was left with Kala-Okun at Igbedi creek.

The Igede culture is perhaps one of the most fascinating cultures in Nigeria. Exceptionally proud of their native heritage, the Igede people have preserved many of their ancestors' traditions, a number of them present in their
a mixture of elaborate traditional tales, artistic expressions, music, and varied cultural elements.
Like any other society, Igede people reveal their customs, traditions, beliefs, norms, and lifestyles through their distinctive behavioral traits.

anda, also called Baganda, or Waganda, people inhabiting the area north and northwest of Lake Victoria in south-central Uganda. They speak a Bantu language—called Ganda, or Luganda—of the Benue-Congo group. The Ganda are the most numerous people in Uganda and their territory the most productive and fertile.

Mpondo, also spelled Pondo, group of Nguni-speaking peoples who have for several centuries occupied the area between the Mtata and Mtamvuna rivers in Eastern province of South Africa. The Mpondo homeland formed one of the largest parts of the former Transkei (until 1994), an independent republic that was established under the South African government’s policy of apartheid but was dissolved and reincorporated (in part) into the new province in 1994.

Nuba, inhabitants of the Nuba Hills in the Kordofan region of central-southern Sudan. This region is studded with rugged granite hills that rise sharply from a wide clay plain and vary considerably in size and content.

The Nuba peoples live on or near the hills (the plains being mainly occupied by Baqqārah Arabs); the many groups differ in physical type and culture. They all speak Nubian languages, which are Eastern Sudanic languages of the Nilo-Saharan language family.
Kinship descent among the Nuba is, broadly speaking, matrilineal in the south and patrilineal elsewhere

Unlike other Zambian tribes which claim to have descended from the Luba-Lunda Kingdom in present day Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola, the exact origin of the Tonga tribe is still unknown. Iron Age settlements from as early as the 7th century have been found in various parts of the Southern Province, with the most popular being Ingombe Ilede which is translated as ‘the sleeping cow’ due to the large fallen baobab tree in the vicinity of the site. It is believed that the Mbara people who settled at the site were ancestors of the Tonga due to the similarity of their pottery to that of the existing Tonga.

The Annang people are a peculiar cultural group within the Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria.
This tribe occupies some part of southwestern Cameroon, which used to be part of the present-day Akwa Ibom State and Cross River State.

Etsakọ people are the majority ethnic group in the northern region of Edo State, Nigeria. They are historically linked to the ancient Benin kingdom. Administratively, they presently occupy three local government areas of Edo State; these are Etsako East, Etsako West and Etsako Central, with Agenebode, Auchi, and Fugar, as their administrative headquarters, respectively

The social world of Zezuru, the Shona-speaking peoples who live in the Harare region of Zimbabwe, is divided into various categories. Mwari, or God, heads the whole world, which is then divided up into two elements: Shona, consisting of the various clans which are linked to the hero spirits and are further divided into lineages, linked to the ancestors; and non-Shona, made up of the observable world and of the shave spirits (spirits that are not concerned with morality as such but are generally responsible for inoffensive individual differences between people).

The Hutu, also called Bahutu or Wahutu, Bantu-speaking people of Rwanda and Burundi. Numbering about 9,500,000 in the late 20th century, the Hutu comprise the vast majority in both countries but were traditionally subject to the Tutsi , warrior-pastoralists of Nilotic stock.

When the Hutu first entered the area, they found it inhabited by the Twa, Pygmy hunters whom they forced to retreat. Hutu life centered on small-scale agriculture, and social organization was based on the clan, with petty kings (bahinza) ruling over limited domains. The Tutsi in turn entered the area in the 14th or 15th century and gradually subjugated the Hutu, forcing them into a lord–vassal relationship.

Hambukushu or the ‘rainmakers of Okavango’ (believed to perform rituals that make rainfall), whose language is called sembukushu, are a tribe found in the Okavango, which is in north-western parts of Botswana. Their origins are rooted in Angola and Namibia where there are some traces to date, but are also traced to the tribe of Barotse in Zambia, a language that bears similarities with sembukushu

The Kalanga or Bakalanga are a southern Bantu ethnic group mainly inhabiting Matebeleland in Zimbabwe, northeastern Botswana and Limpopo Province in South Africa. They are historically related to the Nambya, Karanga and Venda.

Basarwa are the first and oldest inhabitants of southern Africa who have lived in Botswana for over 30 000 years. The name Basarwa has been used extensively by the Tswana to refer to the Bushmen. However, they are also called the Khoisan. They were initially hunter gatherers and have gradually transitioned because of their interactions with other tribes where they settled.

The Luhya tribe, also known as Abaluhya, Baluhya, or Abaluyia, are a bantu tribe living in the agriculturally fertile Western region of Kenya. They are neighbors to some of the nilotic tribes including Luo, Kalenjin, Maasai and Teso (Iteso).

The Aembu, are a Bantu tribe closely related to the Kikuyu and Meru.
They majorly inhabit Kenya’s Embu district, which is a fertile agricultural region located at the foothills of Mount Kenya. They speak the Embu language.

The Kamba or Akamba people are a Bantu ethnic tribe or group who live in the semi-arid formerly Eastern Province of Kenya which stretches east from Nairobi to Tsavo and north up to Embu, Kenya. This land is called Ukambani which constitutes of Machakos County Makueni County and Kitui County.

The largest of Kenya’s tribes, the Kikuyu tribe live in area around Mount Kenya where, at the dawn the colonial era, they came into violent conflict with the European settlers, to whom large tracts of Kikuyu people homeland had been apportioned by the colonial government. They number more than three million

Mandinka, also called Maninka,Malinke, Mandingo, or Mandingo, a West African people occupying parts of Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Senegal, The Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau. The make up the largest ethnic group in The Gambia and They speak a Mandekan language of the Mande branch of the Niger-Congo family.

Tumbuka, also spelled Tumboka, also called Kamanga, orHenga, a people who live on the lightly wooded plateau between the northwestern shore of Lake Nyasa (Lake Malaŵi) and the Luangwa River valley of eastern Zambia. They speak a Bantu language closely related to those of their immediate neighbours, the lakeside Tonga, the Chewa, and the Senga.

The Kavango people, also known as the vaKavango or haKavango, are a Bantu ethnic group that resides in the Kavango region of Northern Namibia on the Angolan border along the Kavango River, which is named after them.
They are mainly riverine living people, but about 20% reside in the dry inland. The river is pivotal to their survival and they grow crops on the narrow strip of fertile soil alongside it, graze their cattle on the flood plains, fish the river extensively and hunt the wild animals that live there.

The Ovambo people, also called Aawambo, are a Southern African tribal ethnic group. They are found in Namibia’s northern regions and more often called Ovambo. The Ovambo people are synonymous with Namibia and are the largest cultural sector found in this country, representing over a third of Namibia’s total population. Concentrated mostly in the north, the Ovambo consist of eight tribes, namely the Ndonga, Kwambi, Ngandyela, Mbalanhu, Nkolonkadhi and Unda tribes.

Twa, also called Batwa, one of the best-known of the many Pygmy groups scattered across equatorial Africa. Like all other African Pygmies, the Twa, averaging about 5 feet (1.5 m) in height, are a people of mixed ancestry, probably descendants of the original inhabitants of the equatorial rainforest.

Chewa, Bantu-speaking people living in the extreme eastern zone of Zambia, northwestern Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Mozambique. They share many cultural features with their Bemba kinsmen to the west. Their language, Chewa, is also called Chichewa, Nyanja, or Chinyanja and is important in Malawi

Mongo, any of several peoples living in the African equatorial forest, south of the main Congo River bend and north of the Kasai and Sankuru rivers in Congo (Kinshasa). They include such ethnic groups as the Bokote, Ekonda, Bolia, Sengele, Ntomba, Ndengese, Songomeno, Mbole, Bongandu, Boyela, Nkutu, and Tetela-Kusu. They speak dialects of a common language, Mongo or Nkundo, a member of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo languages. Many groups are disappearing because of falling birth rate.

The Mursi are an agro-pastoralist ethnic tribe living in southwestern Ethiopia, Africa. They inhabit the lower valley of the Omo River near the border of Ethiopia with South Sudan. Around 7,500 Mursi people live in the country according to the 2007 census in Ethiopia, with 92.25% of the population residing in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region (SNNPR). The Mursi dwelling in the rural areas follows ancient tribal ways of life.

The Kuri's are known as stevedores and fishermen throughout the west coast of Africa and have established colonies in most ports from Dakar, Senegal to Douala, Cameroon. They occupy nearly one third of Liberia. They are about 24 sub groups with dialectal and culturally differences.

Ethiopia is a land of many cultures that have been preserved despite western civilization. Along the Lower Omo valley river in Southern Ethiopia resides one of these kinds: the Bodi Tribe. The Bodi people are neighbors to the Mursi Tribe. The Bodi people are agriculturalists who still engage in trade by barter system.
These pastoral people revere their cows. Their cows are so special to them that its blood together with fresh milk is a source of food for this people. Rather than kill the cows, they make a hole in one of its veins to get the blood out and close it back with clay.

The Baka people, known in the Congo as Bayaka (Bebayaka, Bebayaga, Bibaya),[1] are an ethnic group inhabiting the southeastern rain forests of Cameroon, northern Republic of the Congo, northern Gabon, and southwestern Central African Republic. They are sometimes called a subgroup of the Twa, but the two peoples are not closely related. Baka people are all hunter-gatherers, formerly called Pygmies, located in the Central African rain forest

Nubians are an ethno-linguistic group of people who are indigenous to the region which is now northern Sudan and southern Egypt. They originate from the early inhabitants of the central Nile valley, believed to be one of the earliest cradles of civilization. They speak Nubian languages, part of the Northern Eastern Sudanic languages.
Today, Nubians in Egypt primarily live in southern Egypt, especially in Kom Ombo and Nasr al-nuba north of Aswan, and large cities such as Cairo, while Sudanese Nubians live in northern Sudan, particularly in the region between the city of Wadi Halfa on the Egypt–Sudan border and al Dabbah

The Songhai people (also Ayneha, Songhay or Sonrai) are an ethnolinguistic group in West Africa who speak the various Songhai languages. Their history and lingua franca is linked to the Songhai Empire which dominated the western Sahel in the 15th and 16th century. Predominantly a Muslim community, the Songhai are found primarily throughout Niger and Mali in the Western Sudanic region (not the country). The name Songhai was historically neither an ethnic nor linguistic designation, but a name for the ruling caste of the Songhay Empire which are the Songhai proper found predominantly in present-Niger.

Zulu, a nation of Nguni-speaking people in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. They are a
branch of the southern Bantu and have close ethnic, linguistic, and cultural ties with
the Swazi and Xhosa. The Zulu are the single largest ethnic group in South Africa and
numbered about nine million in the late 20th century.
Traditionally grain farmers, they also kept large herds of cattle on the lightly wooded
grasslands, replenishing their herds mainly by raiding their neighbours. European settlers
wrested grazing and water resources from the Zulu in prolonged warfare during the 19th

century, and, with much of their wealth lost, modern Zulu depend largely on wage labour on
farms owned by individuals of European descent or work in the cities of South Africa.

Mangbetu, also spelled Monbuttu, peoples of Central Africa living to the south of the Zande in north-eastern Congo (Kinshasa). They speak a Central Sudanic language of the Nilo-Saharan language family. The Mangbetu are a cluster of peoples who penetrated and now occupy the formerly Pygmy territory and who, in turn, subsequently absorbed waves of eastern peoples.
The name Mangbetu refers, strictly speaking, only to the aristocracy, which in the 19th century established a number of powerful kingdoms; in looser usage it denotes the whole amalgam of peoples they ruled. The Mangbetu subsist by hoe cultivation, with some fishing, hunting, and gathering. They also raise cattle; in contrast to other Sudanic peoples, among the Mangbetu only the men do the milking. Yams and plantains are the staple crops.

The Chaga or Chagga are a Bantu-speaking indigenous Africans and the third largest ethnic
group in Tanzania. They traditionally live the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro and
eastern Mount Meru in both Kilimanjaro Region and eastern Arusha Region. Their relative
economic wealth comes from favourable fertile soil of Mount Kilimanjaro and successful
agricultural methods, which include extensive irrigation systems, terracing, and continuous
organic fertilization methods practiced for thousands of years.
The Chaga are said to have descended from various Bantu groups who migrated from
elsewhere in Africa to the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, a migration that began around the
start of the eleventh century. Most of the 400 main clans are of Kamba origin which is
spoken in southeast Kenya; others are from Teita, Masai, and other peoples. The inhabitants
reveal migration occurred back and forth throughout the history of these groups, and the
Chaga people should be viewed as a part of the bigger population inhabiting the
entire Kilimanjaro Corridor.

The Karo tribe, Ethiopia
Located in Southern Ethiopia, the Karo or Kara Ethnic group reside along the east banks of
the Omo River, seemingly untouched by the outside world. It is the smallest tribe in South
Ethiopia with an estimated population of about 2,000 people and for sustenance, they
practice flood retreat cultivation, growing beans and maize, breeding cattle and goats and
fishing.
What you will find is they are a fascinating culture famous for their practice of intricate face
and body painting, using a combination of white chalk, charcoal, yellow rock and iron ore to
create some truly dramatic body artworks. These paintings and markings take elaborate
processes with designs ranging from simple and fine dots to rough deliberately drawn.
Animal motifs are some of the striking body painting designs they do.

Isoko people are an ethnolinguistic group who inhabit the Isoko region of Delta State, and Bayelsa State Nigeria. They are people of southern Nigeria, near the northwestern Niger delta. Delta State and Bayelsa State are part of the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Isokos ethnic group is one of the smallest minority ethnic groups In the Niger Delta

The Isokos speak the Isoko language, a language of the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo family which is also very linguistically similar to the Urhobo language, Epie-Atissa language, Engenni language

The Afars, also known as the Danakil, Adali, and Odali, are an ethnic group inhabiting the Horn of Africa. They live in the Afar Region of Ethiopia and in northern Djibouti, as well as the entire southern coast of Eritrea.
The Afars principally reside in the Danakil Desert in the Afar Region of Ethiopia, as well as in Eritrea and Djibouti. There are over 2,276,867 people in Ethiopia of whom 105,551 are urban inhabitants, according to the recent census 2007. The people of Afar makeup over a third of the population of Djibouti, and are one of the nine recognized ethnic divisions of Ethiopia.

Somalis are an East Cushitic ethnic group belonging to the Cushitic peoples, native to Greater Somalia who share a common Somali ancestry, culture, and history. Constituting one tribe, they are segmented into various clan groupings, which are important kinship units that play a central part in Somali culture and politics. Clan families are patrilineal and are divided into clans, primary lineages, or subclans. The clan represents the highest level of kinship. It owns territorial properties and is typically led by a clan-head or Sultan.
The traditional political unit among the people of Somalia has been kinships. However. Within the traditional Somali society, there has been social stratification which according to historians comprised of high-ranking clans, low-ranking clans, caste groups, and slaves.
Nobles constituted the upper tier and were known as bills. They consist of individuals of ethnic Somali ancestral origin.

Ijaw people are people in Niger Delta in Nigeria, inhabiting regions of the states of Ondo, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers state.
The Ijaws were one of the first of Nigeria's people to have contact with the Westerners and were active as go-betweens in the slave trade between visiting Europeans and the people of the interior when West Africa was still known as the White Man's Graveyard.
The Ijaw people live by fishing and farming crops such as rice, plantains, Cassava, yams, cocoyams, bananas, and other vegetables as well as tropical fruits such as guava, mangoes, and pineapples; and trading Smoke-dried fish, timber, palm oil, and palm kernels which are processed for export. While some clans had powerful kings and stratified society, other clans are believed not to have had any centralized confederacies until the arrival of the British. However, owing to the influence of the neighboring Kingdom of Benin, individual communities even in the western Niger Delta also had chiefs and governments at the village level.

The Chagas who are also called Chagga or Wachagga are Bantu-speaking indigenous Africans and the third largest ethnic group in Tanzania. They traditionally live on the southern and eastern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru and near. The people of Chaga descended from various Bantu groups who migrated from somewhere in Africa. The Chaga area is traditionally divided into a number of chiefdoms and early accounts identify the inhabitants of each chiefdom as a separate tribe. Chaga chiefdoms traded with each other, with the people of the regions such as the Kambas, the Maasais, the Pares, and also with coastal caravans. Some of these tradings were hand to hand. Many chiefdoms had several produces largely controlled by women, just as they are today. Chaga society experienced a radical and tough change. Taxes in cash were imposed to force Africans to work for Europeans from whom they could receive wages. Germans who were fully armed successfully ruled the people of Chaga by controlling them through their chiefs. The chiefs who cooperated were rewarded with more power while those who resisted were removed or executed.
Research shows that there are no nucleated villages on Kilimanjaro as Each household lives in the midst of its own banana-coffee garden, ringed with living fences that mark their boundaries. There being no land shortage, they could, with the consent of the local chief head in the new location, establish themselves elsewhere. However, available lands became scarce and many households moved down the mountain while some moved up. Then, as the open land has filled up, the mobility of households has been increasingly restricted. The movement of the early Chaga banana farmers to Kilimanjaro caused rapid and extensive cultural amalgamation, in which large numbers of the Ongamo people and the Rift Southern Cushites were taken into the newly expanding Chaga communities.
Before the arrival of Christianity, the Chaga practiced a different level of faith. The importance of ancestors is strongly maintained by them till date. The name of the chief Chaga deity is Ruwa who resides on the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, which is sacred to them.
Currently, the Chaga population is at about 2 million. The Chagas are one of the most economically successful people in East Africa. The Chaga women take the top positions of the Chaga society. From economic issues to education. Chaga women contribute a large part to the economical progressions in northern Tanzania.

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The Wodaabes, also known as the Mbororo or Bororo, are a small subgroup of the Fulani ethnic group. Traditionally, they are cattle-herders and traders in the Sahel. The Wodaabes speak the Fula language and don't use a written language. In the Fula language, woɗa means "taboo", and Woɗaaɓe means "people of the taboo".
Wodaabe religion is largely Islamic as Islam became a religion of importance among the Wodaabe people during the 16th century when the teachings of Muhammad were done. Al-Maghili was responsible for converting the ruling classes among Hausa, Fulani, and Tuareg peoples in the region. The Wodaabes are generally known to be reserved, humble, and patience, and are also known to place great emphasis on their beauty and charm.
In the Wodaabe culture, Parents are not allowed to talk directly to their two firstborn children, who will often be cared for by their grandparents. During daylight, the husband and wife are not allowed to be cozy with each other. Wodaabe women carry calabashes as a status symbol. These calabashes are passed down through generations, and often causes rivalry between women.
The Wodaabes keep herds of long-horned Zebu cattle. Groups of several dozen relatives, typically several brothers with their wives, children, and elders, travel on foot, donkey or camel, and stay at each grazing spot for a couple of days. A large wooden bed is the most important possession of each family. When camping, it is surrounded by some screens. The Wodaabes mostly live on milk and ground millet, as well as yogurt, sweet tea, and occasionally the meat of a goat or sheep.

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They are the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribe in Africa, living in Northern Tanzania around the central rift Valley and in the neighboring Serengeti Plateau in the shadow of Ngorongoro crater.  The Hadza people, also known as Hadzabe, are believed to be the oldest tribe the world has known. 
Their home range is also close to Oldvai gorge, one of the most important prehistoric sites in the world, where Homo habilis; one of the earliest members of the genus Homo, was discovered to have lived 1.9 million years ago. Archaeological evidence suggests the area has been continuously occupied by hunter-gatherers since at least the beginning of the Later Stone Age about 50,000 years ago. This makes them probably the only tribe on the planet that occupies its ancestral home since their history does not talk about any other home apart from their current location.
The origin of the Hadza is not clear, though their oral history talks of the 4 eras of their evolution. Each era has a different culture and lifestyle. 
According to them, at the beginning of time, the world was inhabited by hairy giants called the AKA-KA'A-NEBEe or GELANEBE, “ancestors”. 
The Akakaanebe did not possess tools or fire; they hunted the game by staring at it and it dropped dead! Then they ate the meat raw. According to their oral history, the Hadza did not build houses but slept under trees, as they do today in the dry season. In older versions of this story, the fire was not used because it was physically impossible in the earth’s primordial state. In another version, the younger Hadza, who have been to school, say the Akakaanebe simply did not know how to make fire.
The Akakaanebe was succeeded by the Tlaatlanebe, who were equally gigantic but without hair. These Hadza ancestors could make fire and used to cook meat, but animals had grown warier of humans and had to be chased and hunted with dogs. The Tlaatlanebe were the first people to use medicines and charms to protect themselves from enemies and initiated the supreme rite. They lived in caves.
The Akakaanebe was succeeded by the Tlaatlanebe, who were equally gigantic but without hair. These Hadza ancestors could make fire and used to cook meat, but animals had grown warier of humans and had to be chased and hunted with dogs. The Tlaatlanebe were the first people to use medicines and charms to protect themselves from enemies and initiated the supreme rite. They lived in caves.
The Tlaatlanebe was succeeded by the Hamakwabe, who were smaller than their predecessors. They invented bows and arrows, and containers for cooking, and mastered the use of fire. They also built houses. The Hamakwabe was the first of the Hadza ancestors to have contact with non-foraging people, with whom they traded for iron to make knives and arrowheads. The Hamakwabe also invented the gambling game called lukuchuko.
The Hamakwabe was succeeded by the Hamaishonebe, or “modern” Hadza, who are the present-day Hadza people. When discussing the Hamaishonebe era, people often mention specific names and places, and can approximately say how many generations ago events occurred.
The Hadza speak a click language that is unrelated to any other language on earth. The language, however, has been mistaken to be related to Khoisan languages due to click consonants. 
Genetic testing indicates that the Hadza may represent one of the primary roots of the human family tree, perhaps more than 100,000 years old.

The Xhosa nation are a Bantu ethnic group from Southern Africa whose homeland is primarily within the modern-day Eastern Cape. There is a small but significant Xhosa-speaking community in Zimbabwe, and their language, isiXhosa, is recognised as a national language.The name "Xhosa" comes from that of a legendary leader and King called uXhosa. There is also a fringe theory that, in fact the King's name, which has since been lost among the people, was not Xhosa, but that "xhosa" was a name given to him by the San, which means "fierce" or "angry".
Xhosa people refer to themselves as the amaXhosa, and to their language as isiXhosa. The Xhosa people are divided into several tribes with related yet distinct heritages. The main tribes are the amaGcaleka, amaRharhabe, imiDange, imiDushane, and amaNdlambe.
According to folklore, one of King Xhosa's descendants named Phalo gave birth to two sons, Gcaleka kaPhalo, the heir, and Rarabe ka Phalo, a son from the Right Hand house. Rarabe was a great warrior and a man of great ability who was much loved by his father. Gcaleka was a meek and listless man.
Gcaleka attempted to usurp the throne from his father, but Rarabe came to his father's aid, quelling the insurrection. With the blessing of his father, Rarabe left the great place and settled in the Amathole Mountains. Rarabe, through his military prowess, subjugated various tribes he found in the region and would buy lands from the Khoikhoi to establish his own kingdom. The amaXhosa, would from then on, be split into two kingdoms under the senior amaGcaleka and the junior amaRharhabe.
The key figure in the Xhosa oral tradition is the imbongi or praise singer. imbongi traditionally live close to the chief's "great place"; they accompany the chief on important occasions.
The supreme being is called uThixo or uQamata. In Xhosa tradition, the ancestors act as intermediaries between the living and God; they are honoured in rituals in order to bring good fortune. 
Christian missionaries established outposts among the Xhosa in the 1820s, and the first Bible translation was in the mid-1850s, partially done by Henry Hare Dugmore. Xhosa did not convert in great numbers until the 20th century.
One traditional ritual that is still regularly practiced is the manhood ritual, a secret rite that marks the transition from boyhood to manhood, ulwaluko. After ritual circumcision, the initiates (abakwetha) live in isolation for up to several weeks, often in the mountains. During the process of healing they smear white clay on their bodies and observe numerous customs.
Xhosa men traditionally filled the roles as hunters, warriors and stockman therefore, animal skin forms an important part of their traditional wear. Men often wear goatskin bags in which to carry essentials such as tobacco and a knife. 
Unmarried women often wear wraps tied around their shoulders, leaving their breasts exposed. Engaged women redden their plaited hair and let it screen their eyes, this was done as a sign of respect for their fiancés. Xhosa women wear some form of headdress to cover their heads as a sign of respect to the head of the family which is either their father or husband. Elderly Xhosa women are allowed to wear more elaborate headpieces because of their seniority.
Xhosa is an AGGLUTINATIVE tonal language of the Bantu family. IsiXhosa is spoken by about 18% of the South African population, and has some mutual intelligibility with Zulu, especially Zulu spoken in urban areas. Many Xhosa speakers, particularly those living in urban areas, also speak Zulu and/or Afrikaans and/or English.


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The traditional Hajj route north and east of the Sahara is where most Hausas are found. They are the largest ethnic group in Sub-Saharan Africa. Hausas are a diverse but culturally homogeneous people based primarily in the Sahelian and the sparse savanna areas of southern Niger and northern Nigeria. A good number of Hausa's are also found in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Chad, Sudan, and Central African Republic. They are also present in Republic of the Congo, Togo, Ghana, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Senegal and the Gambia.
The Hausa speak an Afro-Asiatic language of the Chadic group which is the most spoken indigenous African Language. 
Daura, in northern Nigeria, is believed to be the oldest city of Hausaland. The Hausa of Gobir, also in northern Nigeria, speak the oldest surviving classical vernacular of the language. Historically, Katsina was the centre of Hausa Islamic scholarship but was later replaced by Sokoto stemming from the 19th century Usman Dan Fodio Islamic reform.
The Hausa are culturally and historically closest to other Sahelian ethnic groups, primarily the Fulani; the Zarma and Songhai; the Kanuri and Shuwa Arabs.
The people of Agadez and Saharan areas of central Niger, the Tuareg and the Hausa groups are indistinguishable from each other in their traditional clothing. They both wear the tagelmust and indigo Babban Riga or Gandora. But groups differ in language, lifestyle and preferred beasts of burden. Tuaregs use camels, while Hausas ride horses.
Hausas were famous throughout the Middle Ages for their cloth weaving and dyeing, cotton goods, leather sandals, metal locks, horse equipment and leather-working. They were often characterized by their Indigo blue dressing and emblems which earned them the nickname "bluemen".
Islam has been present in Hausaland as early as the 11th century - giving rise to famous native Sufi saints and scholars such as Wali Muhammad dan Masani and Wali Muhammad dan Marna in Katsina. By the 14th Century, Hausa traders were already spreading Islam across west Africa. The Sultan of Sokoto is regarded as an important Muslim spiritual and religious personality. His lineage connection to dan Fodio has continued to be recognised. One of the most significant Sultans was Siddiq Abubakar the third, who held the position for 50 years between 1938 and 1988.
Magudanci, an African Traditional Religion, was practised extensively before Islam. In the more remote areas of Hausaland, the people continue to practise Magudanci. Practices include the sacrifice of animals for personal ends, but it is not legitimate to practise Magudanci magic for harm. People of urbanized areas tend to retain a "cult of spirit possession," known as Bori. It incorporates the old religion's elements of African Traditional Religion and magic. A small Christian minority also exists among the Hausa.
The Hausa culture is rich in traditional sporting events such as Dambe or traditional boxing, Takkai or stick fight, Kokawa or local wrestling. These activities were originally organized to celebrate harvests but over the generations developed into sporting events for entertainment purposes.
The most common food prepared by Hausa people consists of grains which are ground into flour for a variety of different kinds of dishes. This food is popularly known as tuwo.
The most famous of all Hausa food is most likely Suya, a spicy shish kebab-like skewered meat. A dried version of Suya is called Kilishi.



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The Berbers, who call themselves Amazigh, are the indigenous people of Northern Africa. There is evidence that the Berbers have existed in the Maghreb region of Africa since the beginning of recorded history in the area. It is believed that modern Berbers are the descendants of the pre-Arab inhabitants of North Africa.
One of the earliest groups of Berbers were the Caspians, who lived in the region over 10,000 years ago during the Neolithic era. The Berbers, who were named by the Romans after the Latin word for barbarians, are regularly referenced throughout Greek and Roman history. In many historical Greek texts, the Berbers were called Libyans and were the sole representation of Africa in Europe at the time. Today, the Berbers are a widely diverse group that reflect the various people and cultures that conquered their lands.
The two largest populations of Berbers are found in Algeria and Morocco, where large portions of the population are descended from Berbers but only some of them identify as Amazigh. They are also found in the Sahara of southern Algeria and of Libya, Mali, and Niger.
The Berbers have a long and ancient history, much of which has been overlooked because the ancient people had no written language. The first hint of their history came with the discovery of cave paintings. North African cave paintings as old as 12,000 years have been found in Tadrart Acacus, Libya. Many of the paintings depict farming activities and domestic animals. There are also paintings that have been found at Tassili n’Ajjer in southeastern Algeria.
Berber culture provides the invaluable tourist industry with much of its cachet which includes its distinctive architecture, crafts, and costumes set in a romantic landscape that is specifically Moroccan. Berberism is sufficiently established as an ideology and as a cultural and political program to provide the scattered communities of Berbers with a new national identity in place of the old anthropological one.
Berbers of Morocco are known for the festival of Fantasia which is also known as the Game of Gunpowder. It dates back to a time when battles were still fought on horseback and Berbers were skilled horsemen. Today, this same horsemanship is showcased as a performance during or at the closing of a Berber wedding celebration. The performance is an exhilarating colorful display of expert riding. A group of riders adorned in traditional dress, rush forward at great speed for about 200 meters before firing their old gunpowder loaded weapons, into the air, in unison, effectively creating one synchronized sound.
Another Berber tradition is the Betrothal festival of Imilchil. It is a music filled dancing feast accentuated with colorful traditional clothing. It is celebrated to remember a legend of two lovers who were forbidden to marry because they came from families in different tribes. The legend tells the story of a young man and woman from different tribes who met one day and the attraction was instant. Their love however was forbidden and in their grief they cried themselves to death. Their tears produced two lakes known as Isli for the man and Tislit for the woman. From then on the families decided that one day a year would be set aside when young men and women from different tribes could meet and marry one another.
The style of cooking and range of food differs from tribe to tribe. Inevitably the various cultural invasions throughout the generations have influenced and evolved the Berber cuisine. However, some of the staple ingredients, such as couscous, still remain.
The Islamization of Berbers began with the Arabs.Many Christian Berbers have also emigrated, mostly to France, with only a handful remaining in Morocco.

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The Yoruba people, or Ìran Yorùbá, are an ethnic group that inhabits western Africa, mainly Nigeria and the Republic of Benin. The vast majority of Yoruba's are from Nigeria, where they make up 16% of the country's population, making them one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. Most Yoruba people speak the Yoruba language, which - according to the Encyclopadia Britanica - is the Niger-Congo language with the largest number of native speakers. Significant Yoruba populations in other West African countries can be found in Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone.
The Yoruba diaspora consists of two main groupings; one of them includes relatively recent migrants, while the other dates to the Atlantic slave trade.
The Oral history of the Yorubas recount Odùduwà to be their progenitor and reigning ancestor of their crowned kings.
He came from the east, sometimes understood from Ife traditions to be Oke-Ora and by other sources as the "vicinity" true East on the Cardinal points, but more likely signifying the region of Ekiti and Okun sub-communities in northeastern Yorubaland in central Nigeria. 
After the death of Oduduwa, there was a dispersal of his children from Ife to found other kingdoms. Each child made his or her mark in the subsequent urbanization and consolidation of the Yoruba confederacy of kingdoms, with each kingdom tracing its origin due to them to Ile-Ife.
The Yoruba are among the most urbanized people in Africa. For centuries before the arrival of the British colonial administration most Yoruba already lived in well structured urban centres organized around powerful city-states centred around the residence of the Oba. In ancient times, most of these cities were fortresses, with high walls and gates.
The Yoruba present the highest dizygotic twinning rate in the world with 4.4% of all maternities. They manifest at 45 to 50 twin sets (or 90 to 100 twins) per 1,000 live births. This is possibly because of a high consumption of a specific type of yam containing a natural phytoestrogen that may stimulate the ovaries to release an egg from each side.
The Yoruba are a very expressive people who celebrate major events with colorful festivals and celebrations known as ayeye. Masquerades are an important feature of Yoruba traditional artistry. They are generally known as Egúngún. 
The Yorubas were one of the first groups in West Africa to be introduced to Christianity on a large scale.Christianity, along with western civilization, came into Yorubaland in the mid-19th century through the Europeans, whose original mission was commerce. The first European visitors were the Portuguese, they visited the Bini kingdom in the late 16th century. Islam came into Yorubaland around the 14th century, as a result of trade with Hausa and Wangara merchants. Due to this, Islam is traditionally known Yorubas as Esin Imale i.e. religion of the Malians.
Afro-beat musician, Fela Anikulapo Kuti; Nobel Laureate - Professor Wole Soyinka; Billionaire businesswoamn Folorunso Alakija; Actor - Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria's former President and ex Military Leader, Herbert Macaulay - Nigerian nationalist, politician, journalist and musician; Yemi Osinbajo - Nigeria's Vice President to President Muhammadu Buhari; Boxer - Anthony Joshua; NBA basketballer Hakeem Olajuwon.

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Population: between 10 and 13 million
The Zulu people are the largest ethnic group in South Africa. They are descended from East African origins and over centuries, migrated south during what is a called the great Bantu migration. The Zulu rose into a formidable empire under the leadership of Shaka in the early 19th century. Under his leadership, the Zulu kingdom expanded and played an important role in the history of South Africa. Over time, the Zulu developed a fearsome reputation that is still evident today.
The Zulus of today are modern and progressive. While traditional clothing is reserved for special occasions, the Zulu retain strong connections with their ancestral and historical roots. As a people, the Zulu are said to be warm-hearted and hospitable and it is to them that we owe the concept of Ubuntu. Ubuntu states that we are people, not because of our individuality, but by virtue of our connections to other people, thus underlying the importance of relationships.
The Zulu, while predominantly Christian, have retained the belief in their supreme being, Unkulunkulu, who is the creator of all life. While Unkulunkulu is remote and detached, all fortune, misfortune, good or bad luck is attributed to ancestral spirits or amadlozi. Simply put, the ancestral spirits are the spirits of the dead, specifically, of people who were respected and successful in life. By giving sacrifices to the ancestral spirits, the Zulu people seek to influence their lives on a day to day basis and all marriages or births are marked by sacrificial offerings.
The Zulu are also renowned for their skilled craftsmanship from earthenware pottery to weaving but most notably their beadwork. Bright coloured beads are woven into intricate patterns which are highly decorative but also functional. The patterns and colours have meaning.  For example, a triangle is the symbol used for a girl while an inverted triangle indicates a boy. Joined triangles tip-to-tip indicates a married man, while triangles joined base-to-base is a married woman.
Each colour comes replete with the duality of life and has both a negative and a positive connotation. For example, red is for love and passion but can also represent anger and heartache, similarly, blue is the colour of faithfulness and request but also of hostility and dislike. The symbolism is complex and unique while also being functional and beautiful. It is no wonder then that curio shops from airports to cultural villages and tourist attractions around the country are all stocked with Zulu beadwork curios.
The Zulu nation is a proud one. They have opened cultural villages such as Shakaland in KwaZulu Natal, where you can experience their culture first hand. From traditional houses and dress to dancing, pottery and beadwork, you can even help to brew traditional beer. But don’t forget, the real Zulus are the ones you’ll meet at lodges, as guides and on the South African streets.

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Efik people inhabit the lower Cross River in Cross River State, Nigeria. They also occupy southwestern Cameroon including Bakassi. Their language is the main dialect and language of the Efik-Ibibio group of the Benue-Congo branch of Niger-Congo languages. 
The Efik, who are culturally and linguistically related to the Ibibio, migrated down the Cross River during the first half of the 17th century. They founded Creek Town, Duke Town, and other settlements.
The Efik occupied Old Calabar which developed into a major trading center from the 17th to the 19th century, where slaves were exported and later palm oil was sold in return for European goods. European ships had to pay a duty to Efik chiefs for the privilege of trading.
During the 20th century, a large part of the Efik population moved from the towns and settled in farming villages in the forest. The staple foods are yams and cassava, supplemented by taro, corn, fruits and vegetables, and fish.
Households formerly consisted of a man, his several wives, and their children, but polygyny has become relatively rare. Efik household, which was once organized according to male descent, now sees groups of households being formed into what is known as a House, whose leader is chosen for ability rather than age. Related Houses occupy the wards into which settlements are divided.
In Efik tradition, the obong, or paramount leader, is elected from among the heads of various Houses. He traditionally exercised his authority as head of the society. This graded secret male society made and enforced laws by fines, capital punishment, or boycotts. It judged cases; maintained internal peace; and served as the executive government of Efik society. The society also carried out ritual propitiation of forest spirits to ensure the well-being of the community. It also functioned as a force for tribal unity, as society members from one village were accepted by members in another village. 
Traditional Efik religion includes belief in a supreme creator god, ancestral, and other supernatural beings, magic, sorcery, and witchcraft. 
In Efik mythology, Abasi is considered to be the Supreme Creator. His wife, Atai, is known as the mediator. It is believed that Atao convinced Abasi to allow two humans, also known as their children of the corn, to live on Earth, but forbade them to work or reproduce. The children were required to return to heaven with Abasi whenever he rang the dinner bell. These rules were established so that the Efik people would not surpass Abasi in wisdom or strength. Eventually, the children disobeyed and Abasi killed them both. In his disgust, Abasi and Atai gave humans two gifts: chaos and death.
However, the 1868 publication of an Efik-language Bible had a significant impact, and in the 21st century, most Efik identified themselves as Christians.
It was also believed that twins were a disgrace to Abasi. It was thought to be evil for a woman to give birth to twins; the woman would be burnt alive and the twins were taken and left for dead in the desert.
People of Efik descent are known as ñáñigos or carabalís in Cuba.

The desolate Kunene region of northwest Namibia is home to a resilient people called the Himba. Hunter-gatherers and pastoralists, the Himba descend from the southward migrating Herero of Angola.
Life for the Himba revolves around the holy fire called Okuruwo. Okuruwo, via the smoke,  symbolizes a connection with their ancestors, who are in direct communication with their God Mukuru. The fire burns at the centre of the village and is never allowed to go out and each family has a fire-keeper whose job it is to tend the sacred blaze.
The Himba are a nomadic African tribe and traditionally travel from waterhole to waterhole tending their cattle and goats. Day-to-day tasks are traditionally split between the sexes with the women doing the hard tasks of carrying water, milking cows, building homes and raising children while the men handle politics and tend livestock. This division even extends to the use of water for bathing which is reserved exclusively for men. Women use herb-smoke from fire to cleanse their pores and maintain personal hygiene.
Interestingly, the traditional clan structure of the Himba is bilateral – evident in only a handful of traditional peoples around the world. Bilateral descent means that every clan member belongs to two clans, that of the mother, and that of the father. Under this unique arrangement, the sons live with the father’s clan as do the wives, however, inheritance passes from the maternal uncle. Living in such a harsh environment, it is believed that this bilateral descent provides a better chance of survival.
The most distinctive characteristic of the Himba is their unique adornment. The distinctive red ochre body paint and elaborate hairstyles have become synonymous with any safari to the Kunene region of Namibia. Hairstyles signify status, age and social standing. From young children with clean-shaven heads to braids and plaits facing forwards and backwards and finally to the Erembe – a sheepskin leather ornament – worn by women who have had children, the often red-ochred hairstyles are both otherworldly and gorgeous.
The red ochre body paint of the Himba – called otijze – is made from butter, animal fat and a naturally occurring earth pigment that contains iron oxide. The Himba women apply this mixture to their skin to protect them from the harsh sun and insect bites, lock in moisture and to beautify themselves. Because of the striking appearance that this red paste creates, the Himba tribe of Namibia has become known as the “Red People of Africa.

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The Fula or Fulanis are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. They inhabit many countries, mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa but also in South Sudan, Sudan, and regions near the Red Sea coast.
They make up the largest ethnic group in Guinea. Major concentrations of Fulani people exist in the Fouta Djallon highlands of central Guinea and south into the northernmost reaches of Sierra Leone.
The approximate number of Fula people is unknown due to clashing definitions regarding Fula ethnicity. Various estimates put the figure between and 40 million worldwide.
The origins of the Fulani people are unclear and various theories have been postulated. The ethnogenesis of the Fulani people may have begun as a result of interactions between an ancient West African population and North African populations such as Berbers or Egyptians. Their West African roots may be in and around the valley of Senegal River. They likely reflect a genetic intermix of people with West African, North African, and Arabian origins, and have been a part of many ruling dynasties particularly in the Sahel and West Africa.
The majority of the Fula ethnic group consisted of semi-sedentary people as well as sedentary settled farmers, artisans, merchants, and nobility.As an ethnic group, they are bound together by the Fula language, their historyand their culture. More than 96% of the Fula are Muslims. 
Fulani in English is borrowed from the Hausa term. Fula, on the other hand, is taken from the Manding languages. It is also used in English and sometimes spelt with an "h" at the end. The French borrowed the Wolof term Pël.
There are generally three different types of Fulani based on settlement patterns: There are the Nomadic/Pastoral or Mbororo, The Semi-Nomadic, and the Settled or "Town Fulani". The pastoral Fulani move around with their cattle throughout the year. Typically, they do not stay around for long stretches. The semi-nomadic Fulani can either be Fulɓe families who happen to settle down temporarily at particular times of the year or Fulɓe families who do not "browse" around past their immediate surroundings. They may even possess livestock but do not wander away from a fixed or settled homestead.
Settled or Town Fulani live permanently in villages, towns, and cities and have given up nomadic life completely, in favor of an urban one. 
Many West African leaders are of the Fulani descent including the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari; the President of Senegal, Macky Sall; the President of Gambia, Adama Barrow; the Vice President of Sierra Leone, Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh; and the Prime Minister of Mali, Boubou Cisse. They also lead major international institutions, such as the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina J. Mohammed; President-Elect of the United Nations General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande; and the Secretary-General of OPEC, Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo.

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The San people are one of the world’s oldest tribes and very probably the first inhabitants of southern Africa.
They have lived as hunters for thousands of years. An integral part of the hunter culture is the healing dance. This tradition carries on through the night.
The village elders and healers dance around the fire as they chant and take deep breaths, until they reach a trance-like state. The seance is attended by the entire village, and the trance is said to be able to put people in touch with the departed, or cure illnesses.
Some 100,000 people are left in the San tribe, who are also known as bushmen. They are recognisable for the characteristic clicking sound they make when they speak.
The tribe lives in several African countries, including Namibia and South Africa.

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Akan are a meta-ethnicity living in the southern regions of present-day Ghana. Akans who migrated from Ghana also make up the plurality of the ethnic population in Ivory Coast. The Akan language, also known as Twi or Fante, is a group of dialects within the Central Tano branch of the Potou–Tano subfamily of the Niger–Congo family.
Subgroups of the Akan people include: Ashanti, Fante, Akuapem, Bono, Kwahu, Akyem, Agona, Wassa, and Akwamu.
Origin
The Akans consider themselves one nation. Akan means first, foremost, indicating the enlightened and civilized. Oral traditions of the ruling Abrade clan state that Akans originated from the ancient Ghana empire. Legend has it that the Akan people migrated from the north through Egypt and settled in Nubia. The Akans are believed to have moved west to establish small trading kingdoms around 500 AD or the 5th century. Their migration was due to the pressure exerted by the Axumite kingdom of Ethiopia, during which Nubia was shattered. These trading kingdoms grew and around 750 AD the Ghana Empire was formed. 
Culture
Akan art is wide-ranging and renowned, especially for the tradition of crafting bronze gold weights, using the lost-wax casting method. Akan culture is also one of the traditional matrilineal cultures of Africa. Elements of Akan culture also include, but are not limited to: kente cloth, Akan Calendar, Akan Chieftaincy, Akan gold weights, and Akan religion.
Akan culture can also be found in the Americas, where a number of Akans were taken as captives. Roughly ten percent of all slave ships which embarked from the Gold Coast contained Akan people. Akan people, especially the Ashanti people, fought against European colonialists and defeated them on several occasions to maintain autonomy. This occurred during the Anglo-Ashanti wars: the War of the Golden Stool and other similar battles.
Yams are the staple food crop in the Akan economy, but plantains and taro also are important; cocoa and palm oil are major commercial resources.
Most Akan live in compact villages that are divided into wards occupied by the matrilineages and subdivided into compounds of extended multigeneration families. The village is a political unit under a headman, elected from one of the lineages, and a council of elders, each of whom is the elected head of a constituent lineage. The lineage head is the custodian of the lineage’s stools, which are the symbols of unity between the spirits of the ancestors and the living members of the lineage; every lineage also has its own god or gods. There is a strong feeling of corporate responsibility among lineage members. 
The most prominent aspect of Akan religion is an ancestor cult the rites of which serve to enforce tribal unity and morality. Other religious practices are based on belief in a supreme deity who created the universe and in lesser deities and spirits. Today, most Akan are now Christians.
Notable Akans include former Secretary-General of the United Nations and Nobel Laureate, Kofi Anna; Fashion designer and OBE recipient, Ozwald Boateng, Kwame Nkrumah, Actors Boris Kodjor and Idris Elba, Musician Sarkodie, footballers Michael Essien, Samuel Kuffour and Tony Yeboah.

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Rwanda, Burundi, and the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo is home to the Tutsi people. In the DRC, the Tutsi live near the city of Bukavu in the Mulenge region. Here, they are known as Ban-ya-mu-lenge.
The Tutsi speak a Central Bantu language called Kin yar-wanda in Rwanda, and Kirundi in Burundi. Both are dialects of the same language. Like other Bantu languages, both use nouns with prefixes. For example, the word Banyamulenge ("Ba-nya-mulenge") can be divided into parts. The prefix "banya" means "people"; "Mulenge" is the name of a region. The whole word means "people of Mulenge."
Many Rwandese and Burundians speak French, the language of their former Belgian rulers. French is used in school. Tutsi who has been refugees in Uganda may also speak English.
Personal Tutsi names may be based on events, poetry, or beliefs. For example, the name Ndagijimana means "God is my herder." Ha-ki-zum-wami means "only the king can save." while Muvu-nan-yambo means "the defender of noble cows."
Tutsi folklore includes poetry, proverbs, folk tales, riddles, and myths. Many believe they were descended from a mythical king named Gihanga. Some Tutsis used to know the names of their ancestors at least six generations back. 
Today most Tutsi people in Rwanda and Burundi are Christians. However, some traditional beliefs survive. These include the belief in a distant creator called Imaana who has the power to grant wealth and fertility. The king also shares in this power which can be seen in his sacred fire, royal drums, and rituals. Spirits of dead relatives, called abazima, carry messages between Imaana and the human world. However, the abazima may bring bad luck to those who do not respect them. People offer gifts to protect themselves from the abazima. They also try to learn the spirits' wishes by seeing fortune-tellers.
Tutsi Marriage is made legal by payment of the bride price. The groom's family pays the bride's family because they are losing her labor. There is no ritual other than marriage to mark the beginning of adulthood.
Tutsi and Hutu families are patrilineal. In the past, marriage in Rwanda and Burundi was based on the relations between the two families. Today most Tutsis choose the person they will marry.
In the past, Tutsi men and women wore robes brought-in from the African coast. A woman's costume included a white robe and white headbands. Today Western-style clothing is usually worn. Women wear dresses and scarves made from the printed cloth popular in East Africa. Men wear shirts and trousers.
Alcoholic beverages are made from bananas and sorghum. People drink them on special occasions.
Royal dancing and drumming groups perform for the Tutsi kings of Rwanda and Burundi. For rituals, two dozen tall drums are placed around a central drum. The drummers move around the drums in a circle with each one taking a turn beat the central drum. This style of drumming is still practiced.
Cattle herding carries a higher status among the Tutsi than farming. In the past, there was a special class of herders, called abashumba, who took care of the king's prize cattle known as inyambo.
For sport, a game called igisoro is popular with children and adults. It is played on a wooden board with holes for beads or stones. Players line up their pieces in rows and capture as many of their opponents' pieces as they can. In other parts of Africa, the game is known as mancala.

The primary archaeological survey of Nubia, conducted between 1907 and 1910, reveals that Nubia has possessed an advanced culture since the Predynastic period.
Nubians are an ethno-linguistic group of people who are indigenous to the region which is now present-day Northern Sudan and southern Egypt. They originate from the early Sub-Saharan African inhabitants of the central Nile valley. This area is believed to be one of the earliest cradles of civilization. 
In modern times, Egyptians of Nubian descent primarily live in southern Egypt, especially in the Luxor and Aswan area. They can also be found in northern Sudan, particularly in the region between the city of Wadi Halfa on the Egypt–Sudan border and al Dabbah. Additionally, several groups known as the Hill Nubians live in the northern Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan state, in Sudan. The main Nubian groups from north to south are the Kenzi, Faadicha, Sukkot, Mahas, and Danagla.
Nubian culture, prior to 3200 B.C., was exactly the same as that of Egypt.
After the sixth century A.D., Nubia was Christianized and remained Christian until the fourteenth century A.D., when the Nubian king converted to Islam. The Nubian church was a branch of the Coptic Monophysite church centered in Cairo.
Nubians have developed a common identity, which has been celebrated in poetry, novels, music and storytelling.
Nubians in modern Sudan include the Danagla around Dongola Reach, the Mahas from the Third Cataract to Wadi Halfa, and the Sikurta around Aswan. These Nubians write using their own script. They also practice scarification: Mahas men and women have three scars on each cheek, while the Danaqla wear these scars on their temples. Younger generations appear to be abandoning this custom.
Nubia's ancient cultural development was influenced by its geography. It is sometimes divided into Upper Nubia and Lower Nubia. Upper Nubia was where the ancient Kingdom of Napata was located. Lower Nubia has been called "the corridor to Africa", where there was contact and cultural exchange between Nubians, Egyptians, Greeks, Assyrians, Romans, and Arabs. Lower Nubia was also where the Kingdom of Meroe flourished. 
The languages spoken by modern Nubians are based on ancient Sudanic dialects. 
Kerma, Nepata and Meroe were Nubia's largest population centres. The rich agricultural lands of Nubia supported these cities. 
Nubian kings were considered pious scholars and patrons of the arts, copying ancient Egyptian texts and even restoring some Egyptian cultural practices. After this, Egypt's influence declined greatly. Meroe became the centre of power for Nubia and cultural links with sub-Saharan Africa gained greater influence.
Egyptian and Nubian deities alike were worshipped in Nubia for 2,500 years, even while Nubia was under the control of the New Kingdom of Egypt.
Cross-cousin marriage is the preferred marriage type among Nubians. Intermarriage among the various Nubian groups was and is still rare. Only women are bound by endogamous marriage rules. A dowry is exchanged as a sign of public declaration of marriage. The dowry then becomes the possession of the bride, and it may not be returned even if the marriage is not consummated.
Modern Nubian architecture in Sudan typically features a large courtyard surrounded by a high wall. Brightly colored stucco is often decorated with symbols connected with the family inside, or popular motifs such as geometric patterns, palm trees, or the evil eye that wards away bad luck.
Taharqa, Pharaoh of the Twenty-fifth dynasty. Amanitore, queen of the Kingdom of Kush centered on Meroë.
Mo Ibrahim, Sudanese-British mobile communications entrepreneur and billionaire. Former president of Sudan, Gaafar Nimeiry.  Egyptian footballers, Shikabala and Ali Ghazal.

They are believed to have first emigrated to the Great Lake region from Central Africa in the great Bantu expansion. However, various theories have emerged to explain the purported physical differences between them and their fellow Bantu-speaking neighbors, the Tutsi. 
This is the story of the Hutus.
They are the largest of the four main population divisions in Burundi and Rwanda. According to the Central Intelligence Agency, 84% of Rwandans and 85% of Burundians are Hutu. They are also known as the Abahutu, Bahutu or Wahutu. They mainly live in Rwanda, Burundi, and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they form one of the principal ethnic groups alongside the Tutsi and the Twa.
Hutu life centred on small-scale agriculture, and social organization was based on the clan, with kings known as bahinza ruling over limited domains.
Hutus speak Rwanda-Rundi as their native tongue, which is a member of the Bantu subgroup of the Niger–Congo language family. Rwanda-Rundi is subdivided into the Kinyarwanda and Kirundi dialects, which have been standardized as official languages of Rwanda and Burundi respectively. It is also spoken as a mother tongue by the Tutsi and Twa.
Additionally, a small portion of Hutu speak French, the other official language of Rwanda and Burundi, as a lingua franca, although the population is dwindling given the poor relations between Rwanda and France.
Ancient Hutu beliefs involve praying to the Hutu god, Imaana, who had many human qualities. According to legend, Imaana meant well, but he was distant from the people. 
The abazima were the spirits of the ancestors. They could become angry and bring bad luck to the living. Gifts were offered to the abazima for protection. People also contacted them through fortune-tellers.
Hutu culture involves telling proverbs, folktales, riddles, and myths. A popular Hutu folk hero is Samadari. He broke the rules everyone else had to follow and could make fun of the rich and powerful as well as insult the wealthy cattle owners.
When a Hutu baby is born, the baby and mother stay alone in their house for seven days. A naming ceremony is held on the seventh day. Children who live nearby take part, and food is served.
Hutu Marriages are legal when the man's family pays the bride price to the woman's family. It is paid in cattle, goats, and beer. For the ceremony, the bride's body is covered with herbs and milk to make it pure.
Death is marked by prayers, speeches, and rituals. Close family members do not take part in certain activities. After a death, they do not work in the fields or have sexual relations during the period of mourning. When the family declares that the mourning period is over, they hold a ritual feast.
Traditional Hutu houses are huts made from wood, reeds, and straw and are shaped like beehives. High hedges serve as fences. In recent years, modern houses have been built with modern materials.
In the past, Hutus wore skirts of cloth made from tree bark, and cloaks made of animal hides. These have long been replaced by Western-style clothing. However, handmade beaded necklaces and bracelets are still worn.
The staple foods of the Hutu include beans, corn, millet, sorghum, sweet potatoes, and cassava. Milk and beef are important foods. Goat meat and goat milk are eaten by people of low social status. Meals are often planned around a family's work schedule. An alcoholic drink made from bananas and sorghum grain is saved for special occasions.
Music, dancing, and drumming are important parts of rural Hutu life. Men and women have different dances. The dancers move their arms and bodies quickly. They also stomp their feet in time to the music. People sing alone or in a chorus which include hunting songs, lullabies, and songs known as ibicuba which is in praise of cattle.

Natively known as Ndigbo, Ethnic group native to the South Eastern Part of Nigeria. A large ethnic Igbo population is found in Cameroon, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea. 

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The Samburu are pastoralists and closely related to the Maasai. Their land is dry and arid. Their diet is consists of milk and animal blood.
The Samburu is one of the few African tribes that still live according to the old and ancient traditions.

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Maureen Ndlovu Maureen is an author, motivational speaker, MCee, Coach and many more things. Her story is one of triumph after a great tragedy at the hands of her former boyfriend.
After surviving an abusive relationship that almost robbed her of her life, Maureen Zamagatsheni Ndlovu has written a book to inspire others to find healing.
Ndlovu’s book ‘Connecting the dots backward’ relates the trauma and pain she suffered at the hands of her former boyfriend and her near-death experience after he beat her to a pulp and left her for dead.
“The abuse had been going on for a while, but the incident that almost took my life happened in November 2011. My then boyfriend assaulted me for two hours; he raped me, strangled me with my dreads and a belt and then smashed me with a computer tower on my head.”
Ndlovu said as she was being beaten, she lost consciousness.
“In his mind, he thought I was dead, he drove me to one of the local clinics near where we were staying in Midrand to dump my body at a parking lot.”
She said a security guard at the clinic found her body and took her into the hospital where she was treated for extensive injuries.
Two days after regaining consciousness, Ndlovu said she started piecing together the details of the night she was assaulted.
“I couldn’t remember what happened, everyone at the hospital thought I had been a victim of a hijacking. I prayed to God to help me remember the ordeal of the night I was assaulted and I did.”
Ndlovu said she confronted her boyfriend and he threatened to kill her son if he reported the matter to the police.
“Like any abused person I was scared and wanted to forget about that night and move on with my life so I didn’t report him. I had nightmares, I was addicted to sleeping pills and suffered from depression and had to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital for three months.”
Ndlovu relived the trauma when she was raped again and impregnated with her second child in 2013.

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On today's episode of Africa Now, Adetunji hosted Selna Ncgobo, Selna is an actress and singer, Selina Ngcobo from Ixopo, KZN.
She started singing at age 14 and began recording in 2016 Selina is a graduate in Financial Accounting in DUT. She is currently studying for Music production@ Soul Candi Institute of Music with the help of the bursary she won at KZN music imbizo. She is a top five Business and Arts(BASA) finalist in KZN and the only woman sitting in top 5. The piano is her passion

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Our guest on the line from Nairobi is John Agboola, a farmer who is here to assist us with unpacking agriculture in Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria. We have decided to get John’s insights into the Agricultural sector and Agribusiness in Nigeria. As a country, Nigeria is synonymous with oil yet there are almost 200 million mouths to feed daily. John Agboola is an agriculturist/farmer with a passion for agricultural research for development. He is a value chain catalyst, agricultural mechanization and communication expert with a degree in Agricultural Economics and Extension from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria.

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On this episode, we are looking at the Match-making industry in Africa, to help us unpack this, we have in the studio Hlengiwe Sigasa CEO of Swift Dating. Swift Dating is a dating agency which  Hlengiwe has founded in order to ensure love in the black community. Hlengiwe founded the agency because in her words’ I love, love. I am a sucker for romance and I realize that we all at some point want it. Why not make it a fun and fascinating experience? Hlengiwe says she is not Dr. Love but Dr. beautiful wholesome sustainable black love.

Our another guest joining on the line from Pretoria is Hetty Boachie-Yiadom, Co-Founder of P & H Boutique store which she owns in partnership with her husband Papa. P & H deals with clothes made out of African fabrics with wax prints and they cater to men, women, and children.

Hetty and Papa both left the corporate to pursue their own business. Hetty says they followed the Robert Kiyosaki model which of running their business alongside their day job until the business grew to a satisfactory point where they felt they could leave their day jobs. Hetty left in 2016 and Papa in 2017. P& H now has five stores in award-winning malls in three provinces across South Africa.

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Our guest in studio today is Jim Dando, Director Sales, and Operations, NISSAN. Jim has been in the motor trade for four decades and with Nissan for the past two decades. He was formerly General Manager, Nissan Africa Regional office for 11 years. Before that, he was in Aftersales field operations for 8 years.Kofi Annan, the former United Nations secretary-general and Nobel peace prize winner, died yesterday (Aug. 18) in Berne, Switzerland after a short illness. He was 80.Nigerian schoolgirls won a Silicon Valley prize for an app that detects fake drugs. Five teenage Nigerian girls developed an app that allows anyone with a smartphone to detect and report fake drugs. he head of Ethiopian Airlines wants African nations to own a stake in the carrier. As Africa’s largest air airline, the state-owned airline is looking to boost the continent’s fragmented airspace through increased connectivity and strategic partnerships. Chief executive Tewolde Gabremariam now says African countries should also co-own the airline with Ethiopia. Sport is a unifying factor in Kenya, and the country’s runners are known all over the world for consistently breaking records. The story of Enda, the firm making the first Kenyan runners’ shoe.Zimbabwe’s constitutional court to hear election results petition (Aug. 22). The opposition Movement for Democratic Change challenged the election of Emmerson Mnangagwa as president and is seeking fresh polls or the declaration of its leader Nelson Chamisa as the winner.--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/appSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tribesofafrica/support

Mohammed Jega, Founder Arewa startup in Northern Nigeria on the need for investments in Information technology and creating techpreneurs in Africa. Startup Arewa focuses on using technology to create lasting business solutions for businesses in Northern Nigeria through mentorship, project management and collaborative partnerships and funding of same.--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/appSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tribesofafrica/support

Our guest in studio is Gina Athanassiou (former Miss South Africa)
Founder of Holanathi.
Gina Athanassiou (born 7 June 1984) is a South African former beauty queen and model of Greek origin who has just developed a new nutritional food solution to assist underprivileged communities in South Africa.

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Stories about Africa is always such with the so-called permanent stain of poverty, though rich in everything you can think of in the world, but poverty remains a major problem in Africa and has continued from generation to generation. Some people have argued, however, about what the true definition of poverty is. SOS village the United Kingdom refer to Africa as the poorest continent on earth "Africa is considered the poorest continent on earth. Almost every second person living in the states of sub-Saharan Africa lives below the poverty line".
The world bak regards you as being poor if you live on less than 1.25 US dollars a day to life, it doesn't matter if you have no need of even buying anything with money. Apart from just poverty, there's extreme poverty and that is even worst. Extreme poverty in Africa is caused by many factors, according to the SOS UK, these factors include:
War and crisis, Population growth, climate condition, diseases, Unjust Global trade structures.
The only approach to ending poverty in Africa in our opinion should be generational, meaning that we begin to groom a generation that will understand and well equipped on how to create or generate wealth, there are enormous opportunities and resources in Africa and it is about time we change the stories of Africa from a continent ridden with poverty to a continent where her people flourish and prosper.

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The concept of pastoral farming is not just a method of farming but also very much entrenched in the culture and lifestyle of many African tribes; from the Masai farmers in East Africa to the Fulanis in West and Central Africa. Pastoral farmers have a huge contribution to our society in many ways, both economically, socially and are also part of our cultural heritage. Adetunji Omotola hosts Coley in the studio to discuss the opportunities in pastoral farming across Africa and also the current challenges with a specific focus on the killings by Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria and how complicated the entire situation is. Coley also offers some solution to the security burden that Fulani Herdsmen in Nigeria presents.

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On this episode, we are looking at the outdoor advertising business in Africa Joining us in the studio to help us critically examine the business of outdoor advertising in Africa is Mark Cooper, the CEO of JC Decaux, Subsaharan Africa. JC Decaux is the biggest outdoor advertising company in the world. In 2016 it bought Continental Outdoor.

Continental Outdoor Media, founded more than 50 years ago and a pioneer in Outdoor Advertising in Africa, was acquired on 18 June 2015 by JCDecaux SA (Euronext Paris: DEC) in partnership with empowerment partner and long-term investor Royal Bafokeng Holdings (RBH) with a shareholding split of 70/30. The company has now completed its integration process, and having finalized all statutory requirements, will officially be known as JCDecaux in each of the countries it operates within.

The new platform in sub-Saharan Africa, with more than 37 000 advertising panels and a presence in 14 countries (Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe), on top of JCDecaux’s existing footprint in Cameroon and Algeria, is the number one outdoor advertising company in Africa. It operates a wide range of analog and digital advertising displays on highways and road arterials in metropolitan and rural areas, as well as in airports, shopping malls, the Gautrain Stations, taxi ranks and railway stations across sub-Saharan Africa, ensuring optimal visibility for advertisers and their brands.

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We begin the show with business updates from across Africa: The Prime Minister of Ethiopia has been constantly on the news since he started with his reforms agenda, firstly by opening up the country to foreign investors and also drive agenda for peace within the region especially with neighbouring Eritrea and Ethiopia on its part has expressed its readiness to resolve differences with Eritrea through dialogue and mutually beneficial arrangements. It has long accepted the outcomes of the Algiers Agreement and has made a five-point proposal for peace and normalization of relations between the two countries. In the second part of the show, Dr. Aba Lisa Graham joins Adetunji in the studio to talk about the cost of healthcare in Africa with specific emphasis on Nigeria and South Africa; looking at infrastructure, financing, and access generally.

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Ethiopia, Africa’s second-most-populous country, and the continent’s fastest growing economy are inviting big business to cash in. Business confidence in South Africa eased in May, putting a further damper on the gloomy economy, following worse-than-expected first-quarter gross domestic product figures on Tuesday.Ethiopia, Africa’s second-most-populous country, and the continent’s fastest growing economy are inviting big business to cash in.The deal between the Central Bank of Nigeria and Peoples Bank of China to exchange N720 billion for 15 billion Chinese Renminbi (Yuan) in three years under the U.S.$2.5 billion bilateral currency swap is said to strengthen the Nigerian Naira by reducing the demand for USD.This week in our Africa Chat segment we are discussing with Gloria Otieno Muka Founder & CEO Recours Four Kenya, an HR Services firm. Gloria has recently been listed on the Forbes 30 under 30 entrepreneurs in Africa to watch; she's sharing with us how she became an entrepreneur, her journey, learnings, and motivation. In 2013, Gloria Michelle Otieno Muka, founded Recours Four Kenya Consultants Limited (R4Kenya), a fast-growing professional HR services firm located in Nairobi, Kenya. She started the firm with $2,000 of her savings, and within the last 4 years, she has grown the company into a $400,000 (annual revenues) business with more than 15 employees. Recours Four Kenya offers professional HR services in consultancy, recruitment, training, psychometric testing and staff outsourcing. The company’s clients include the World Bank group, Kenya National Examination Council, USAID, GlaxoSmithKline, and Sportpesa.--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/appSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tribesofafrica/support

On the episode of HR Wired, like we always do, we shine the spotlight on the most important aspect of business and that is the talent; Sibongile joins us remotely to bring major HR updates; on HR Chat, we have Lauren Salt who is a senior associate for Employment and Compensation Practice at Baker McKenzie in Johannesburg.
, she chats with us about the South African Employment Equity and how there's no provision for the Transgender individuals.
South Africa’s Employment Equity Act (EEA) contains a number of anti-discrimination provisions, as well as mechanisms for employers to collect, analyze, plan and report on employment equity information. The mechanisms, however, do not cater for those employees who do not identify with being either male or female. The practice of gathering and reporting only gender binary information for employment equity purposes might, therefore, be discriminatory. 
“Where an employer forces an individual who, either biologically or otherwise, does not identify with a particular gender, to choose to be either male or female, this could amount to discrimination,”
Lauren explains that Chapter II of the Employment Equity Act (EEA) requires designated employers to implement affirmative action measures in respect of designated persons. Besides identifying non-white racial groups as designated groups, the EEA identifies women as part of such group. As a result, the central focus of the information gathering, analyzing, planning and reporting processes set out in the EEA is the delineation of the workforce into racial and sex categories. The template forms attached to the EEA envisage that 100% of the employer’s workforce is either male or female.
Ivan Israelstam also joins us to clarify the case of falsification of credentials and how that is not always dismissable.
To close of the show, we have Dr. Anish Shivdasani founder & CEO of Giraffe to chat with us about the current HR trends globally and then bring it back home in Africa.

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On this episode of Africa Now, Adetunji and Nonye focus on critical examination of Africa's infrastructure challenges and opportunities through the lens of a private equity investment company.Mychal Jefferson, the CEO and Chairman of Hamershlag Sulzberger Borg Capital Markets Inc.Hamershlag Sulzberger Borg is a private equity firm founded in 1835, the Company focuses on the business of buying and selling securities such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and certain other investment products. Hamershlag Sulzberger Borg Capital Markets conducts business in the United States.Mychal is an Experienced executive with a demonstrated history of working in the private family office and private banking industry. Strong entrepreneurship professional skilled in Business Planning, Investor Relations, Entrepreneurship, Private Capital, and Venture Capital.--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/appSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tribesofafrica/support

On today’s show, we are looking at top FDI destinations in Africa according to the 2017 data; on our chat segment, we will be looking at Africa Investment Forum 2018 which was recently launched by the President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Adesina, to be hosted in Johannesburg coming later this year; And lastly on our lifestyle segment, we will be talking about wine.Join the conversation on Twitter @AfricaBizRadio using the #AfricaNow.Download Our Mobile App on Andriod and IOSSpeaking at a meeting with the delegation from AfDB, South Africa’s Minister of Finance, Nhlanhla Nene, said, “The Africa Investment Forum is indeed Africa’s investment marketplace. We have no doubt that it will have the desired development impact. South Africa is not only a gateway for investments on the continent but also a leading African investor. We thank you for allowing South Africa to host the inaugural event.”The African Investment Forum provides an open platform to organize efforts among multilateral institutions, governments and the private sector to improve the pipeline of projects that can transform the continent. The Bank is working with several global partners and stakeholders to make the African Investment Forum the springboard for African economic transformation.--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/appSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tribesofafrica/support