Blending contemporary readings on African culture with additional references that provide rich historical context, Essentially Africa: Cultural Traditions from the Cradle of Humankind provides students with a comprehensive and interdisciplinary understanding of African cultural traditions and their historical influences.
Section I of the anthology explores the topics of courtship, marriage, and sex in African culture, addressing kinship relations as a support system for children, polygyny and Christian marriage in Africa, female husbands in Igbo Land, and more. Section II is devoted to African religions, rites, and traditions, including the Charismatic Renewal movement in Ghana, modern practitioners of ancient religions, and "magic" in contemporary Africa. Section III recognizes African clothing, art, and dance, discussing dress for special occasions, tribal dances of Africa, the presence of the hijab in Nigeria, and the complexities of modern masculinity in the Maasai people. The text closes with a section on death and dying, introducing readers to the symbolism of masks, the living, and the dead, the concepts of good and bad death in Kwahu-Tafo, Ghana, and African funeral rites sites for performing, participating, and witnessing trauma.
Edited with the perspective that African history cannot be appreciated without a rich understanding of the relevance of its diverse living cultural traditions, Essentially Africa is an interdisciplinary anthology suitable for courses in African history or culture, cultural anthropology, folklore, international relations, and global public policy.
Linda Tavernier-Almada, Ph.D., is a faculty member of the University of South Florida, serving in the School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies. She received her doctorate in interdisciplinary studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and her focus is on traditional culture and people of African descent. Dr. Tavernier-Almada is a committee member for the Institute of Black Life and president of the Haitian Association Foundation of Tampa Bay. She is the author of SHE...The Journey Imposed on the African Women by HE, the White Male, as well as various articles and book chapters that serve as a force for global change, African cultural expressions, Caribbean identity, history, culture, and more.
Student Endorsements
Rachel D.: I think my favorite thing about all of the readings in this class was that they were all not only informative in nature, but were also objective and unbiased. Absolute honesty without any persuasive rhetoric is what I want out of my education, so that I can form my own opinions and hear others in a controlled and leveled setting.
Sarah T.: I really liked the pieces that were in the reader book. They were more like news articles and it made it easier to read than chapters out of a textbook. It also gave us a glimpse into real life issues and a look into the culture. Most of the topics we read about are not common news story and never discussed. I loved being able to take a look at some real world issues that are usually swept under the rug or forgotten about.
Sarah O.: I think what I liked most about the readings were the fact that all of them, in conjunction with the discussions, confronted you to ask yourself what was troubling, surprising, or different.
Catherine F.: What I liked most about the readings was the fact each reading covered a controversial topic that I personally never knew about.
