How Did African Americans Influence The Culture Of Nigeria

The country of Nigeria is located in West Africa, sharing land borders with Chad, Niger, Benin, and Cameroon. The country covers 923,768 square kilometers, making it the 32nd largest nation in the world. This is the most populous country in Africa with more than 160 million people living there. Nigeria has three major ethnic groups the Hausa-Fulani, the Igbo, and the Yoruba. These Three groups constitute about 70 percent of the population (Chigozie, 2016).

Culture is the characteristics of a group of people defined by language, cuisine, religion social habits music and art. There are many different types of culture including western culture, eastern culture, African culture and many more. Culture is influenced by the groups of people that make up the country (Zimmermann, 2012). The term culture was first used by an English Anthropologist named Edward B. Tyler. It was first mentioned in 1871 in his book named ‘Primitive Culture’. He stated that culture is "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society”. Since then culture is the main focus of anthropology.

1.Yoruba: linked to the Nok cultured who can been seen in museum today. The Nok culture actually predated the Yoruba by hundred years. Late 16 the century saw the rise of new power among Yoruba. The trading stated of Nupe north of Benue river

From the 1500s to the 1700s, African blacks, mainly from the area of West Africa (today's Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Dahomey, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Gabon) were shipped as slaves to North America, Brazil, and the West Indies. For them, local and tribal differences, and even varying cultural backgrounds, soon melded into one common concern for the suffering they all endured. Music, songs, and dances as well as remembered traditional food, helped not only to uplift them but also quite unintentionally added immeasurably to the culture around them. In the approximately 300 years that blacks have made their homes in North America, the West Indies, and Brazil, their highly honed art

Music influnced African American culture by allowing them to express themselves in a new way-specifically, through jazz. This also was one of the first times blacks and whites could both come together and embrace the same topic. Like the document says on page 59, "...originated by blacks but embraced by whites." One challenge these artists faced was the on-going segregation. For example, the text on page 56 says, "On one side, the word 'white' was painted, and on the other, the word, 'colored.'" This shows, how the issue of racism and separation of races continued. But this had a positive impact. Like the text says on page 59, "...when confronted with racism, he 'took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues." This shows it was possible

creating their own brand and although the target audience may not be African-American consumers, there has been a correlation established between the two. This has decreased the affluence gap that never seemed to shorten between whites and blacks. With there not being any African-Americans in any of the professional sport teams available in America, only the white players received the financial benefits of participating in sports.

Also then British ruled Nigeria from 1900 to 1960, different areas were commonly reclassified for administrative determinations. The struggle between the Igbo and Hausa made it simpler for the British to consolidate their power in the state. At the same time the Mongols introduced Central Asian

African’s lives have long been affected by slavery, colonization, and decolonization. Their traditional lives have been forever changed by the actions of Europeans and other groups. Hunter-gatherers lifestyles have changed tremendously. Their focus on equality, reliability on the land for food, and continuous travel has been altered to support a more permanent lifestyle. As outsiders invaded nearby areas, they brought with them more modern means of survival. Neighboring groups of hunter-gatherer !Kung lived a more sedentary lifestyle and worked directly with Europeans. The !Kung slowly began to implement the sedentary lifestyles of the other African groups that had been affected by European colonization. There does tend to be subsistence differences

The African Art is one of the most wide-ranging as well as non-definitive forms in the world of literature and art. African art is known for its simple, primitive and unsophisticated attributes. The African art left its legacy on the European as well as American artists. The African art attracted many prominent European artists such as Henry Matisse and Pablo Picasso. Many of their artworks reflect the African influence that inspired them so much. There is a very close association between Africa and Latin America as far as cultural and artistic legacy is concerned. In the history, especially in around 15th century the Africans migrated from the continent to South America, which is also called Latin America.

As the company moves into Nigeria with a product, it must consider Nigeria’s cultural characteristics and how they affect our company’s management style. Below are the most common characteristics of cultural differences between America and Nigeria. ( These characteristics were found on the internations.org website

In this articled will attempt to explain the historical oppression of the Nigerian woman in her home country and how each little Nigerian girl is brought up to submit to the men in her life for her entire life span ,living in the background without a voice but many duties. It will explain how this woman moves to America and finds new freedoms and is presented with the option of assimilating into the new culture or maintain her country’s ways. The identity formation, issues and challenges are subjected to the theories of personality and social change. As the Nigerian woman finds herself in America and trying to understand her new surrounding and to adjust to the new freedoms that she encounters, she must also make the

During the New Imperialism, many regions in Africa were colonized by European nations. In 1885, European powers, such as Portugal, France, Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Belgium, gathered altogether at the Berlin Conference, deciding on who gets what African colony. One of the regions was Nigeria. Without consulting the natives, the British took over Nigeria during the Scramble for Africa. Indeed, Nigeria did not wanted to be colonized, so they demanded for independence by creating a constitution legislated by the British and by electing a prime minister and a governor-general to lead their country. They elected Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, from the National Population Commission of Nigeria, as prime minister, and Nnamdi Azikiwe, from the National

The Igbo, one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa,they had to work hard to make sure that their culture was not lost. Southern Nigeria is where most of the Igbo culture is still located. It is believed that the Igbo originated in Niger and Benue Rivers, about a hundred miles north of their current location. The Igbo language can be categorized into the Congo language. Specifically, it is a part of the Kwa subfamily. Their language is difficult to understand due to the wide range of dialects, and the complicated system of high and low tones, which indicate different meanings and grammatical relationships. Even with the difficulties that the Igbo constantly faced, they were able to remain the longest lasting and largest ethnic group in Nigeria.

Nigeria was ruled by the British for several years but gained its independence in 1960. Shortly after gaining its independence in 1966 a civil war broke out and has continued into the recent years. This year was the first time Nigeria had a successful election without any violence. The capital of Nigeria was Lagos but was moved to Abuja in 1986. What is interesting is that Abuja is similar to Washington D.C. in the United States. Like Washington D.C., Abuja is not a state but rather a federal district. There are some interesting things that are very different from our culture as well.

African American culture took parts from both African and European culture to form its modern association. While there are claims that all traces of African heritage were beaten and stolen through processes of enculturation, I believe that the foundation, as well as a significant portion of practices and behaviors can be found in African culture. Many slaves held on tightly to their African heritage, while a slave culture sought invisibility through assimilating into American culture. These major influences helped shape modern African American culture.