Central Africa_History and Culture

Early humans lived in Central Africa thousands of years ago. However, the customs and the way people lived have changed due to the Tribes from the West Africa and the European colonists. About 2,000 ago, many people from the West Africa began to migrate to Central Africa and soon formed several kingdoms. One of them was the Kongo Kingdom, located near the mouth of the Congo River. The Kongo Kingdom grew rich as they established trade routes to western and eastern Africa and trades such things as animal skins, shells, and ivory.
The Europeans came to the region in the late 1400s. They wanted to take as many resources as possible in that area including the slaves and the items mentioned above. Some African kingdoms became rich after trading with the Europeans but they soon lost their power to the European influences. In the late 1800s, the European countries started to divide up the land between themselves and the tribes in that area that never got along had to interact. They spoke different languages and had different customs. It caused conflicts after the colonies won the independence.
The culture in Central Africa is all mixed up with the native, the Western Africa and the Europeans. The religion, the language, and even art is influenced by the outside forces. Many people in Central Africa speak Bantu language but they also speak hundreds of different languages and dialects. But the official languages of the countries are French, English, and Portuguese. Religion is also influenced by the Europeans and almost all the regions are Roman Catholic. Central Africa's traditional cultures influence the arts of the region. The region is famous for sculpture, carved wooden masks, and cotton gowns dyed in bright colors. Overall, Central Africa is a region influenced by outside forces and many cultures and the customs has been mixed.