The document provides information about the Tswana people of southern Africa. It states that Tswana refers to several related ethnic groups who share a common language and customs. The principal Tswana clans are listed. Tswana society is described as comprising men, women, children, and ancestors, and emphasizing responsibilities over individual rights. Traditional Tswana religion centers around a supreme god and ancestral spirits.

1. The Tswana People Essay
The Tswana People
Tswana is the name applied to a number of groups who all speak the same language and share
similar customs but have separate names. Tswana are defined as a member of the Bantu people
inhabiting Botswana, western South Africa, and neighboring areas. They are also called Batswana
or Bechuana. The language Tswana is defined as the Sotho language of the Tswana people and is a
Bantu language. It may also be referred to as Setswana or Sechuana, and it was the first Sotho
language written to have a written form. The principal Tswana clans are the: BarГґlГґng,
BakwГЄna, Bangwaketse, Bamangwato, Batawana, BatlГґkwa, Bakgatla, and Balete. None of these
people ever knew themselves as the Tswana because foreigners gave them this...show more content...
The Tswana are closely related to the Sotho people of Lesotho andSouth Africa. The Sotho–Tswana
peoples are alike in language, customs, and they claim a common ancestor, Mogale. They also share
an agrarian culture, social structures, political organization, religious and magical beliefs, and
similar family structures. All of the Sotho and Tswana languages are inherently intelligible, but they
have generally been considered to be three separate languages for political and historical reasons.
Also, the larger sub–tribes are often considered as separate tribes with their separate languages.
Traditional Tswana society is comprised of men, women, children, and "badimo," or ancestors and
living dead that possess metaphysical powers. A Tswana does not think in terms of individual
rights, but of responsibilities to his or her family and tribe. The father serves as the head of the
household and is to be obeyed and respected by his wives and children at all times.
Further, the Sotho–Tswana are organized by lineages that developed as the tribe grew. These
lineages are organized into subunits and communities in which every level exhibits the same social
organization and institutions such as the Kgotla, the traditional court with various officials assigned
various duties in the social structure at each level. In traditional Tswana religion, tribal animism,
"Modimo" is the great God, or "The
Get more content on HelpWriting.net

2. Essay on Africa
Europe tried to take many countries, Africa being one of them. The European countries had an
effect on Africa today throughout all the primes. Europe had an effect on the African way of life,
that in some ways were good, and in some ways bad.
Imperialism is defined as the extension or rule or influence by one government, nation, or society
over the political, economic, or cultural life of another. European nations decided they wanted land
in the mostly unexplored continent, and they took it, without the consent of the African people.
Europe brought Christian ideas into Africa. Religion was changed from what it would have been to
Christianity today. If you look at most of the countries in Africa such as Angola, Congo, Ghana or
Zimbabwe...show more content...
European Imperialist Policies made Africa lose history of their culture and brought racism to Africa.
Europeans wanted to change Africans to be more like them, changing their religion, changing their
life style and making them slaves. Slavery led to the loss of culture because after a while Africans
began to think of themselves as lower class; since that's what they were treated like. The Westernized
minority, influenced by European culture and Christianity, first rejected African traditional culture.
Slavery lead to people hating Africa, Africans and the African culture. Which leads to the Africa
culture and traditions being diminished. Why would anyone want to practice a certain religion or
traditions if they were labeled as wrong, or unethical.
Traditionally, the majority of Africans have been farmers and herders who raised crops and
livestock. When Europeans started colonizing they demanded agricultural and mineral products.
Safer technology and ways of farming were learned and brought to Africa. European technology and
crops were introduced and a modern exchange economy started. The technology was starting to
grow, there were new machines and easier ways to do things Africans never thought of.
Africa today has changed a lot from European countries and the imperialist policies. The Europeans
tore into the African continent and succeeded in destroying the Africanway of life. Thousands of
people were
Get more content on HelpWriting.net

3. African Cultures Essay
African Cultures
Africa has more than 800 languages native to its continent. African cultures are so diverse that they
are different from any other culture of the world. African cultures contain many different languages.
African languages range from common French to languages unheard of to most people such as
Swahili. African arts are much different than American arts. Their art involves much more creative
pottery, masks, and paintings. Africa has a very interesting culture. Reasons being the people are
very creative and like to express their individuality. The most diverse cultures in the world belong to
Africa.
There are more than 800 languages spoken in the continent of Africa. Most Africans speak two or
three languages, their...show more content...
The most common languages in South Africa are Xhosa, Tswana, Zulu, and Swahili (African
Languages).
Zulu is one of nine Bantu languages spoken in East Southern Africa. Approximately 8.8 million
people speak this language (African Languages).
Swahili is spoken as a mother language vast along the coast of East Africa. It is the national
language of Tanzania and the official language of Kenya (African Languages). It is also the official
in German East Africa (Reader 265). Approximately 50 million people speak this language (African
Languages).
Art is very important to the Africans. In fact it is part of their everyday life (Fetzer 106). South
African artists are active in many areas of art including sculpture, pottery, mask making, and
many more (African Arts Information). Like African paintings, poetry, and woodcarvings,
sculptures tell a tale and immortalize cultures and beliefs. Different artists have different styles
(African Arts Information). Materials and styles differ from village to village. Most sculptors
use green wood, copper, tin, zinc alloys, bronze, ivory, or terra cotta, a kind of earth ware. Most
sculpture figures are believed to contain ancestor's spirits. Others represent sacred ideas or events
(Fetzer 106). Some objects are said to be magical and believed to have magical powers (African
Arts). Africans carve figures, make masks, and decorate articles for ceremonies (Fetzer 106).
Get more content on HelpWriting.net

4. South Africa Essay
South Africa is a nation with a wonderful and varied culture. This country has been called "The
Rainbow Nation", a name that reflects the diversity of such amazing place. The different ethnic and
cultural groups of the South Africa do, however, appreciate their own beliefs and customs. Many of
these traditions, besides African culture, are influenced by European and Western heritage. The
complex and diverse population of the country has made a strong impact to the various cultures.
There are forty–five million people; about thirty million are black, five million white, three million
coloured and one million Indians. The black population has a large number of rural people living in
poverty. It is among these inhabitants that cultural...show more content...
Many black musicians who sang in Afrikaans and English during the apartheid period began to
sing in traditional African dialects developing a singular style called Kwaito. This is a music
genre that became the favorite way of representing social and economic issues. I believe that in
certain way, Kwaito is a political power that shows activism in its apolitical actions. In the other
hand white and coloured South African singers were strongly influenced by European music.
African Indigenous Churches were the largest of the Christian groups during the apartheid period.
It is argued that many of the people who claimed no relation with any religion were part of
indigenous religions. This is a religion that combines Christian and indigenous influences. Many
South African Muslims are described as Coloureds, especially those whose ancestors were slaves.
Others are described as Indians including those whose ancestors came as traders from South Asia.
Religion plays such an important fact in South Africa giving an special taste to the culture.
The culture during the apartheid time is still powerful in much of South Africa countryside. For
example, across the many ethnic groups, marriage traditions are different, but all the beliefs are
based in a masculine deity, ancestral spirits and supernatural forces. Usually, plural marriages are
permitted and a lobolo (dowry) is usually paid. Cattles play an important part in many of
Get more content on HelpWriting.net