African Mythology
Theses were transmitted in the many and very various forms of African art, thought it is not always easy to understand their meanings.
New and Old Africa
Africa is a vast continent, but it divides naturally into two major parts. North Africa, from Egypt to morocco, and down the river Nile to Ethiopia, belongs mostly to the Mediterranean world, and its dominant religions are lslam and Christianity, with their own thought and story. Africa South of the Sahara is what Arab geographer called bilad-as-sudan, the land of the black- people. Here black people form the overwhelming majority of the populations. It is their mythology that is now to be described.
Races, Religions and Philosophy
There are a great variety of shades of color; height, shape, face and body characteristics, and Africans themselves distinguish between light and dark skinned people in their own communities. The Negro (black) person is roughly described by WEB Dubois as having dark skin, wooly hair, and broad nose, most Africans are Negroes. The name Bantu is often given to the Negroes of East and South Africa, but it refers to their languages and not to their race. Proverbs and myths express joy in life and human activity. It is a “world-affirming” philosophy, in which life on earth is thought of as good, despite human suffering, sex is to be enjoyed, and children are the gift of God. The family is not only husband and wife and children, but also the extended family of grandparents, brothers, sisters and cousins, in which old people are honored and cared for. Life and health are the objects of prayers, maintained by good magic and medicine, and threatened by bad magic and witchcraft. The powers of the world act on one another and man tries to keep on good terms with them all. They are not equal, but are seen to be in a hierarchy of forces. The highest is God, who creates all other powers, and strengthens theses that call on him
Languages of Arts
There were still means of expressions through which Africans themselves recorded their thoughts, their beliefs, and their feelings. Theses were transmitted in the many and very various forms of African art, thought it is not always easy to understand their meanings.
Creating the Earth
The primal myth occurs in many forms, and specimens will now be given from different countries. Shorter references to creating the earth will also be found in stories about the creation of men and traditions of the first ancestors. The Yoruba of Nigeria
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