Good afternoon everyone.

Today Im going to talk about the traditions

in Africa, specifically the tribal traditions. This topic was chosen because
their traditions are fascinating and unique.
Africa is home to a variety of peoples, languages, and cultures. Africa
is known for their traditions, such as lip stretching, Sharo and spitting on
newborn babies which are mysterious, yet interesting.
To really understand this topic, tradition means an inherited,
established, or customary pattern of thought or action. Like any other
traditions, African traditions were inherited and established by their
ancestors. Nearly all African tradition has a function. Ancestor worship,
spirits, and magic are reflected in African culture.
One of Africas traditions is the practice of spitting on newborn
babies by the Masai tribe. The Masai tribe believes that when you praise a
baby, it will be cursed. To ensure that the baby will not be cursed in its
lifetime, they spit on them.
Another tradition is the lip stretching. In the Surma tribe of Southern
Sudan, female teenagers stretch their lips using a lip plate as an
expression or symbol of their maturity and has reached the child-bearing
age.
On the other hand, males of the Fulani tribe practice the Sharo.
Sharo is a test of manhood, a rite of passage to adulthood and marriage
ritual ceremonies. This happens when two suitors desire to marry the same
woman. The two men beat each other to compete for their desired womans
hand. The one who takes the beating without showing any signs of pain
can marry the woman. The significance of this tradition is to test the groom
if he is willing to endure the marital pains and ability to undergo the
hardships for his wife.
The last tradition that I will mention is women having their own small
houses. Each wife of the Gio tribe in Ivory Coast has their own house
where in they live with their children until they are old enough to move out.
The reason behind to this is because the children are not allowed to live
with their fathers. Their fathers are always busy hunting and have

dangerous weapons in their separate house. This tradition is for safety

purposes in their tribe.
Tribal Africans practice these traditions, for their environment is
infused in every aspect of their culture. Some tribal traditions are still
practiced until today because they believe that this is the reason why a
certain community is glued together.
People around the world find it difficult to adjust to the different
cultures not only of Africa, but other countries as well. However, it is our
role to respect and accept their traditions.
To summarize all the things I have said, Africa is home to different
cultures and is known for their traditions such as lip stretching, Sharo and
spitting on newborn babies and many more.
Traditions in Africa are fascinating, yet unique. Peoples of the world
are bound by their own traditions and beliefs. The world is a diverse place
where customs differ from country to country and continent to continent. In
view of this, we have to respect our commonalities as well as our
diversities. Respecting their culture and traditions is our role not just
because it is the right thing to do, but also because we live in a world
achieving for unity.