African Food and Art

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Animism the World’s Oldest Religion

Animism is the World’s Oldest Religion. In Africa today Animist beliefs and organized religious practices such as Islam and Christianity are practiced side by side. The seen, unseen and worlds in between are naturally connected in the souls of African people.

Mama Africa
Every living thing has a soul


The belief of animism is probably one of man's oldest beliefs in objects are alive and have feelings and objectives; Animism is from the Latin word anima, meaning breath, spirit, and life. An animist is a believer in that objects, places and creatures all possess a distinct unseen spiritual essence.

Animism is the belief that practically every object in the universe surrounding man has a soul and a personality such as he himself possesses. It is not astonishing that the early inhabitants of the earth  spent their lives with supernatural attributes of a spiritual essence such as trees that in the gloom and chill of winter stood gaunt, bare, and sterile, but in the early spring hastened to greet the welcome warm life-giving sun.

Besides the belief in a human soul, the African animistic mind sees in every natural object a living entity. Thus, trees, rivers, winds, and animals all possess the gift of life. Humans from the most remote periods of history in Africa from which there no written records most likely experienced the natural unbroken existence between the human and spiritual world.

Animist original humans in Africa, watching the marvelous changes in nature through trees and plants, which accurately marked not only the seasons of the year and even the periods of time in a day, could not fail to be awestruck with a feeling of wonder at the mysterious invisible power which silently guided such wondrous and perplexing processes.

Throughout Africa respect is given to distinct spiritual essences and the mysteries of the vast unseen world. Individual spiritual essences are shadowing the universe; mystically typifying creation and regeneration, and holding the key to the divine knowledge and wisdom to those who partook of it.

Animism in Africa finds connections with the mysteries of death, and giving shelter to the souls. Looking upon all objects as symbolic of life, death and the origin of species animists universally regarded nature as powerful beings and constituting the abiding places of spirits whose existence is bound up in the lives of the earth they inhabit.

The seen, unseen and worlds in between are naturally connected in the souls of African people.
The seen, unseen and worlds in between are naturally connected in the souls of African people.


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What is the difference between ugali and fufu

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How to make the popular African recipes Ugali and Fufu and what is the difference.  Ugali is a starch dish in Kenya and Tanzania made of fine cornmeal cooked in boiling water into a soft dough. Fufu is a thick, dough-like West African food made by boiling then pounding a starchy vegetable such as yam, plantain, or cassava or a mixture of starchy vegetables. The main difference between fufu and ugali is fufu is boiled first then pounded while ugali is simply boiled. Ugali recipe. Easy Ugali Recipe Prep time 5 minutes Cook time 30 minutes Total time 30 minutes Ingredients 4 cups finely ground cornmeal 8 cups water Directions Heat water to boiling in a saucepan. Slowly pour cornmeal into boiling water stirring continuously. Add more cornmeal if necessary until it is thick as soft bread dough. Serve immediately with vegetables, stew, or any dish you would use a spoon with to soak up the sauce, ugali is purposely bland tasting on its own. What is the difference between ugali and
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Top 20 Largest Countries in Africa

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African Country by Size List. Africa Which are the top twenty largest, smallest, and territorial country in Africa by land area? 1. The continent of Africa is the world’s second largest based on land area and population just after Asia. 2. Top five largest countries of Africa are Algeria, Congo Democratic Republic of the, Sudan, Libya and Chad. 3. Top five smallest African countries and territories are Mauritius, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Saint Helena and Mayotte. African Country from largest to smallest Area sq mile Area sq km Algeria 919,595 2,381,740 Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) 905,568 2,345,410 Sudan 718,723 1,861,484 Libya 679,362 1,759,540 Chad 495,755 1,284,000 Niger 489,191 1,267,000 Angola 481,354 1,246,700 Mali 478,767 1,240,000 South Africa 471,011 1,219,912 Ethiopia 435,186 1,127,127 Mauritania 397,95
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Ethiopian Midwest American Hotdish

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Our Ethiopian hot dish combines Ethiopian cooking with classic Minnesota Midwest casserole meal. The hot dish’s origins are a product of settlers traditions in Midwest America dating back to the early 20th century. A hot-dish or casserole is a one-pan meal that traditionally includes a combination of starch like potatoes, pasta, or rice, ground meat, vegetables, and a creamy canned soup base, all topped with crunchy goodness like breadcrumbs or tater tots. The concept of hot dish became popular in the Upper Midwest, particularly in states like Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, in the 1930s and 1940s. This period was marked by economic challenges, including the Great Depression. The need for economical and filling meals led to the creation of dishes that could be stretched to feed many people using simple, affordable ingredients . Hot dishes became synonymous with potlucks, church suppers, and social gatherings. These events were central to rural and small-town communities, where
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Neck elongation rings how to put on and take off

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Neck elongation rings how to put on and take off. Idzila are Ndebele wives traditionally wear rings around the neck as a status symbol and wear rings around the arms, legs, and neck. Wearing Neck Rings. For centuries, married South African Ndebele tribes’ women saw wearing heavy rings around their neck as an honored status symbol. Neck rings are any form of stiff necklaces worn around the neck of an individual. The neck rings are usually made of copper or brass. During initiation, girls wear an array of colorfully beaded hoops called izigolwan around their legs, arms, waist, and neck. After marriage, the Ndebele wife would wear copper and brass rings around her arms, legs, and neck, symbolizing her bond and faithfulness to her husband, once her home was built. Idzila rings were believed to have strong ritual powers. Husbands used to provide their wives with rings; the richer the husband, the more rings the wife would wear. These outward symbols can be removed only in ca
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