A
frica is an immense landmass that
stretches from the Mediterranean
Sea, across the equator, to a point
far to the south of the tropic of
Capricorn. The vast continent’s
terrain embraces areas as varied as the humid
rainforest of the Congo and the dry desert of
the Sahara. The history of civilization in Africa
has a huge span too, because our very earliest
ancestors lived there – the story of humanity
in Africa has lasted more than a million years.
As a result, Africa has produced a range of
cultures as varied as any on Earth. It has been
home to cattle herders like the Masai, hunters
like the San, and tribes that spend their lives on
the move in search of food. But it has also been
the home of empires, from Benin to Egypt, that
have settled, taken over large areas of the land,
and prospered. Today, the diferences between
urban and rural, settled
and nomadic, and rich
and poor still remain,and are still enormous. All this makes it hard to
generalize about African culture and mythology,
as each tribe has its own unique traditions and
stories, its particular ceremonies and rituals.
Written history came relatively late to Africa.
With the exception of Egypt, where a literate
civilization developed in c.3000 bce and lasted
for some 3,000 years, much African mythology
has been handed down by word of mouth from
one generation to the next. This fact renders the
mythology of Africa more elusive to outsiders.
Writing stories down preserves their content
and makes them accessible to readers beyond
Africa, but it also takes them away from their
important background of oral storytelling.
This living context should always be imagined
when we read African myths and legends.
Among these diverse mythologies there are
a few common themes. One that stands out is
the belief in a supreme god. Nearly all tribes,
whatever additional deities or spirits form part
of their mythology, respect a high god. ThisAFRICA118