Traditions of Sub-Saharan Africa
Naming ceremonies, initiation, kente and the harvest yam, Timkat and Ethiopian coffee. 160 traditions on EveryParampara so far.
Countries
🇦🇴 Angola 6🇧🇯 Benin 8🇧🇼 Botswana 6🇧🇫 Burkina Faso 5🇧🇮 Burundi 2🇨🇲 Cameroon 6🇨🇻 Cape Verde 3🇨🇫 Central African Republic 0🇹🇩 Chad 0🇰🇲 Comoros 0🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo 5🇩🇯 Djibouti 0🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea 0🇪🇷 Eritrea 11🇸🇿 Eswatini 3🇪🇹 Ethiopia 33🇬🇦 Gabon 3🇬🇲 Gambia 5🇬🇭 Ghana 26🇬🇳 Guinea 2🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau 1🇨🇮 Ivory Coast 4🇰🇪 Kenya 15🇱🇸 Lesotho 4🇱🇷 Liberia 1🇲🇬 Madagascar 14🇲🇼 Malawi 7🇲🇱 Mali 9🇲🇺 Mauritius 14🇲🇿 Mozambique 4🇳🇦 Namibia 2🇳🇪 Niger 7🇳🇬 Nigeria 31🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo 2🇷🇼 Rwanda 3🇸🇹 São Tomé and Príncipe 0🇸🇳 Senegal 10🇸🇨 Seychelles 2🇸🇱 Sierra Leone 1🇸🇴 Somalia 3🇿🇦 South Africa 27🇸🇸 South Sudan 1🇹🇿 Tanzania 12🇹🇬 Togo 8🇺🇬 Uganda 7🇿🇲 Zambia 9🇿🇼 Zimbabwe 8
On the calendar
🇸🇴 SomaliaBuraanbur
A traditional Somali poetic form composed by women, recited with drums and dance at weddings and gatherings.Performance
🇲🇱 MaliMahrمهر
A mandatory gift from the groom to the bride in Islamic marriages, serving as her financial security.Rite of passage
🇿🇦 South Africa and 1 moreDay of the VowGeloftedag
A religious public holiday in South Africa kept by Afrikaners to honour a vow made before the Battle of Blood River.Festival
🇸🇳 Senegal and 1 moreSabar
A traditional Wolof and Serer drum played in Senegal and The Gambia, accompanying dance at weddings and festivals.Performance
🇿🇦 Johannesburg, South Africa and 1 moreLobolo
A customary practice in Southern Africa where the groom's family provides assets to the bride's family.Rite of passage
🇳🇪 In-Gall, Niger and 2 moreGuérewol
A week-long courtship ritual where Wodaabe men dance and sing to win the attention of marriageable women.Festival
🇱🇷 LiberiaDan maskgle or ge
A sacred wooden mask worn by the Dan people of Liberia to embody forest spirits during masquerade.Spiritual
🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the CongoKuba textiles
Elaborate raffia cloths from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known for their complex geometric embroidery and velvCraft
🇪🇹 Ethiopia and 1 moreGadaa
An eight-year democratic governance cycle practiced by the Oromo people of Ethiopia and Kenya.Ceremony
🇳🇬 Osogbo, NigeriaOsun-Osogbo FestivalOsun-Osogbo
An annual Yoruba festival of cleansing, procession and sacrifice to the river goddess Osun in Osogbo, Nigeria.Festival
🇳🇬 Enugu, NigeriaAtilogwu
A high-energy Igbo youth dance featuring acrobatics, drum music and rhythmic jumps.Performance
🇿🇼 ZimbabweBira ceremony
An all-night Shona ritual in Zimbabwe where music and dance summon ancestral spirits for guidance.Spiritual
🇲🇬 MadagascarValiha
A bamboo tube zither from Madagascar, played for recreation and spirit ritualsPerformance
🇲🇱 San, Mali and 1 moreBògòlanfinibɔgɔlanfini
A handmade Malian cotton textile dyed with iron-rich mud, worn for protection and identity.Dress
🇧🇯 Porto-Novo, Benin and 3 moreZangbeto
A traditional security institution and night-guardian cult among the Ogu people of West Africa.Ceremony
🇨🇬 Republic of the CongoNkisi
Spiritual vessels and figures crafted to channel ancestral power, healing and justiceSpiritual
🇺🇬 Uganda and 4 moreBarkcloth
Cloth beaten from tree bark across Africa, Asia and the PacificCraft
🇳🇬 NigeriaMmanwuMmanwụ
An Igbo masquerade tradition invoking ancestral spirits through masked performanceSpiritual
🇸🇴 Somalia and 1 moreDhaanto
A Somali folk dance and music style used for morale and celebration in the Horn of Africa.Performance
🇳🇬 Onitsha, NigeriaAgbogho MmuoAgbọghọ Mmụọ
An Igbo masked dance celebrating maidenhood and the female spiritPerformance
🇱🇸 LesothoMokorotlo
A conical straw hat that serves as the national symbol of Lesotho and a key element of Basotho traditional dress.Dress
🇳🇬 Calabar, NigeriaCalabar Carnival
An annual December street festival and cultural gathering held in Calabar, NigeriaFestival
🇬🇲 Gambia and 4 moreKoraߞߐߙߊ
A 21-string West African harp-lute played by hereditary storytellers and bardsPerformance
🇹🇿 Zanzibar City, Tanzania and 2 moreSwahili doorMlango wa Kiswahili
A carved wooden entrance from the East African coast, adorned with metal studs and intricate motifs.Craft
🇬🇭 Ghana and 2 moreEwe drumming
The drum ensembles of the Ewe people, with iron bells, rattles and talking drumsPerformance
🇲🇼 Malawi and 3 moreNyau
A secret society and masked dance tradition of the Chewa people in Southern Africa.Spiritual
🇬🇭 Ghana and 2 moreAgbadza
An Ewe music and dance, born of war songs and kept for funerals, weddings and festivalsPerformance
🇳🇬 Oyo, Nigeria and 1 moreEgungunEgúngún
Yoruba ancestral masquerades bringing blessings, counsel and moral renewalSpiritual
🇳🇬 Ibadan, Nigeria and 1 moreYoruba naming ceremonyÌkòlọ́pọ̀ Orúkọ Yorùbá
A rite of passage where a newborn receives a destiny name through divination and family celebration.Rite of passage · Feasts and festival meals
🇲🇬 MadagascarFady
A system of cultural taboos in Madagascar that regulate daily life and spiritual practice.Spiritual
🇨🇮 Abidjan, Ivory Coast and 3 moreZouglou
A dance-led music style from Ivory Coast, sung in street slang and local languagesPerformance
🇬🇭 Accra, GhanaFantasy coffinsAbebuu adekai
Custom hand-carved burial caskets shaped as animals, tools and symbols in southern GhanaRite of passage
🇦🇴 Luanda, Angola and 2 moreKuduro
An energetic Angolan music and dance style born in Luanda that mixes African rhythms with electronic beats.Performance
🇹🇿 Zanzibar, TanzaniaSauti za Busara
A February meeting of musicians in Zanzibar's Old FortPerformance
🇲🇬 Antananarivo, MadagascarHiragasyHira gasy
A day-long Malagasy highland tradition of song, dance, and poetic speech competitionsPerformance
🇧🇼 Botswana and 2 moreKgotla
A village meeting and customary court in Botswana, led by the chiefCeremony
🇿🇦 South Africa and 1 moreIndlamu
A Zulu war dance of two warriors in pelts, matched move for move and stamped on the beatPerformance
🇸🇳 Senegal and 1 moreKumpo
A palm-leaf figure of the Diola, danced at village festivals to urge good conductFolklore
🇳🇪 In-Gall, NigerCure Salée
A yearly gathering of Tuareg and Wodaabe nomads in In-Gall to mark the end of the rainy season.Festival
🇲🇿 Island of Mozambique, MozambiqueTufo
A women's dance of northern Mozambique, performed at Islamic feasts to drums and songPerformance
🇿🇦 Cape Town, South AfricaGumboot danceIsicathulo
A percussive South African dance born in the mines, performed in Wellington boots to communicate and celebrate.Performance
🇦🇴 Luanda, Angola and 4 moreKizomba
A close, slow couple dance from Angola, named after a Kimbundu word for partyPerformance
🇦🇴 AngolaSemba
A traditional style of music and partner dance from AngolaPerformance
🇧🇮 Gitega, BurundiKaryenda
A sacred drum of Burundi that symbolized the monarchy and announced royal events.Performance
🇲🇱 Bamako, Mali and 5 moreGriotjeli, ߖߋ߬ߟߌ in N'Ko script
West Africa's hereditary keepers of spoken history, praise and musicPerformance
🇲🇺 Mauritius and 3 moreSegaséga
A music and dance tradition from Mauritius and Réunion with Afro-Malagasy roots.Performance
🇬🇭 Ntɔnso, Ghana and 1 moreAdinkra symbols
Symbols of the Akan people, stamped on cloth, each one carrying a proverbCraft
🇺🇬 UgandaKwanjula
A formal marriage introduction ritual of the Baganda people in Uganda, where families meet to exchange gifts and seek blRite of passage
🇿🇦 South Africa and 1 moreDay of the VowGeloftedag
A religious public holiday in South Africa kept by Afrikaners to honour a vow made before the Battle of Blood River.Festival
🇸🇳 Senegal and 1 moreSabar
A traditional Wolof and Serer drum played in Senegal and The Gambia, accompanying dance at weddings and festivals.Performance
🇿🇦 Johannesburg, South Africa and 1 moreLobolo
A customary practice in Southern Africa where the groom's family provides assets to the bride's family.Rite of passage
🇳🇪 In-Gall, Niger and 2 moreGuérewol
A week-long courtship ritual where Wodaabe men dance and sing to win the attention of marriageable women.Festival
🇱🇷 LiberiaDan maskgle or ge
A sacred wooden mask worn by the Dan people of Liberia to embody forest spirits during masquerade.Spiritual
🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the CongoKuba textiles
Elaborate raffia cloths from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known for their complex geometric embroidery and velvCraft
🇪🇹 Ethiopia and 1 moreGadaa
An eight-year democratic governance cycle practiced by the Oromo people of Ethiopia and Kenya.Ceremony
🇳🇬 Osogbo, NigeriaOsun-Osogbo FestivalOsun-Osogbo
An annual Yoruba festival of cleansing, procession and sacrifice to the river goddess Osun in Osogbo, Nigeria.Festival
🇳🇬 Enugu, NigeriaAtilogwu
A high-energy Igbo youth dance featuring acrobatics, drum music and rhythmic jumps.Performance
🇿🇼 ZimbabweBira ceremony
An all-night Shona ritual in Zimbabwe where music and dance summon ancestral spirits for guidance.Spiritual
🇲🇬 MadagascarValiha
A bamboo tube zither from Madagascar, played for recreation and spirit ritualsPerformance
🇲🇱 San, Mali and 1 moreBògòlanfinibɔgɔlanfini
A handmade Malian cotton textile dyed with iron-rich mud, worn for protection and identity.Dress
🇧🇯 Porto-Novo, Benin and 3 moreZangbeto
A traditional security institution and night-guardian cult among the Ogu people of West Africa.Ceremony
🇨🇬 Republic of the CongoNkisi
Spiritual vessels and figures crafted to channel ancestral power, healing and justiceSpiritual
🇺🇬 Uganda and 4 moreBarkcloth
Cloth beaten from tree bark across Africa, Asia and the PacificCraft
🇳🇬 NigeriaMmanwuMmanwụ
An Igbo masquerade tradition invoking ancestral spirits through masked performanceSpiritual
🇸🇴 Somalia and 1 moreDhaanto
A Somali folk dance and music style used for morale and celebration in the Horn of Africa.Performance
🇳🇬 Onitsha, NigeriaAgbogho MmuoAgbọghọ Mmụọ
An Igbo masked dance celebrating maidenhood and the female spiritPerformance
🇱🇸 LesothoMokorotlo
A conical straw hat that serves as the national symbol of Lesotho and a key element of Basotho traditional dress.Dress
🇳🇬 Calabar, NigeriaCalabar Carnival
An annual December street festival and cultural gathering held in Calabar, NigeriaFestival
🇬🇲 Gambia and 4 moreKoraߞߐߙߊ
A 21-string West African harp-lute played by hereditary storytellers and bardsPerformance
🇹🇿 Zanzibar City, Tanzania and 2 moreSwahili doorMlango wa Kiswahili
A carved wooden entrance from the East African coast, adorned with metal studs and intricate motifs.Craft
🇬🇭 Ghana and 2 moreEwe drumming
The drum ensembles of the Ewe people, with iron bells, rattles and talking drumsPerformance
🇲🇼 Malawi and 3 moreNyau
A secret society and masked dance tradition of the Chewa people in Southern Africa.Spiritual
🇬🇭 Ghana and 2 moreAgbadza
An Ewe music and dance, born of war songs and kept for funerals, weddings and festivalsPerformance
🇳🇬 Oyo, Nigeria and 1 moreEgungunEgúngún
Yoruba ancestral masquerades bringing blessings, counsel and moral renewalSpiritual
🇳🇬 Ibadan, Nigeria and 1 moreYoruba naming ceremonyÌkòlọ́pọ̀ Orúkọ Yorùbá
A rite of passage where a newborn receives a destiny name through divination and family celebration.Rite of passage · Feasts and festival meals
🇲🇬 MadagascarFady
A system of cultural taboos in Madagascar that regulate daily life and spiritual practice.Spiritual
🇨🇮 Abidjan, Ivory Coast and 3 moreZouglou
A dance-led music style from Ivory Coast, sung in street slang and local languagesPerformance
🇬🇭 Accra, GhanaFantasy coffinsAbebuu adekai
Custom hand-carved burial caskets shaped as animals, tools and symbols in southern GhanaRite of passage
🇦🇴 Luanda, Angola and 2 moreKuduro
An energetic Angolan music and dance style born in Luanda that mixes African rhythms with electronic beats.Performance
🇹🇿 Zanzibar, TanzaniaSauti za Busara
A February meeting of musicians in Zanzibar's Old FortPerformance
🇲🇬 Antananarivo, MadagascarHiragasyHira gasy
A day-long Malagasy highland tradition of song, dance, and poetic speech competitionsPerformance
🇧🇼 Botswana and 2 moreKgotla
A village meeting and customary court in Botswana, led by the chiefCeremony
🇿🇦 South Africa and 1 moreIndlamu
A Zulu war dance of two warriors in pelts, matched move for move and stamped on the beatPerformance
🇸🇳 Senegal and 1 moreKumpo
A palm-leaf figure of the Diola, danced at village festivals to urge good conductFolklore
🇳🇪 In-Gall, NigerCure Salée
A yearly gathering of Tuareg and Wodaabe nomads in In-Gall to mark the end of the rainy season.Festival
🇲🇿 Island of Mozambique, MozambiqueTufo
A women's dance of northern Mozambique, performed at Islamic feasts to drums and songPerformance
🇿🇦 Cape Town, South AfricaGumboot danceIsicathulo
A percussive South African dance born in the mines, performed in Wellington boots to communicate and celebrate.Performance
🇦🇴 Luanda, Angola and 4 moreKizomba
A close, slow couple dance from Angola, named after a Kimbundu word for partyPerformance
🇦🇴 AngolaSemba
A traditional style of music and partner dance from AngolaPerformance
🇧🇮 Gitega, BurundiKaryenda
A sacred drum of Burundi that symbolized the monarchy and announced royal events.Performance
🇲🇱 Bamako, Mali and 5 moreGriotjeli, ߖߋ߬ߟߌ in N'Ko script
West Africa's hereditary keepers of spoken history, praise and musicPerformance
🇲🇺 Mauritius and 3 moreSegaséga
A music and dance tradition from Mauritius and Réunion with Afro-Malagasy roots.Performance
🇬🇭 Ntɔnso, Ghana and 1 moreAdinkra symbols
Symbols of the Akan people, stamped on cloth, each one carrying a proverbCraft
🇺🇬 UgandaKwanjula
A formal marriage introduction ritual of the Baganda people in Uganda, where families meet to exchange gifts and seek blRite of passage
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Cure Salée: NigerTZai, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Letra del Año: Ìṣẹ̀ṣeAssembly, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ewe drumming: Freddythehat at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Agbadza: JY midey, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Indlamu: Ernmuhl at lb.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Griot: Pierre-Georges Jeanniot (gravure) [ 1 ] M. Barbier (photograph, Public domain, source
- Kumpo: Pietervp, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tufo: JCPBFerreira, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kizomba: Obe Images, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Karyenda: No machine-readable author provided. Tequendamia assumed (based on cop, Public domain, source
- Adinkra symbols: Bosomba Amosah other versions=, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kgotla: Mompati Dikunwane, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Nkisi: MiddleOfAfrica, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Gumboot dance: Michal Maňas, CC BY 4.0, source
- Semba: Thesupermat, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sega: HelenOnline, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Calabar Carnival: Raji kunle, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mokorotlo: Vanellus Foto, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dhaanto: aflaanta std, CC BY 3.0, source
- Hiragasy: Hopeandlink, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kora: kevinzim, CC BY 2.0, source
- Fady: Robin Taylor, CC BY 2.0, source
- Valiha: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Mmanwu: Northcote Whitridge Thomas, Public domain, source
- Barkcloth: Hiart, CC0, source
- Fantasy coffins: Regula Tschumi, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, source
- Agbogho Mmuo: Vivian Amalachukwu, CC BY 4.0, source
- Bògòlanfini: BluesyPete, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Zangbeto: Grete Howard, CC BY 3.0, source
- Guérewol: Dan Lundberg, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Swahili door: Halidtz, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Osun-Osogbo Festival: Cheeka 2.0, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Nyau: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Atilogwu: Arch-Angel Raphael the Artist, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lobolo: Iwuala Lucy, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Gadaa: YHANNES BULTIE TADESSE, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sabar: AbaDiop, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kuba textiles: Hiart, CC0, source
- Dan mask: Unknown author, CC BY 3.0, source
- Day of the Vow: South African Railways and Harbours public relations department, Public domain, source