Cultural Practices

Sudan Bans Female Genital Mutilation, Imposes 3-year Jail Sentence for Offenders

Sudan has criminalised female genital mutilation (FGM) and imposed a three-year prison sentence for offenders, according to a newly amended law. The amendment to the criminal law was approved on 22 April, the Reuters news agency reports. Sudan is one of...

Mwaka Kogwa, the Tanzanian Festival where Men Fight to Settle Grudges of the Previous Year

Mwaka Kogwa is a four-day festival held in Makunduchi, usually in late July. It is a celebration of the New Year and some of the events include huge bonfires and mock fights. The festival has its origins in Zoroastrian religion...

Kusasa Fumbi: The Sexual Rite Of Passage Practiced in Parts of Africa

Kusasa Fumbi “Sexual cleansing” is a common practice in several African countries where a woman is expected to have sex after her first period, after becoming widowed, or after an abortion, as a cleansing ritual. For young girls Kusasa Fumbi...

Nuba Wrestling: A Look into Sudan’s Nuba People and their Traditional Wrestling Culture

The Nuba people have been wrestling for centuries and like other forms of Wrestling in Africa, the purpose of Nuba wrestling is to build group identity and display the prowess of the group's young men. The Nuba peoples are various...

Bizarre: The Ghanaian Village Where Childbirth Is Prohibited

None of the about 5000 inhabitants of Mafi Dove, a village in southern Ghana, was born there. The village is considered to be a holy land and consequently has a myriad of customs and traditions that have been upheld...

Papua New Guinea: Sambian Boys Initiation Involves Drinking Men’s Semen

The Sambian people of Papua New Guinea practice one of the most bizarre cultures known to westernisation. A cultural anthropologist, Gilbert Herdt, has described their ritual act of initiation as “ritualised homosexuality.” The Sambia people are a tribe of mountain-dwelling,...

Culture: Twenty-one Boys Die in South Africa While Undergoing Circumcision

At least 21 boys have died in South Africa while undergoing circumcision in the bi-annual ceremony which began in November, authorities have said. Twice every year, A fairly large number of Xhosa boys go through a coming of age ritual...

Like Properties, Widows are Inherited in Some Parts of Zambia

Widow inheritance is a custom commonly practiced in Africa. In this custom, a man inherits the property and wife of his deceased brother or relative. The custom is practiced in order to ensure that a widow and her children...

5 Valuable African Traditions Now on the Brink of Extinction

Valuable African Traditions Now on the Brink of Extinction Popular African traditions are slowly being replaced with strange western cultures. Although Africa often appears disadvantaged in many aspects, it is king when it comes to preservation of cultures. In fact,...

Senegal May Soon Legalise Witchcraft to Ease Burden on State Hospitals

Witchcraft may soon be legalized as traditional medicine in Senegal, a move that is expected to ease the burden on already overcrowded hospitals, news site Aljazeera reports. Traditional practices which tie into spiritual beliefs have been a part of African...
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William Gibbons: The African Who Was Enslaved by a Professor at the University of Virginia

William Gibbons, born around 1825 in Albemarle County, Virginia, was an African American who was enslaved by a professor at the University of Virginia.