The African Gourmet

One of the best parts of a trip to North Africa, and of course of a trip to Mococco, is Marrakesh. It was once the capital of Morocco, and today it is a thriving, bustling town. Marrakesh is one of those unique places that has a big impact upon a lot of visitors, not because of great sightseeing but rather because of all the different kinds of people and unusual characters you meet there. I can’t imagine how you could have a boring stay in Marrakesh.

One of the focal points for visitors is the Djemma el-Fna, the massive central market. It really is more than just a regular market, it is something akin to a circus sideshow or a travelling carnival. It can be overwhelming, and you need to have your wits about you to resist the approaches of all sorts of people seeking your attention. In the area of the market gates, there are cafes with terraces and verandas where you can sit and observe as you sip coffee. As the sun sets, the marketplace starts to change after darkness falls, the market and its surroundings become illuminated with lanterns.
The entire city of Marrakesh is dotted with historical relics and monuments, and is enclosed by old city walls. Around Marrakesh you will see various towers and fortifications, which increases the desert atmosphere and reminds you that you are in North Africa. No matter where you go you will experience some traditional desert atmosphere, and even though Marrakesh is not a new destination for tourists, it is very far from spoiled and it is a great place to experience Morocco.

Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1185835_29.html Author: Rob Pettifer

Unimaginable Beauty

Africa - the second largest continent in the world is also home to the largest desert in the world—the Sahara. In fact there are three deserts on the continent—The Sahara, the Namib and the Kalahari. Together these three amazingly vast and diverse land masses cover a large portion of Africa. Beautiful, yet treacherous, these areas of the continent provide a rich geological and cultural history that dates back millions of years.

The Sahara Desert - As inconceivable as it seems, this desert is ever changing, shrinking and growing in size. Satellite photos studied from the early 1980s show that the Sahara’s southern edge is expanding into the Sahel, a dry band that separates the desert from the Savanna. But the mid-1980s saw this area grow green and wet again. A common trade route for many centuries, caravans traveled through the Sahara spending days and weeks traversing the immense landscape. Several desert oases here made trade possible between the ports of North African and the southern Savannah markets.
There are around 4 million people or so that dwell in the Sahara, mostly in Mauritania, Western Sahara, Algeria, Libya and Egypt. Additionally there is a fascinating and impressive array of animal life, include gerbil, jerboa, cape hare, desert hedgehog, barbary sheep, oryx, gazelle, deer, wild ass, baboon, hyena, jackal, sand fox, weasel and mongoose. The bird life includes more than 300 species. This vast life and diverse culture comes all in one desert.

The Namib Desert - The sand dunes of the Namib Desert are the highest dunes on Earth. While the Sahara is the largest desert in the world, the Namib is considered the oldest desert, having endured arid or semi-arid conditions for at least 80 million years. In the Nama language, Namib means “vast”, and this is no exaggeration. At 50,000 kilometers, the Namib-Naukluft Park is the largest conservation area in Namibia and one of the largest in the world. Wind blows the thirsty Namib Desert sand into sharp ridges. Amazingly there are animals, insects and plants that reside in this beautiful, yet mostly inhospitable region of the world. One of its most unusual inhabitants, the Welwitschia, is a shrub-like plant that grows just two long, strap-shaped leaves continuously throughout its lifetime. It is believed that they are very long-lived, possibly living 1000 years or more. Some individuals may be more than 2000 years old.
The Kalahari Desert - A geological wonder, the Kalahari Desert is part of the huge sand basin that reaches from the Orange River up to Angola, in the west to Namibia and in the east to Zimbabwe. The sand masses of wind-shaped sand that are so common in the Kalahari landscape were created by the erosion of soft stone formations. Thanks to vegetation in the area, the dunes were stabilized 10,000 to 20,000 years ago. Strangely enough, the grasses, thorny shrubs and Acacia trees can survive long drought periods of more than 10 months a year. Some scientists don’t consider the Kalahari a true desert because some parts of the Kalahari receive more than 10 inches of rain in a year. Animals that live in the region include brown hyena, lion, meerkat, several species of antelope, and many types of birds and reptiles. 
 
Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_108460_29.html Author: James Weis

During the Golden Age of Hollywood when some of the best masterpieces in motion picture history were being made, African filmmakers were not allowed to participate in making films. The era which lasted from the end of the silent period in the late 1920’s to the late 1950’s did not see a single film produced by an African director.

In fact, all of the early films that were composed by African filmmakers were not filmed in Africa. It was not until the 1960’s and 70’s that African directors broke free from their chains’ and started to make works of their own.

The reason that African filmmakers were denied the right to produce their own films in the early days was because many African countries were suffering under colonialism. European countries like France and Europe strictly prohibited Africans from producing their own films for fear that they would communicate to the world the horrible oppression they were suffering under colonialism.
As we mentioned, it was not until these countries achieved independence that their writers and artists could finally speak out. Before their independence, during the colonial era, most films about Africa were produced by Western filmmakers. These directors, most if not all of whom had never ever visited Africa, often showcased Africa as a wild land inhabited by wild beasts and savages. That is one of the reasons why Africa came to be known as the Dark Continent. And even though they knew almost nothing about Africa, it did not stop them from perpetuating baseless and unfounded myths and stereotypes about the land. Some of the most watched early films about Africa where: The African Queen, Tarzan, and King Solomon’s Mines.

Most African writers and directors were appalled by these early images and stereotypes that were being produced by non-Africans about Africa. This served as a booster for the first generation of artists who would foster success after independence. Though few anti-colonial films were produced before independence and absolutely none were produced by African filmmakers in Africa.
At the end of colonization, everything changed. The first African motion picture to gain international acclaim was La Noire de (Black Girl). It was written and directed by Sembene, who hailed from Senegal and is still considered the father of African Cinema. Because mainly of his success, the African country of Senegal would be designated the unofficial capital country of African film making for decades.

Then in 1969, the African film festival (FESPACO) was established and gave a new forum to many talented African writers and directors. That same year the Federation of African Filmmakers came into being and created production and distribution networks that allowed African film to reach the masses.

Many of these early films dealt with subjects like colonialism and were therefore highly controversial. In fact, a number of them were banned for decades in former colonial powers like France. Nowadays many African films focus on the power and influence of tradition in African life. It is not uncommon or unheard off for an African film to address the role of women in traditional African communities and cities. But regardless of the subject been discussed, it is a huge relief to know that films about Africa are now being produced by Africans.
You can more info about Africa and African film by reviewing the African Side documentary film. Visit the African Side website now to see the movie trailer.
 
 Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1163683_48.html Author: Frank Mar 

African music is the music of Africans who live in a large region of 50 nations, each with a special culture, history and language, South of Sahara. Zulu musical instruments are part of this multilingual culture. African music has some distinct characteristics: the use of repetition is one of them. Another important characteristic is the polyphony; this is the combination of different musical parts played simultaneously.

The history is marked by the awesome military strategies of the Zulu King Shaka. The King’s and his warriors’ campaign of expansion is well known in world history. Zulu rich traditional culture includes songs, dances and colorful rituals, Zulu musical instruments are spectacular and original. A variety of Zulu musical instruments are well known, s well as the traditional Mine dance; Zulus have longtime used their music as a cry for freedom.

African music is really rich in modes of expression: drum ensembles are using Zulu musical instruments from the percussion family. Each drummer uses special methods to produce sounds to distinguish his drum from the others. Iron bells are very popular Zulu musical instruments; they are used to produce a repeated sound to help the drummers to play at the correct time.

Zulu musical instruments, rare and very special. The akadinda is a king of xylophone; two groups of African musicians are playing simultaneously. The first group is playing repeatedly the same pattern; the second group plays to fill in the missing sounds. Groups of Zulu musicians play also using flutes, trumpets or xylophones. Each player plays a single note in a strange rotation with the other players. The result is a polyphonic piece, characteristic to African music.
Venda mbila is an old Zulu musical instrument; it is not used anymore.

Reed flutes, contrary, are still very popular. The influence of foreign cultures and civilizations causes many of old Zulu musical instruments to become obsolete. Musical instruments such as tsonga – a horn, ingungu – a friction drum, nkoka – a drum, pedi – a flute, venda – musical bow and stick, deze and demba – thumb piano and resonatos, umfece – ankle rattles are almost obsolete.

Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1155420_15.html Author: Rena

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