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.

Flies in Africa

Flies in Africa, what is African sleeping sickness? What is the tsese fly?

Fly African Fly
African sleeping sickness, is a parasitic disease spread by the tsetse fly

East African and West African African Sleeping Sickness

African trypanosomiasis, also called African sleeping sickness, is a parasitic disease spread by the tsetse fly. Symptoms include fatigue, high fever, headaches, and muscle aches. If the disease is not treated, it can cause death.

African sleeping sickness is caused by microscopic parasites of the species Trypanosoma brucei, which is found only in rural Africa. Currently, many cases go undiagnosed and unreported. Sleeping sickness is curable with medication but is fatal if left untreated.

There are two types of African sleeping sickness diseases each is named for the region of Africa in which they were found historically.

East African sleeping sickness is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, which is carried by the tsetse fly. East African sleeping sickness is found in parts of Eastern and Southeastern Africa. More than 95% of cases are reported from Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, and Zambia.

Individuals can become infected with West African sleeping sickness if they receive a bite from an infected tsetse fly, which is only found in Africa. West African sleeping sickness, also called Gambian sleeping sickness, is caused by a parasite called Trypanosoma brucei gambiense carried by the tsetse fly. In recent years, 7,000-10,000 new cases of West African trypanosomiasis have been reported to the World Health Organization annually.

West African sleeping sickness and East African sleeping sickness Life Cycle

During a blood meal on the mammalian host, an infected tsetse fly injects metacyclic trypomastigotes into skin tissue. The parasites enter the lymphatic system and pass into the bloodstream.

West African sleeping sickness and East African sleeping sickness Life Cycle

Inside the host, they transform into bloodstream trypomastigotes, are carried to other sites throughout the body, reach other blood fluids (e.g., lymph, spinal fluid), and continue the replication by binary fission.

The entire life cycle of African Trypanosomes is represented by extracellular stages. The tsetse fly becomes infected with bloodstream trypomastigotes when taking a blood meal on an infected mammalian host.

In the fly’s midgut, the parasites transform into procyclic trypomastigotes, multiply by binary fission, leave the midgut, and transform into epimastigotes.

The epimastigotes reach the fly’s salivary glands and continue multiplication by binary fission.

The cycle in the fly takes approximately 3 weeks. Humans are the main reservoir for Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, but this species can also be found in animals. Wild game animals are the main reservoir of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense.

Facts About Animals of Africa
  1. Ghost towns and wild horses of the African Namib Desert
  2. Africa Earth Facts
  3. Giraffes Love Acacia Trees
  4. Legends Abound About the Marula Tree Fruit and Oil
  5. What Are Africa's Big Five Animals
  6. Ngorongoro Crater African Garden of Eden
Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet=

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.

This Week’s Best Posts and Pages

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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How the tortoise became bald African Folktale

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How the tortoise became bald is an intriguing African folktale. African folktales are stories forming part of an oral storytelling tradition shaped by the tongues of African elders passed down from one generation to the next.  How the tortoise became bald African Folktale Ijapa the tortoise was not always a bald animal. He used to have hair on his head, however, due to unfortunate circumstances, which the tortoise brought "upon his own head" literally speaking, he lost it all. It happened a very long time ago, long before the tortoise broke his back, but that is another story altogether.  The dog and his family had prepared a feast of yam porridge.  The aroma reached the tortoise who immediately followed his nose which led him to the dog's home. The tortoise went in and saw that a big pot of yam porridge was cooking.   Wanting all of it for himself, he called out to the dog and told him that he had brought a message from the king. "The king wishes to see you and
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Better Cooking With Shea Butter

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Womens Gold ▏Shea Butter Oil ▏ Cooking ▏ Shea butter is a multi purpose cooking oil when food grade oil is used in this baked mixed nut recipe. Using shea butter oil for cooking is healthy. Shea butter is a fat extracted from the nut of the African shea tree. Shea Butter is rich in Vitamins A, D, E, and K and is high in essential fatty oleic, stearic, linoleic and palmitic acids. Shea Butter, also known as Women's Gold in Africa plays a very important role in cooking and earning living wages for millions of African women. Shea butter is a multi-purpose cooking oil when food grade oil is used in the recipe. It takes approximately 20 years for a tree to bear fruit and produce nuts, maturing on average at 45 years. Most trees will continue to produce nuts for up to 200 years after reaching maturity. Shea tree nuts Eight African countries produce high quantities of Shea nuts; they are in order Burkina Faso, Mali, Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Togo and Guinea.
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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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