Ibn Tumart, abu Abdullah Muhammad:   Berber religious leader who founded the Almohad religious group in Morocco.  (1078-1130)

Ifijoku:  Igbo god who is the giver and protector of yams.

Igikubge:   Tutsi headdress worn by members of the royal family.

imajeghen:   A member of the Tuareg nobility who is elected amenokal, or king of the confederation.

Imana:   Benevolent god of the Hutu and Tutsi.

imdyazn:   Berber musical band of four musicians one of whom is a poet and leader.

imzi:   Zulu home.

indigenous:   Native to a region, or the original people or product of a place.

indlu:   A  Swazi family unit of husband, wife, and children.

injera:   A pancake made from teff, a small grain rich in iron and protein.

inkosi:  leader of a Xhosa clan.

inundation:   The period in Egypt from June to September when the Nile's waters overflow its banks.

iscathamiya:  A cappella Zulu singing style; popular during apartheid when miners lived is all-male worker hostels (hotels) in Natal.

Isis:   Ancient Egyptian fertility goddess, depicted as a woman with cow horns.  Wife of Osiris and mother of Horus.  The most popular goddess in Nubia.

Jabavu, John Tengo:  South African journalist who founded the first newspaper edited by a black South African; fought for schools for Africans; founded Fort Hare University; 1859-1921.

jalabiya:   Long, loose robe worn by Arab men.

Jebel Barkal:

Jenne:   See Djenne.

jihad: Islamic holy war; also the struggle a Muslim undertakes to follow Allah.

jit jive:  Zimbabwean dance music featuring mbira guitars.

Jordan, Archibald Campbell:   Xhosa novelist, poet, and teacher.

Joseph, Helen Beatrice:  One of the first white South Africans to join the fight against apartheid; founding member of white wing of the ANC.

Juba I:  Berber king of Numidia--Algeria; defeated by the Romans in 44BCE.

Ka:

Kaaba:

Kagame, Alexis:  Tutsi Catholic priest, historian, and philosopher; lived in Rwanda.

kafu:   A group of Malinke villages  headed by a mansa, chief or king.

Kaikara:   Nyoro goddess of the harvest.

Kalihari Desert:   Desert plateau in Southern Africa that has become a major wildlife preserve.

kalindula:   Zambian bass instrument; also a fast-paced music from Zambia.

Kalthum, Umm:  Egyptian singer of classical Islamic music.

kalunga:   Nigerian talking drum.  The pitch of the drum is adjusted by tightening the drum at its "waist" to mimic voice tones.

Kanda Bongo Man:  famous singer from the Congo who imigrated to France; one of the first  African musicians to become famous around the world. 

Kandake:

Karnak:   Site of many ancient Egyptian temples built during the reigns of Amen, Amenhotep III, Seti I, and Ramses II.  Located in the northern part of Thebes.

Kaunda, Kenneth David:   First president of Zambia from 1964-1991.

Keino, Kipchoge Hezekiah:  Kenyan athlete; one of the world's best long-distance runner; won gold medals at the 1968 & 1972 Olympics.

Keita:  ruling dynasty of Mali for 13 centuries.

Keita, Sundiata:  see Sundiata Keita

Kemet:   The African name for ancient Egypt.

kente:   Colorful cloth woven into bright, complex patterns by the Asante people; the national dress of Ghana.

Kenyatta, Jomo:  Led the Mau Mau revolt and became first prime minister of Kenya; president of Kenya from 1964-1978; popular in the early years, he was criticized for government corruption in the later years.

Khafre:   King of Egypt during the 26th century B.C.E.  Son of Khufu who erected the second largest pyramid at Giza.

Khama, Sir Seretse:  First Prime Minister of Botswana in 1965,who helped make his country a stable democracy.

khamsa:   Arabic word meaning five; symbol of the hand worn by berber women; represents the five pillars of Islam.

khanga:  A rectangular cloth printed in bright colors with a border and a design that represents a Swahili proberb.

Khartoum:   capital of Sudan, located where the White and Blue Nile rivers join.  This city has been of strategic importance since ancient times.

Khufu:  Also known as Cheops; ruled Ancient Egypt in 2500BCE; ordered the building of the Great Pyramid at Giza.

Kikuyu: Largest Ethnic group in Kenya; led the resistance to British colonial rule. These farmers lost most of their land to the British, the majority are Christian.  Following World War II, many Kikuyu joined the Mau Mau rebellion that eventually led to independence for Kenya.

Kimathi, Dedan:   Leader of the Mau Mau Rebellion in Kenya.  Executed by the British in 1956.

Kirina, Battle of:   Fought in 1240, Sundiata's victory over Sumanguru reunited Mali.

kize-uzi:   Fonio grain, the smallest of the cultivated seeds.  Popular among the Dogon.

kora:   Popular stringed musical instrument of West Africa.

Koran:   See Qaran.

Kowth:   The creator god of the Nuer, who pray to him for health and good fortune.

Kumbi Saleh:   Capital city and gold center of the Empire of Ghana.

Kush:   Ancient Empire along the Nile River between the 3rd and 6th cataracts.  Nubia was made up of the Kingdoms of Kush and Meroe. 

Kutako, Chief Hosea:  (1870-1970)  Chief of the Herero people of Namibia who fought against German colonization.

kwosso:   A ball game popular among the Afar.

Maasai: Nomadic herders who live in the border region on Kenya and Tanzania. The men were famous warriors who lived off of a mixture of milk and cow's blood. Most of their land has been made into National Parks including the Serengeti.Maathi, Wangari Muta:  Kenyan feminist & scholar who founded the Greenbelt movement to replant trees in an effort to stop desertification.

Mahdi:   An Islamic holy messiah; the most famous Mahdi was Muhammad Ahmad who defeated Charles Gordon, the British military leader of Sudan in the 19th century.

Mali:   West African Empire that emerged after the fall of Ghana around the Niger River.  From 1250 to 1600, Mali and its capital Timbuktu were the largest, richest, and most advanced Empire in Africa.  The fame of Mali spread through Europe and Asia.

Mandela, Nelson:  leader of ANC; first democratically elected leader of South Africa; in prison from 1962-1990.

mangrove forest:   A tropical evergreen forest that is found along coast and rivers.  Usually flooded and known as mangrove swamps, they are often cleared for rice cultivation.

Mani:

mankala: a board game played throughout Africa; on a wood board seeds are moved from one recessed area to another.

mansa:   A Malinke chief or king.

Mansa Musa:  king of the Mali Empire from 1307-1337; conquered Songhai, reorganized trade, spread Islam, and made a pilgrimage to Mecca.

manumission:   A process of gradual emancipation of slaves or the formal release of a slave.  This was the most common path to freedom and could occur either privately by an individual slave owner or by state law.

Mapfumo. Thomas:  Shona creator of chimurenga music.

mapoto:  the beaded apron a Ndebele married woman wears to denote her status.

marabi:  form of jazz popular in South African townships; based on 3 chords.

marabout:   A Muslim holy man or hermit, especially among the Moors and Berbers of Northwest Africa.

Maroon:   Based on the Taino Indian term that means fugitive, this is the name given to escaped slaves in Latin America.  From the 16th-19th centuries, thousands of slaves escaped from the sugar plantations and established semi-independent self-governing communities in inaccessible areas of the region (forests, swamps, mountains).  The strength of the Maroon communities in Brazil, Columbia, Cuba, Ecuador, Jamaica, Mexico, and Suriname forced colonial officials to forge treaties with them to prevent Maroon raids on plantations.

Matabele:  see Ndebele.

matrilineal:   When inheritance or the power to rule is passed down through the female line in the family.

Mau Mau Rebellion:   Anti-colonial guerrilla movement in Kenya from 1952-1956.   Calling themselves the Land and Freedom Party, they began as a protest movement.  The British colonial government arrested 150 suspected members of the rebellion and held them in concentration camps.  The remainder of the mostly Kikuyu group hid out in the dense forests of the Aberdares Mountain range and launched hit-and-run raids on white settlements.  

mawe:   Basic Mende social and economic unit.

mbaqanga:  5 part vocal harmony popular in South Africa.

mbari: a political division in Kikuyu society; the Kikuyu word for ridge--as in Great Rift Valley.

Mbecki, Thabo:  president of South Afiica from 1994-present.

mbira:  Shona musical instrument that consists of a box with metal trips tuned to make different notes; a thumb piano.

Mboya, Thomas:  founding member of KANU--Kenyan African National Union.

mbweci:   a Chokwe walking staff used for long journeys.

Mecca:   The greatest Muslim holy city, that is located in modern day Saudi Arabia.  Every devout Muslim should make a journey to this birthplace of Mohammed at least once in their life.

Medu Neter:   The language of ancient Africa.

Memphis:   Ancient city of Lower Egypt.  The capital of Egypt from the 1st to the 18th dynasty.  It declined after the Greek conquest of Egypt and the building of Alexandria.  Worshipped Ptah, the sun god.

Menelik II:   Emperor of Ethiopia form 1889-1913.

Menes:   Also known as Narmer.  First pharaoh who united Egypt and founded the first dynasty around 3100B.C.E.

Mengistu, Haile Mariam:  Seized power in Ethiopia in 1974.  He accepted aid from U.S.S.R. and put into place a socialist government.  During his rule, the country suffered from famine and civil war.  He was thrown out of power by rebel forces in 1991.

Meroe:   Ancient city located on the east bank of the Nile River between the 5th & 6th cataract.  Capital of Nubia from 500-300 B.C.E.  Nubia was made up of the Kingdoms of Kush and Meroe. 

mezonad:   Tunisian musical instrument similar to a bagpipe.

Mfecane:  From 1819-39, Zulu warriors waged a war of conquest over the people of South Africa and created the Zulu kingdom.

mhondoro:  The Shona ancestral spirits.

Micombero, Michel:   Tutsi Prime Minister of Burundi who seized control of the government in 1966.  After a failed coup in 1972, he ordered the killing of 120 thousand Hutus.  Deposed in 1976.

Middle Passage:   The journey by ship that millions of African slaves made from Africa to the Americas.  For every 2-5 slaves that survived the middle passage, there was one slave who died during the journey of disease, starvation, suicide, or murder.

mihrab:   A semicircle niche in one wall of a Mosque.  It is used to point out the direction of Mecca.

millet:

minaret:   A narrow tower that is found at the four corners of a mosque or stands separately.  Used in the past to call the faithful to prayer.

Minas Gerais:   The gold and diamond mines of Minas Gerais in Brazil were the wealthiest in the world during the 18th century.   250,000 African slaves worked in these mines under terrible conditions.  One out of every two miners died within three years of enslavement.

Mkhulumnqande:  The creator god of the Swazi.

Mobutu, Sese Seko:  Dictator of Zaire from 1960-1997.

Moi, Daniel arap:  President of Kenya from 1978 to present.  Accused of Human Rights abuses, corruption, and mismanagement.

monolith:   A single massive stone usually in the shape of a column or obelisk.

Moombi:   According to the Kikuyu, she is the wife of Gikuyu and bore him nine daughters from which the 9 main Kikuyu clans are descended.

mosque: A Muslim place of worship.

Mt. Kilimanjaro:   Located along the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania, it is the highest peak in Africa.  

Mubarak, Muhammad Hosni:  President of Egypt from 1981-present.

muezzim:   A crier who climbed to the top platform of the minaret to call the faithful to prayer.

Mugabe, Roger:  First Prime Minister of an independent Zimbabwe in 1980.

Muhammad Ahmad al Mahdi:  Led the Sudanese rebellion against Anglo-Egyptian rule in 1882.  He captured Khartoum and killed the British General Gordon.

Mukasa: The main god of the Ganda religion.

mulena mukwae:   the princess chief of the Lozi kingdom, who was based in Nalolo.

Mulopwe:   The Kunda ruler of the Luba kingdom.  The head of government and religious ruler was believed to have supernatural powers.

mummy:   A preserved dead body.

mwami: A Tutsi king.

mwari:  The supreme god of the Shona religion; also known as Murunga.

mwenge:   A beer made in Uganda from Bananas.

myth:   A story usually about a god or national hero.

n'anga:   A Shona religious and medical expert who uses herbs and divination.

Nambi: goddesss of the Ganda religion; the daughter of the King of Heaven and the wife of the first human.

Napata:   Kushite city and first capital of Nubia.

naqqara:   a kettledrum used by Berber musicians.

Narmer:   See Menes.

Nasser, Gamal Abd an-:  Prime Minister of Egypt from 1956-1970.  Built the Aswan Dam, nationalized the Suez Canal, and became a leading spokeman for Arab & African independence.

natron:   A chemical the ancient Egyptians used for embalming a dead body before wrapping it.  An essential step in preserving a mummy.

Ndebele:  Major ethnic group of South Africa and Zimbabwe.  Cattle herders who were tricked out of the land by Cecil Rhodes, who deliberated had their cattle herds infected with disease.  They migrated to modern Zimbabwe; famous for their beadwork and mural art.

Nefertiti:  Egyptian Queen and wife of Amenhotep IV.  Famed for her beauty she supported her husbands religious ideas.

Ngai:   The supreme god of the Kikuyu & Maasi religions.

Ngewo:   The supreme god of the Mende religion.

ngoni:   A lute with four strings played by Bambara musicians to inspire men to fight.

ngozi:  Shona evil spirits of ancestors who return to haunt people.

Ngugi wa Thiong'o:  Kenyan novelist & playwright, who lives in exile.

Ngwenyama:   The title of the Swazi king; means lion.

Niger River:

nkisi nkondi:   Power figures made of wood by the Kongo, who would put spikes or nails into the figures to evoke the magical properties of the figure against a problem or evil.

Nkomo, Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo:  Led ZAPU (Zimbabwe African People's Union) from 1960-1979.

Nkrumah, Kwame:  (1909-1972)  Leading nationalist and Prime Minister of the Gold Coast until its independence in 1957.  Later he became first Prime Minister then President of Ghana.  Overthrown by a military coup in 1966.  Nkrumah was the leaser of the first sub-Saharan colony to gain independence and the father of the Pan-African Movement.

nomad:  People who travel from place to place, usually caring of a group of herding animals; they travel an annual path based on the need to trade, locate water, and rotate pasture.

nuba:   A form of traditional Arab music.

Nubia:   Oldest known civilization of Egypt and Sudan.  Nubia was made up of the Kingdoms of Kush and Meroe. 

Nyame:   Supreme god of the Asante religion.

Nyamwasi:   Ethnic group that lives in west-central Tanzania.

nyangas:    Male herbalist who practice divination among the Ndebele.

Nyerere, Julius: He led the fight for Tanzanian independence; first president of Tanzania; helped the country become self-sufficient and created the best school system in Africa.  Known as Nwalimu, teacher, by his people; he declared Swahili the national language, making Tanzania the only African nation with an indigenous language as its official language.  Nyerere is often praised for preserving ethnic harmony, peace, prosperity.  He is one of the few independence leaders to voluntarily step down from power.

Nzinga Nbandi:  (1582-1663)  Queen of Ndongo who fought against the Portuguese control of Angola and the slave trade.

OAU:   See Organization of African Unity

oba:   Title of the king of the Kingdom of Benin; also title for the oldest descendant of a Yoruba founder of a town.

Obatala:   Most important of the Yoruba orisa, spirits or gods, who is the chief representative of the Olodumare on Earth.  Obatala created the human body and Olodumare gave it life.

obelisk:   A tall four-sided pillar that tapers as it rises to a small pyramid at its top

Ogun:   God of hunters, farmers, and metalworkers in the Kingdom of Benin.  Patron god of Yoruba taxi drivers.

ohemmaa:   The eldest woman among the Asante.

Ohiguwu:   God of the Kingdom of Benin, who brought death to the people.

Ojukwu, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu:   President of Biafra during the Biafran Civil War, 1967-1970.

Okigbo, Christopher:  One of Nigeria's leading poets who was killed in action during the Biafran Civil War.

olaiguenani:   The title for the person who chairs Maasai age-grade meetings.

Olodumare:   The supreme god among the Yoruba.  The god of heaven give life to all humans.

Organization of African Unity:   Organization of African nations created to promote continental peace, unity, and cooperation.  The group works to resolve conflicts between nations and to coordinate political, economic, cultural, scientific, medical, and defense policies.

onigi:   Yoruba hairstyle in which the hair is wrapped to resemble sticks.

orinka:   Masai ceremonial club.

orisa:   Yoruba spirits or gods.  Each of the over four hundred orisa is worshipped by a different group of people.  

Osei Bonsu:  (1779-1824)  Seventh Asante King who expanded the kingdom to its greatest size.  He encouraged the arts and made the kingdom wealthy through control of the goldmines.

Osiris:  Ancient Egyptian god who ruled the underworld.  Husband of Isis and father of Horus, he was killed by his brother Seth. In picture, he as a green face and a body wrapped as a mummy.

ostrakon:   A piece of broken pottery with either designs or writing on the outside.

oud:   A small lute played in Northern Africa.

qabiil:   A Somali clan.

Qaddafi, Muammar al:  Ruler of Libya from 1969 to present.  Reorganized the country under socialist rule.  His support for terrorists has put him at odds with the United States.

qadi:   A Muslim judge.

qat:  A plant whose leaves are chewed or used to make tea.

Qaran:   Also, Koran; Muslim holy book.

queen mother:   In the historic empires of Benin and Asante, the queen mother was the most senior member of the royal family.  In the absence of the King, the Queen Mother would rule in her son's place.