So Where Do You Come From in Africa? Quiz

Answer: Mali

The Dogon can be found in the central areas of the West African country of Mali. The majority of their population is concentrated on a section of an escarpment which overlooks the Niger River in the districts of Bandiagara and Douentza. Although the precise time of their arrival in the area is unknown, archaeological evidence shows that it was most probably around the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century. They live in secluded villages which are embedded in the cliffs. There are estimated to be about 700 villages with most of them having less than 500 inhabitants.

Since the release of a study by the French anthropologists, Marcel Griaule and Germaine Dieterlen, which detailed the complex religious beliefs of the Dogon which involves a star they call "Po Tolo" or "Sirius B", the Dogon and their fascinating way of life have become one of the major tourist attractions in Mali. The "Cliff of Bandiagara" (Land of the Dogons) has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Answer: Ghana

The Ashanti people can be found in the Ashanti Region in the central belt of Ghana, one of the ten administrative regions which make up the country. The Ashanti are the largest ethnic group in the country. The word "Ashanti" is a corruption of the Twi word "Asante" which was one of the states that dominated what is today southern Ghana from the 17th to 19th centuries. The best translation of the word is probably "warlike" as the Ashanti have a long reputation for being fierce and determined warriors. The Twi language is the official language of the region and the ancient capital of the Ashanti Kingdom, Kumasi, is the present day capital.

The Ashanti are one of the few matrilineal societies in West Africa with the mother's clan being considered to be the most important and the one to which the family most closely identifies.

Answer: Kenya

The Kikuyu are the largest ethnic group in Kenya, making up around 23% of the country's population. The name Kikuyu is actually the Swahili way of pronouncing "Gikuyu". Gikuyu is considered to be the founder of the group and the name literally means "huge sycamore tree" in the Kikuyu language. Their tradition of referring to themselves as "Agikuyu" which means "children of the sycamore" stems from this. Their home tongue is Kikuyu, which, although not an official language of Kenya (those being Swahili and English) is the third most spoken language.

The Kikuyu today still rely on a council of elders as their community leaders with age being a very important concept in their cultures. The first president of Kenya, Jom Kenyatta, was a Kikuyu. Another notable member of the group was Wangari Mathai who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2004.

Answer: Namibia

Found in the northern parts of the country, the Ovambo (sometimes spelt Owambo) people are the largest ethnic group in the southern African country of Namibia. Also collectively known as the "Aawambo" they make up nearly half the population of Namibia. The name "Ovambo" is the name given to the collection of different tribal groups, the largest of which is the Kwanyama. It is believed that these groups migrated south from the higher reaches of the Zambezi river around the fourteenth century. The Ovambo are a mainly agricultural and cattle ranching society with the traditional home being a "kraal" or group of huts enclosed by a fence. The society is matrilineal with polygamy practised, although the first wife will always take precedence.

Although there is a small percentage of the group which retains their traditional religious beliefs, the majority today practice Christianity.

Answer: Lesotho

The vast majority of Basotho call the small landlocked country of the Kingdom of Lesotho home, comprising 99% of the country's population. Indeed, prior to gaining independence in 1966, the country was known as "Basutoland". The Basotho are a member of the Bantu people and first settled in the southern part of Africa around the fifth century.

It was due to the efforts of King Moshoeshoe I in uniting the various tribes within the group that the nation was first formed in the early 1800s. The Basotho speak Sesotho or South Sotho, a language which was one of the first African languages to have a written form.

The Basotho are also known for their woven grass hats known as "mokorotlo" which sport a distinctive topknot and for their beautiful woven woollen blankets whose designs incorporate traditions and culture.

Answer: Zambia

The Lozi people primarily inhabit the western part of Zambia in a region known as Barotseland. The name Lozi means "plain" in the Mokololo language and they named themselves after the floodplain of the Zambezi River which runs through their homeland. They number just over half a million people. The culture of the Lozi is dominated by and developed as a response to the annual flood cycle of the Zambezi. Every year at the beginning of wet season, around February or March, the "Kuomboka" ceremony marks the beginning of the annual migration of the group from the soon to be inundated flood plain to higher ground. The name "Kuomboka" means "to get out of the water" and it is estimated that the ceremony has been held for over 300 years.

The Lozi society is a rigidly organised one led by the king or paramount chief called a "litunga". Most of the prominent positions in Lozi society are occupied by members of the royal family. The group identifies strongly with their king and outside criticism is frowned upon.

Answer: Ethiopia

The Amhara are the most populous ethnic group in Ethiopia and comprise just over 27% of the country's population. They can mainly be found in the northern and central highlands where they practice a mainly agricultural lifestyle. It has been determined that the Amhara have been in this area for over two thousand years. Agriculture is based around a small indigenous grain called "teff" which is used to make "injera" a flatbread which is one of their dietary staples.

Claiming to descend from King Solomon himself, the Amhara speak Amharic, a member of the Semitic family of languages and which is the official language of Ethiopia. The majority of the Amhara are members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church which is an ancient home-grown church thought to have developed around the 4th century.

Answer: Democratic Republic of Congo

The Efe (pronounced AY-fay) are a hunter-gatherer people who inhabit the Ituri Rainforest in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They are part of a group of people known as Bambuti, a collection of three pygmy groups who inhabit the area, the other two being the Sua and the Aka.

As the average height of an Efe is under 1.5 metres or 5 foot tall and they are hunter-gatherers they are classified a pygmy people, although there is a move to to change this term to "tropical forest foragers". The Efe are believed to be one of the oldest races on earth and it has been suggested that their short stature is an adaptation to living in the dense jungle with its low canopy of vegetation.

They typically live in scattered bands consisting of families, but there is a great deal of co-operation within the band.

Answer: Sudan

The Fur people are an ethnic group inhabiting the western part of Sudan where they are the largest ethnic group in the Darfur region. The name Darfur means "the homeland of the Fur". Most Fur are farmers cultivate both crops to feed their families and some cash crops to supplement their income.

There are also a number of cattle herders who are are more nomadic, akin to their neighbours, the Baqqara Arabs. They are practising Sunni Muslims. They speak their own language (Fur), which has no written component, and also Arabic. Social structure is determined by knowledge of the Quran. Diet is based on wheat and dura sorghum, with bread made to Arabian recipes. Meat, usually beef is the main protein. Fur society is quite different in that both husband and wife remain in separate units after marriage with each looking after their own crops and livestock although co-operating when needs arise.

Answer: Nigeria

The "Awon omo Yoruba" to give them their full name or, more simply, the Yoruba people are an ethnic group found in the south western parts of Nigeria. They make up approximately 21% of the Nigerian population and are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. The Yoruba are not actually a single group, but are a number of different groups who are linked by a common language, history and culture. According to their mythology, they are all descended from a single ancestor, the great hero Odua. They all speak Yoruba, a tonal language of the Niger-Congo family. Various dialects occur, but speakers usually understand each other despite the variations.

Traditional religion still plays an important part in Yoruba society with about a fifth of the group still practising the religion of their forefathers. Yoruba society is clan-based with members of a clan being descended from a common ancestor and the society is patrilineal.