Chic African Culture Africa Factbook

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 Fetish Symbols are Almighty Figures of Power

Fetish figures throughout Africa are vessels of power that can control and influence things seen and unseen affecting destiny.

Fetish figures throughout Africa are vessels of power that can control and influence things seen and unseen affecting destiny.
 Rafa African Fetish

African Fetish what is it.

A fetish is an object with perceived supernatural powers used to invoke vigilant and protective spirits to drive away evil spirits, invoke the power to afflict a person with a disease or attempt to control destiny. 

In Africa and throughout the world these beliefs are manifested in some of the most expressive and magical power figures ever created called fetishes.

Common to many tribes in Africa is the belief that the fetishes are powerful through their ritualistic carving and sanctification. Fetishes also are made of different special substances and offered sacrifices depending on the need of the person.

Fetishes are carved with the intention to be held in the hand or set upright in the ground during a ceremony in which songs, dances, invocations, divinations, and gifts are associated with fetish devotion.

The delicacy of feature and expression used in the carved wooden figures of human beings and animals are typical art forms used to make a fetish. Some fetishes have the heads or stomachs hollowed out to hold special materials.  Among the materials added to the wood figures are horns, shells, nails, feathers, mirrors, metal, twine, paint, cloth, raffia, fur, beads and herbs; anything thought to add power to the fetish.

The word fetish is a Portuguese word feitiço meaning charm, sorcery. Nowadays fetish is used to denote a wide variety of magical and religious objects for mental or spiritual strength.



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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

Exploring the Rich Waterways of Africa

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Around 5% of mainland Africa is covered by water, including lakes, rivers, estuaries, bays, straits, gulfs and other bodies of water.  Africa is home to some of the world's largest rivers and lakes, such as the Nile River and Lake Victoria. While up to 60% of Africa is classified as desert or drylands, a total volume of around 626.4 million cubic miles (2.616 billion cubic kilometers) of water surrounds Africa. The water resources of Africa play a vital role in supporting the continent's ecosystems, as well as the lives and livelihoods of millions of people who depend on them for drinking water, agriculture, energy generation, industry and commerce. Water is life Exploring the Rich Waterways of Africa: A Look at the Number and Diversity of Lakes and Rivers on the African Continent. Two oceans border Africa. The five major oceans of the world are the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean. There are two oceans that border Africa - the Atlan
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What is the difference between ugali and fufu

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Rising Above the Dust the World of Evala Wrestling

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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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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.

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