African is used to describe someone, usually a black person, who comes from Africa. African women. An African is someone who is African. Fish is a staple in the diet of many Africans. relating to Africa or its people. someone from Africa. African ant bear South African Republic African arts African languages African lily African Methodist Episcopal Church AME Church African National Congress African religions African Union African violet Constantine the African East African Rift System Organization of African Unity Pan African movement African lion dog South African War Central African Republic
African means belonging or relating to black people who come from Africa. traditional African culture. dance music with African roots
A variation of Modern English spoken predominately by lower socioeconomic class individuals of African descent, usually in urban or suburban surroundings in the United States
A plant of the genus Agapanthus umbellatus having a short stem bearing a tuft of long, narrow, arching leaves 1/2 to 2 ft. long and a central flower stalk 2 to 3 ft. high, ending in an umbel of bright blue, funnel-shaped flowers
(Hayvan Bilim, Zooloji) The African Wild Dog, Lycaon pictus, also known as the African Hunting Dog, Cape Hunting Dog, Painted Dog, or Painted Wolf, is a carnivorous mammal of the Canidae family. The Afrikaans name for the African Wild dog is Wildehond, and in Swahili, Mbwa mwitu. It is the only species in the monotypic genus, Lycaon. They are, as their name indicates, found only in Africa, especially in scrub savanna and other lightly wooded areas
(Hayvan Bilim, Zooloji) The African Wild Dog, Lycaon pictus, also known as the African Hunting Dog, Cape Hunting Dog, Painted Dog, or Painted Wolf, is a carnivorous mammal of the Canidae family. The Afrikaans name for the African Wild dog is Wildehond, and in Swahili, Mbwa mwitu. It is the only species in the monotypic genus, Lycaon. They are, as their name indicates, found only in Africa, especially in scrub savanna and other lightly wooded areas
Any of the nonstandard varieties of English spoken by African Americans. Also called Black English, Black English Vernacular, Black Vernacular English, Ebonics. See Usage Note at Black English
African American Methodist denomination formally organized in 1816. It originated with a group of black Philadelphians who withdrew in 1787 from St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church (see Methodism) because of racial discrimination and built Bethel African Methodist Church. In 1799 Richard Allen became minister of Bethel, and in 1816 he was consecrated bishop of the newly organized African Methodist Episcopal Church. Limited at first to the Northern states, the church spread rapidly in the South after the Civil War. It founded many colleges and seminaries, notably Wilberforce University (1856) in Ohio. In the late 20th century the church claimed 3,500,000 members and 8,000 congregations. Its headquarters are in Washington, D.C
African American Methodist denomination formally organized in 1816. It originated with a group of black Philadelphians who withdrew in 1787 from St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church (see Methodism) because of racial discrimination and built Bethel African Methodist Church. In 1799 Richard Allen became minister of Bethel, and in 1816 he was consecrated bishop of the newly organized African Methodist Episcopal Church. Limited at first to the Northern states, the church spread rapidly in the South after the Civil War. It founded many colleges and seminaries, notably Wilberforce University (1856) in Ohio. In the late 20th century the church claimed 3,500,000 members and 8,000 congregations. Its headquarters are in Washington, D.C
the full name of the ANC. South African political party and black nationalist organization. Founded in 1912 (as the South African Native National Congress), the ANC was long dedicated to the elimination of apartheid. In response to government massacres of demonstrators at Sharpeville (1960) and Soweto (1976), it carried out acts of sabotage and guerrilla warfare. The campaign was largely ineffective because of stringent South African internal security measures, including an official ban on the ANC between 1960 and 1990. In 1991, with the ban lifted, Nelson Mandela succeeded Oliver Tambo as ANC president. In 1994 the party swept the country's first elections based on universal suffrage; the ANC led a coalition government that initially included members of its longtime rival, the National Party, and Mandela became South Africa's president. In 1999 Thabo Mbeki replaced him as president of the ANC and of South Africa. See also Inkatha Freedom Party; Albert Lutuli; Pan-African movement
Visual, performing, and literary arts of sub-Saharan Africa. What gives art in Africa its special character is the generally small scale of most of its traditional societies, in which one finds a bewildering variety of styles. The earliest evidence of visual art is provided by figures scratched and painted on rocks 3000 BC. Pastoral cultures in the east emphasize personal adornment; sculpture predominates in the agricultural societies in the west and south. Clay figurines found in Nigeria date to 500 BC. Metalworking was practiced from the 9th century AD. Sculptures in stone, ivory, and wood date from the 16th-17th centuries; some of the finest wood sculptures date from the 20th century. Architecture dominates the arts of the north and of the eastern coast, where Islam and Christianity exerted their influence; important work includes magnificent mosques built of mud and rock-hewn churches. Perhaps the most distinctive features of African music are the complexity of rhythmic patterning achieved by a great variety of drums and the relationship between melodic form and language tone structure. Without this the text of a song is rendered meaningless; but, even in purely instrumental music, melodic pattern is likely to follow speech tone. Dances are realized in radically different styles throughout Africa. Movement patterns often depend upon the way in which environmental, historical, and social circumstances have been articulated in working, social, and recreational movements. Often there is no distinction between ritual celebration and social recreation. The masquerade is a complex art form employing many media; masquerades may entertain, be used to fight disease, be consulted as oracles, initiate boys to manhood, impersonate ancestors, judge disputes, or execute criminals. The mask is essentially a dramatic device enabling performers to stand apart from their everyday role in the community. The content and style of urban African theatre are influenced by both African dramatic traditions and Western theatre. The literary arts of Africa especially its oral traditions are immensely rich and varied. They include myths, praise songs, epic poetry, folktales, riddles, spells, and proverbs. Written literatures have existed for several centuries in Hausa, Swahili, and Amharic. In the 20th century, written literatures in other African languages also developed, alongside those in English, French, and Portuguese. See also Buli style; déblé; segoni-kun; telum figure; trickster tale; and African authors by name, such as Chinua Achebe; Aimé Césaire; Birago Diop; Athol Fugard; Nadine Gordimer; Wole Soyinka; Amos Tutuola
Languages indigenous to Africa that belong to the Niger-Congo, Nilo-Saharan, Khoisan, and Afro-Asiatic language phyla. Africa is the most polyglot continent; estimates of the number of African languages range from 1,000 to more than 1,500. Many have numerous dialects. Distinctions in tone play a significant role in nearly all sub-Saharan languages. Contact between people who do not speak the same language has necessitated the development of lingua francas such as Swahili in East Africa, Lingala in the Congo River basin (see Bantu languages), Sango in the Central African Republic (see Adamawa-Ubangi languages), and Arabic across much of the Sahel
A South African rhizomatous plant (Agapanthus africanus) having violet funnel-shaped flowers grouped in umbels. Also called agapanthus, lily of the Nile. or lily of the Nile Perennial evergreen herbaceous plant (Agapanthus africanus) of the lily family, native to Africa. In summer, long stalks bear many funnel-shaped flowers. The attractive, thick, dark green leaves are sword-shaped. There are many varieties, some with white or purple flowers and others with patterned leaves. If grown in a climate with frost, they must be kept in containers and moved indoors to survive the cold weather
An aromatic annual Mexican plant (Tagetes erecta) in the composite family, having pinnately lobed leaves and showy, solitary, yellow to orange flower heads
Indigenous religions of the African continent. The introduced religions of Islam (in northern Africa) and Christianity (in southern Africa) are now the continent's major religions, but traditional religions still play an important role, especially in the interior of sub-Saharan Africa. The numerous traditional African religions have in common the notion of a creator god, who made the world and then withdrew, remaining remote from the concerns of human life. Prayers and sacrificial offerings are usually directed toward secondary divinities, who are intermediaries between the human and sacred realms. Ancestors also serve as intermediaries (see ancestor worship). Ritual functionaries include priests, elders, rainmakers, diviners, and prophets. Rituals are aimed at maintaining a harmonious relationship with cosmic powers, and many have associated myths that explain their significance. Animism is a common feature of African religions, and misfortune is often attributed to witchcraft and sorcery
Any of various East African herbs of the genus Saintpaulia, having a basal leaf rosette and a showy cluster of violet or sometimes pink or white flowers. African violets are grown as indoor ornamentals. Any plant of the genus Saintpaulia, of the gesneriad family, especially S. ionantha. African violets are native to high elevations in tropical eastern Africa. They are small, hairy, usually stemless herbaceous plants with crowded, long-stalked leaves. The violet, white, or pink flowers bloom most of the year. They are popular houseplants, and hundreds of varieties have been developed, including half-sized miniatures
African-Americans are black people living in the United States who are descended from families that originally came from Africa. Today African-Americans are 12 percent of the population. African-American is also an adjective. a group of African-American community leaders
African-Caribbean refers to people from the Caribbean whose ancestors came from Africa. modern African-Caribbean culture. An African-Caribbean is someone who is African-Caribbean
any of several plants of the genus Arctotis having daisylike flowers African or Asiatic herbs with daisylike flowers shrub of southwestern Mediterranean region having yellow daisylike flowers
woolly-stemmed biennial arborescent shrub of tropical Africa and southern Asia having silvery-white prickly branches, clusters of blue or white flowers, and bright red berries resembling holly berries
pertaining to or characteristic of Americans of African ancestry; "Afro-American culture"; "many black people preferred to be called African-American or Afro-American"
A person of both African and Caucasian descent born in the United States African-Americans can have more predominantly African features or American (Caucasian) features Most often there is a combination of the two different ethnic groups In character assessment, you usually interpret a feature by comparing it to ethnic norms As you work with character assessment, you'll find that African-Americans can be assessed as easily as other ethnic groups
an American whose ancestors were born in Africa pertaining to or characteristic of Americans of African ancestry; "Afro-American culture"; "many black people preferred to be called African-American or Afro-American
a country in central Africa. Population: 3,577,000 (2001). Capital: Bangui. French République Centrafricaine formerly Ubangi-Shari Republic, central Africa
Latin Constantinus Africanus born 1020, Carthage or Sicily died 1087, monastery of Monte Cassino, near Cassino, Principality of Benevento Medieval medical scholar. He was the first to translate Arabic medical works into Latin. His 37 translated books included The Total Art, a short version of the The Royal Book by the 10th-century Persian physician Al ibn al-Abbs, introducing Islam's extensive knowledge of Greek medicine to the West. His translations of Hippocrates and Galen first gave the West a view of Greek medicine as a whole
the former name for the African Union. African intergovernmental organization. It was established in 1963 to promote unity and solidarity of African states and eliminate vestiges of colonialism. Membership has varied somewhat over the years because of political disputes. The OAU, whose chief policy unit was the annual assembly of heads of state and government, successfully mediated the Algeria-Morocco dispute of 1964-65 and the Somalia-Ethiopia and Kenya-Somalia border disputes of 1965-67, but it was less successful with the Biafra conflict (1968-70). From the 1970s the OAU has concentrated on economic cooperation and human rights. In 2002 the organization's name was changed to the African Union. Its headquarters remained in Addis Ababa, Eth
Movement dedicated to establishing independence for African nations and cultivating unity among black people throughout the world. It originated in conferences held in London (1900, 1919, 1921, 1923) and other cities. W.E.B. Du Bois was a principal early leader. The important sixth Pan-African conference (Manchester, 1945) included Jomo Kenyatta and Kwame Nkrumah. The first truly intergovernmental conference was held in Accra, Ghana, in 1958, where Patrice Lumumba was a key speaker. The Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) was founded by Robert M. Sobukwe and others in South Africa in 1959 as a political alternative to the African National Congress, which was seen as contaminated by non-African influences. The founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU; now the African Union) by Julius Nyerere and others in 1963 was a milestone, and the OAU soon became the most important Pan-Africanist organization
or Boer War War fought between Great Britain and the two Boer (see Afrikaner) republics the South African Republic (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State from 1899 to 1902. It was precipitated by the refusal of the Boer leader Paul Kruger to grant political rights to Uitlanders ("foreigners," mostly English) in the interior mining districts and by the aggressiveness of the British high commissioner, Alfred Milner. Initially the Boers defeated the British in major engagements and besieged the key towns of Ladysmith, Mafikeng, and Kimberley; but British reinforcements under H.H. Kitchener and F.S. Roberts relieved the besieged towns, dispersed the Boer armies, and occupied Bloemfontein, Johannesburg, and Pretoria (1900). When Boer commando attacks continued, Kitchener implemented a scorched-earth policy: Boer farms were destroyed and Boer civilians were herded into concentration camps. More than 20,000 men, women, and children (including black Africans) died as a result, causing international outrage. The Boers finally accepted defeat at the Peace of Vereeniging