West Side High School - Lamp Yearbook (Newark, NJ)

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AFRICAN CULTURE AFRICA Today Africa, the second largest continent is the scene of great political and social revolution. As recently as 1950. only four African countries were independent. But strong national movements during the 1900’s resulted in the end of most European colonies which became independent states. Many of the African countries have rich natural resources which should help them thoroughly. The mines of Africa produce almost all of the world’s supply of diamonds, copper, gold, manganese, and uranium: there are also important deposits of coal, iron, and |K-troleum and potentially great sources of hydro-electric power. Africa grows much of the world's supply of cacao, palm oil and palm kernels, peanuts, and sisal. The forests have valuable hardwood such as cliony and mahogany. Less than a hundred years ago, Africa was called the Dark Continent, partly because much of it had not been explored. Traders and Euro| ean businessmen, looking for natural wealth, pushing further inland trying to meet the ever growing demands of the European market. Mining towns and trading centers grew into full-size cities. While much of Africa was urbanized, there were certain natural barriers. desert and jungle, which defied habitation. With the coming of (letter transportation more and more j eople travel to Africa each year. Some make trips on the longest river in the world which is the Nile River, or the world's largest desert, the Sahara. Africa with its natural and human potential should look forward to a prosperous future. The People It is difficult to categorize the people in Africa. All possess different characteristics and methods. Most people of tropical Africa possess these characteristics: dark skin and light bone structure. However, Africa is really a great melting pot. and skin color ranges from almost white to blue-black. West Africa is the home of the Bantu Africans who predominate the lower part of the continent. Their skin is lighter and they are generally smaller than the West Africans. There are alxxit 100.000 Pygmies. They average al out four feet six inches in height, and weigh altout eighty-eight pounds. Their skin is yellowish brown. The Pygmies are found mainly in the tropical forests of the upper Congo Basin. They live as hunters and foragers. Africa also has giants. Some of the Nilotic people of the Watutsi Tribe stand seven feet tall. The)' have thin lips, narrow noses, and long heads. The Watutsi Tribe, whose towering warriors dance with spears and feathered headdresses, are Nilotes. Alxxit 750,000 Europeans live in Tropical Africa. Rhodesia has the largest European population, and whites control the government of that country. There arc alxxit 400,000 Asians in the tropical part of Africa, mainly on the cast coast. Many of these migrated from India. Pakistan, and the Aral) nations.

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The Land Many Americans still think of Tropical Africa as one vast jungle extending from the Atlantic ('oast to the Indian Ocean. We tend to think that all of the people in this region share the same climate, live in the same manner, and face the same problems. In order to understand the problems of the new nations, one must know more about the land and climate that counts so much in Africa. Tropical Africa — The region between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn which covers alxnit 84 million square miles in Tropical Africa. It is alxnit twice the size of the United States. It includes the island of Madagascar (now the Malagas)’ Republic) off the east coast of Africa. Only alxnit six percent of all Africa is covered by thick forest, where the rainfall is one hundred inches or more per year. It is found mostly along the coast of West Africa and in the Congo River Basin. As you go inland from the west coast, the forest gradually thins exit and becomes the Savanna. The Savanna lies in two regions, each alxnit six hundred miles wide. They are north and south of the jungle. In these belts, there are wooded plains, grassy lands with trees and fields where some grass grows. The Savannas arc the farm and cattle zones of the continent. In South Africa they are called the Veld and in the North, they are called the Sudan. Beyond the Savannas are the deserts. The Sahara, the largest in the world, takes up about oik fourth of the land surface of the continent. It extends from the Atlantic Ocean east to the Red Sea. These are Africa’s major types of lands. Ways Of Life e Tribal Life A trilx is a group of |x oplc who have cultural and political unity. Each has its own customs and way of life. Most consist of several families. One family is usually the ruling group. The oldest mcmix;r of that family may Ik the chief of the trilx. , although some are ruled by a group of elders. Some trilx are the size of nations, while others are small village communities. Most permit polygamy which means that men who can afford to. will have several wives. In tribal life the individual identifies his welfare with welfare of the group. Most Africans are trained from childhood to share things with other members of the trilx . Tribalism slows economic progress in the new nations of Africa. Trilxal culture, which is cooperative, does not encourage individual initiative nor the longing for material goods. Life In Cities Even when Africans move from their homeland to cities, they seldom forget tribal ties. They keep many tribal practices and most of them return frequently to their homelaixis. Only alxnit forty percent of the people in Africa live in cities. The educated minority of adult Africans usually hold government positions or work in industry. Many of the memliers of this educated elite were trained in missionary schools. Many have attended colleges in Europe and the United States. Most of the leader of the new nations south of the Sahara, recognize that stx'ial change requires emphasis on education. Some governments are spending up to thirty percent of their money on education. A shortage of teachers is a major problem in Africa. The United States Peace Corps volunteers are helping to meet this inadequacy in some countries. Farming Over seventy-five percent of African people are engaged in sulisistence; that is, they produce what they need for their family and often have little or nothing extra to sell for income. In the rain forest regions of western and central Africa, the typical farm and garden staples are: yams, cassava, bananas and manioc. All of thffe foods are high in carlxihydrates which provide available starch base for the African diet. In the great savannah areas, grains — chiefly millet aixl coni are cultivated. In the plateau of eastern, central, and southern Africa com is the major grain. The coastal areas of the African continent prodix-e a variety of tropical fniits: bananas, citrus fruits, mangoes, pineapples, and avocados. The Tsetse fly has prevented cattle raising in much of Africa. In most areas where cattle are kept, the grasses are not of a quality to make them fat enough for export. Africa has roughly alxnit twelve percent of the world’s cattle. Africa does produce a major share of the worlds supply of some agricultural commodities. Nearly the entire world’s supply of vanilla aixl cloves comes from Africa as do over seventy-five percent of the sisal. If African farmers are to achieve higher yields, it will lx necessary to apply the best scientific and technological knowledge available. Irrigation is needed as well as lx tier fertilizers. Crop researchers must find tatter, hardier plants that will thrive aixl bring high yields under African growing conditions. Small farmers must learn to abandon their old technique when better ones are found.