Chic African Culture Blog

Did you know?

1. No African country names begin with the letters F, H, I, J, O, P, Q, V, W, X, or Y.

2. Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent.

3. The Republic of the Congo is one of the most urbanized countries in Africa.

African Culture is World Heritage

Appreciate Africa through African art, food, proverb sayings, folklore, biographies, spirituality and African living history.

Fighting for Land, Oil, and People of Western Sahara

Fighting for Land, Oil, and People of Western Sahara

Africa's Western Sahara fight for freedom has been a 40 year battle with no resolution in sight. The disputed territory is on the northwest coast of Africa bordered by Morocco, Mauritania, and Algeria. 

Fighting for Land, Oil, and People of Western Sahara


Western Sahara has a population of around 554 thousand people. After Spain withdrew from Western Sahara in 1976, Morocco seized the area in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal.

 War broke out in the same year due to the Frente Polisario people's party contesting Morocco's self-proclaimed rule over the territory. 

Since 1979, the Frente Polisario has been recognized by the United Nations as the representative of the people of Western Sahara. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic led by President Mohamed Abdelaziz is in exile in Algeria. About 95,000 Sahrawi refugees continue to be sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria, which has housed Sahrawi refugees since the 1980s.

The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara or MINURSO was initiated in 1985 and established by Security Council resolution 690 on April 29, 1991. 

 MINURSO provided for the sole and exclusive responsibility for monitoring ceasefires, verifying the reduction of Moroccan troops in the territory, overseeing exchanges of prisoners of war, identify and register qualified voters.

In August 1994, MINURSO began the process of identifying potential voters in which the people of Western Sahara would choose between independence and integration with Morocco. In May 1996, the Secretary-General suspended the identification process but the military component remained to monitor and verify ceasefires.

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The identification process was finally completed in 1999, however, aspects of the identification process, the appeals process itself, the return of refugees and other crucial aspects of the MINURSO plan remains in dispute by the Frente Polisario people's party and the Government of Morocco. 

 Over 20 years later, the United Nations continues talks with the parties to seek a resolution, Western Sahara remains a hotly disputed territory in West Africa for land, oil, and people to this day.
Africa's Western Sahara fight for freedom has been a 40 year battle with no resolution in sight.
Africa’s Western Sahara Disputed Territory


Western Sahara’s former names are Rio de Oro, Saguia el Hamra, and Spanish Sahara. 

Africa is surrounded by water but is not an island, here are a few African Island facts.

Madagascar is the 4th large island in the world and is located in the Indian Ocean supporting a unique biology, about 90% of its plants and animals are found nowhere else on earth.

Composed of 155 islands, Seychelles is Africa's smallest country. By far the largest island is Mahe, home to about 90% of the population and the site of its capital city of Victoria.

Cabo Verde has a strategic location 310 miles or 500 km from the west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site.

Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent. Continents can not be considered islands because of their size and also by historic definition since many people who study geography define islands and continents as two different things.

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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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Using Amen and Ashe or Ase

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Usage of Amen and Ashe or Ase Ashe to Amen learn about the custom of using the words Ashe and Amen historically. Where did the word Amen and Ashe come from why is it said and what does it mean? In Judaism, 3,500 years old and Christian religions 2,000 years old, Amen, means may it be so. In the African Yoruba language among the Yoruba people whose culture is as old as time, Ashe or Ase means may it be so. Ase or Ashe means power, commandment, and authority, the ability to make whatever one says happen from the spiritual to the physical realm. In the Yoruba language, Ashe is omnipresent spiritual energy. Followers of Judaism and Christian religions use the word Amen. It is the word utilized to end prayers as an affirmation for the requests to be provided by God. Yoruba is as old as time, Ashe refers to the life force within all living things, the spark that animates life. It is used as a term used in the same manner as Amen at the end of appeals and prayers as an affirmati
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About Kenyan Bantu, Cushite and Nilote Largest Tribes

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Tourism holds a significant place in Kenya’s economy along with agriculture which remains the backbone of the Kenyan economy for the Bantu, Cushite and Nilote tribal communities. Kenya’s largest indigenous communities fit into three distinct ethnic tribal groups, Bantu, Cushite and Nilote.  About the Kenyan Bantu, Cushite and Nilote Largest Ethnic Tribal Communities Kenya’s largest indigenous communities fit into three distinct ethnic tribal groups, Bantu, Cushite and Nilote. Some speak the official Kenyan languages of English and Swahili while still retain their indigenous languages. Who are The Kenyan Bantus Tribes The Bantu ethnic group is the largest ethnic community in Kenya. They make up about 70 percent of the country's population, but they occupy less than 30 percent of the Kenyan land base.  The Bantu people in Kenya live mainly in the coastal, central, western and eastern regions of the country. The Kikuyu tribe forms Kenya's largest single ethnic grou
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African Chinese on Kenya’s Pate Island

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Africans of Chinese descent on Kenya’s Pate Island have Chinese roots with ancient links to Chinese sea explorers and shipwrecks. Mwamaka Sharifu, from Lamu Island off of Kenya's coast is a descendant of Chinese sailors traveling with Chinese explorer Zheng He in the Ming Dynasty. Kenya’s Pate Island and Chinese sailors Pate Island Family The Kenyan coast was a major crossroad in the spice and slave trading routes of the 15th century. Chinese Ming dynasty Admiral Zheng He, on his fourth voyage, left China in 1413 arriving off the coast of Kenya’s Pate Island in 1418.  Admiral Zheng He, the Ming Dynasty court eunuch whose fleet of 300 ships and 28,000 sailors were the biggest the world had ever known. His ships were said to have been four times bigger than those of Columbus and his seafaring travels were greater than any explorer before him. Pate Island is located in the Indian Ocean close to the northern coast of Kenya
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African cultures express, encourage, and communicate energy

African cultures express, encourage, and communicate energy

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Being African in America I have grown up learning about different ethnic cultures. My father and mother are historians of African culture and history and their influence expanded my activities to several best-selling cookbooks, magazine columns, self-branded products, and a popular African culture and food blog.

Chic African Culture

Be better than average and support African history and culture. Since 2008 Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet highlight Africa through her food and culture. Contact us culture1africangourmet@gmail.com

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