There are many different kinds of cultures throughout Africa. In the Central African Republic, there are also many different cultures within same that culture. One, of the many cultures is the Baya culture, which is also known as the Gbaya culture. There are many sub-groups within the Baya culture. Africa is a very diverse land, and that is because of all of the unique cultures existing there.
The Central African Republic is located in a considerably small area of land (slightly smaller than Texas). The article, Central African Republic states the following information in this paragraph. There are a total of approximately 3,642,739 people in the Central African Republic. Their most common natural resources are diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, and hydropower. The Baya ethnic group makes up 33% of all of Central African Republic ethnic groups. There are different religions throughout Central Africa including: indigenous beliefs (35%), Protestant (25%), Roman Catholic (25%), and Muslim (15%). French is the official language, but Sangho (the language of the ethnic group) is a common language used, as well as tribal languages.
Most of the ethnic groups fled from slavery back in the 1800s, and that's
why they are widespread throughout Africa today. Another reason the moved
throughout Africa is to make use of other natural resources. There are
approximately 350,000 people of the Baya culture. Of the two linguistic categories, the Baya culture falls under the second group called the Ubangians (Levinson 117). The Ubangians
make up of about 82% of the regional population (Levinson 117). Most Ubangians are farmers. Most of them use a strategic method
of farming called slash-and-burn (Levinson). This term refers to the farmers
slashing the products with big farming tools and then burning what was
unusable. They would use this method for mostly all of their farming needs. The
Baya would attend to crops like cassava, yams, and
corn for their own needs (Levinson 117). Crops like cotton and coffee were grown
solely for exporting (Levinson 117). Their culture is involved with other
cultures and they work to create a diverse community.
The Baya culture is very uncommonly known around the
world. There is limited resources regarding their culture, and there aren't
many people of the Baya culture either. There are so
many unique cultures, but Baya doesn't have any distinct characteristics to distinguish it from the others.
It is a small culture that goes almost unnoticed in Africa today. Although
it is part of the majority linguistic group, it is a fairly unknown culture.
Even though it is a small culture it still contributes to the diversity
in Central Africa.
REFERENCES:
Central African Republic. Fact Book. 1 March 2003. <http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ct.html>
Levinson, David. Ethnic Groups Worldwide, A Ready Reference Handbook. Phoenix,
Arizona: Oryx, 1998.
Written by Jordana Guenther 2003