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.

Five richest musicians in Africa 2017

It has been another lucrative year for African music artists and with Forbes, latest release of the wealthiest African music stars proves there are plenty of musicians on the African continent worthy of a SoundCloud listen.

African Music

Attempting to classify African music is like describing the color of sound; it is impossible. The music of Africa, given the enormity of the continent, is ancient, fertile and diverse, with different regions and nations of Africa having many distinct musical customs.

Five richest musicians in Africa 2017



Black Coffee
Black Coffee, the multi-award-winning African artist’s real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo.
Black Coffee

The multi-award-winning artist’s real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo. He was born in South Africa’s house music province, KwaZulu-Natal and raised in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. South African DJ Black Coffee in 2016 launched his fashion and music academy. 

The popular DJ collaborated with textile and knitwear designer Laduma Ngxokolo and artist Nelson Makamo to launch F.A.M Academy. In 2016, alone Black Coffee dominated the South African Music Awards with three accolades including Album of the Year and an International Recognition award, won a BET Award for Best African Act, remixed Alicia Keys and played at both Coachella and the Ultra Music Festival.


Hugh Masekela 
Hugh Masekela is a world-renowned musician and political leader
Hugh Masekela

Hugh was born in Witbank, east of Johannesburg. He has released more than 43 albums and performed with Marvin Gaye, Dizzy Gillespie, The Byrds, Fela Kuti, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder and Miriam Makeba. 

Hugh Masekela is a world-renowned musician and political leader who musical style was influenced by Miles Davis. Masekela performed at the Monterey Pop Festival alongside The Who. U2 frontman Bono said playing with Masekela was one of the highlights of his career.


Don Jazzy 
Michael Collins Ajereh, better known as Don Jazzy was born on November 26, 1982 in Umuahia, Abia state Nigeria.
Michael Collins Ajereh, better known as Don Jazzy

Michael Collins Ajereh, better known as Don Jazzy was born on November 26, 1982 in Umuahia, Abia state Nigeria. 

In 2000, Don Jazzy moved to London, the United Kingdom when his uncle invited him to come play the drums for the neighbourhood church and from there his career took off, Don Jazzy collaborated with Jay-Z and Kanye West on the production of Lift Off, featuring Beyoncé on the album Watch The Throne, released on 8 August 2011 .


Tinashe Jorgenson Kachingwe 

Tinashe Jorgenson Kachingwe

The only female in the top five, Tinashe was born on February 6, 1993 in Lexington, Kentucky, and is the eldest child of college professors Michael and Aimie Kachingwe. Her father is a professor and a first generation immigrant of the Shona people of Zimbabwe and her mother, who is of Danish, Norwegian, Irish, and English descent lives in the United States. 

Tinashe began her entertainment career at the age of three when she began modeling and acting. In 2004, Tinashe appeared in box-office hit The Polar Express alongside actor Tom Hanks. The twenty-four-year-old she made her first appearance in 2000 in the film Cora Unashamed and from 2008 to 2009, Tinashe had a recurring role in the American sitcom Two and a Half Men as Celeste, Jake's girlfriend.
 
Five richest musicians in Africa 2017

African Music three facts

African music has undergone frequent and decisive changes throughout the centuries.

Migrations of African peoples brought musical styles and instruments to new areas, the internet in modern times has been the biggest influence on African Music.

It is only relatively recently that scholarly attention has focused on the various urban popular styles, reflecting a blend of local and foreign ingredients, that have emerged during the last 20 years

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

Image
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
Learn More

About Kenyan Bantu, Cushite and Nilote Largest Tribes

Image
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
Learn More

Using Amen and Ashe or Ase

Image
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
Learn More

African Chinese on Kenya’s Pate Island

Image
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
Learn More

African cultures express, encourage, and communicate energy

African cultures express, encourage, and communicate energy

Support African History and Culture

Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet are dedicated to discovering, collecting and sharing African history and heritage celebrating 14 years of service in 2021. Share and support in the pride of being part of an important cultural and educational resource.


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

More LOVE from Africa to Read About

Tasting African History Through Street Food African proverbs are to speech what salt is to food What is a person from Africa called