Christianity in AfricaChristianity in Africa first arrived in Egypt in approximately 50 AD. By the end of the 2nd century it had reached the region around Carthage. In the 4th century, the Aksumite empire in modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea became one of the first regions in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion. The Nubian kingdoms of Nobatia, Makuria and Alodia followed two centuries later. From the late fifth and early sixth century, the region included several Christian Berber kingdoms.
Bembe peopleThe Bembe people (Babembe in the plural) are an ethnic group based in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and western Katavi Region of Tanzania. They live mainly in the territory of Fizi in South Kivu. The Bembe are also in the province of Tanganyika in the city of Kalemie. In 1991, the Bembe population of the DRC was estimated to number 252,000 and around 1.5 million in 2005. They are representative of many ethnic traditions, including pre-Lega, Boyo-Kunda, Hemba and Bemba.
Makua peopleThe Makua people, also known as Makhuwa or Wamakua, are a Bantu ethnic group found in northern Mozambique and the southern border provinces of Tanzania such as the Mtwara Region. They are the largest ethnic group in Mozambique, and primarily concentrated in a large region to the north of the Zambezi River. They are studied by sociologists in four geographical and linguistic sub-divisions: the lower or Lolo Makua, the upper or Lomwe Makua, the Maua and the Niassa Makua or Medo.
TutsiThe Tutsi (ˈtʊtsi), also called Watusi, Watutsi or Abatutsi (ɑ.βɑ.tuː.t͡si), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi (the other two being the largest Bantu ethnic group Hutu and the Pygmy group of the Twa). Historically, the Tutsi were pastoralists and filled the ranks of the warriors' caste. Before 1962, they regulated and controlled Rwandan society, which was composed of Tutsi aristocracy and Hutu commoners, utilizing a clientship structure.
LugandaGanda or Luganda (luːˈɡændə, Oluganda, oluɡâːndá) is a Bantu language spoken in the African Great Lakes region. It is one of the major languages in Uganda and is spoken by more than 5.56 million Baganda and other people principally in central Uganda, including the capital Kampala of Uganda. Typologically, it is an agglutinative, tonal language with subject–verb–object word order and nominative–accusative morphosyntactic alignment.
Sonjo peopleThe Sonjo or Batemi (Wasonjo, in Swahili) are a Bantu ethnic group from northern Ngorongoro District of Arusha Region in Tanzania. In 2002, the Sonjo population was estimated to number around 30,000 individuals (Ethnologue). The term Sonjo is the name given to the people by the Maasai. Group members prefer to call themselves the Batemi people. The Sonjo people speak Sonjo, a Bantu language. They refer to it as Kitemi or Gitemi. The language, whose closest living cousins are those found around Mount Kenya (Meru, Kikuyu etc.
Luhya peopleThe Luhya (also known as Abaluyia or Luyia) are a bantu people and the second largest ethnic group in Kenya. The Luhya belong to the larger linguistic stock known as the Bantu. The Luhya are located in western Kenya and Uganda. They are divided into 20 (or 21, when the Suba are included) culturally and linguistically united clans. Once known as the Bantu Kavirondo, multiple small tribes in North Nyanza came together under the new name Baluhya between 1950 and 1960. The Luhya culture is similar to the Great Lakes region Bantu speakers.
Chaga peopleThe Chagga (Wachaga, in Swahili) are a Bantu ethnic group from Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania. They are the third-largest ethnic group in Tanzania. They historically lived in sovereign Chagga states on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro in both Kilimanjaro Region and eastern Arusha Region.
BunyoroBunyoro, also called Bunyoro-Kitara, is a Bantu kingdom in Western Uganda. It was one of the most powerful kingdoms in Central and East Africa from the 13th century to the 19th century. It is ruled by the King (Omukama) of Bunyoro-Kitara. The current ruler is Solomon Iguru I, the 27th Omukama. The people of Bunyoro are also known as Nyoro or Banyoro. (singular: Munyoro) The language spoken is Nyoro, also known as Runyoro. In the past, the traditional economy revolved around big game hunting of elephants, lions, leopards, and crocodiles.
Ovambo peopleThe Ovambo people (ovambo), also called Aawambo, Ambo, Aawambo (Ndonga, Nghandjera, Kwambi, Kwaluudhi, Kolonghadhi, Mbalantu), or Ovawambo (Kwanyama), are a Bantu ethnic group native to Southern Africa, primarily modern Namibia. They are the single largest ethnic group in Namibia, accounting for about half of the population. Despite concerted efforts from Christian missionaries to wipe out what were believed to be ‘pagan practices’, they have retained many aspects of their cultural practices.
