The diverse culture of Ivory Coast, a coastal West African country bordered by Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea, is exemplified by a multitude of ethnic groups, events, festivals, music, and art.
Roughly one-third of the indigenous population lives in the north, including Voltaic peoples in the northeast and Mandé in the northwest.
Competitions between villages are held to find the best dancers, and to pay homage to the forest spirits embodied in the elaborate masks.
[2] In April, there is the Fête du Dipri The primary Muslim holiday is Ramadan, a month when everyone fasts between sunrise and sunset, following the fourth pillar of Islam.
The traditional diet in Ivory Coast is very similar to that of neighboring countries in its reliance on grains and tubers, but Ivorians have a particular kind of small, open-air restaurant called a maquis that is unique to them.
One of the tastiest street-vended foods is aloko, which is a ripe banana in palm oil, spiced with steamed onions and chili, and eaten alone or with grilled fish.
The traditional music style of many of the ethnic groups of Ivory Coast is characterized by a series of rhythms and melodies that occur simultaneously, without one dominating the other.
Instruments include the Talking drum, djembe, Kpalogo, Shekere (Youroo), Akombe, and cleavers, and are typically made with local materials, such as gourds, animal skins, and horns.
Ivory Coast's Alpha Blondy, the world-famous reggae artist, is probably the country's best known singer, though his music is not necessarily representative.
Among the Akan-speaking people of southern Ghana and adjacent Ivory Coast, ritual pottery and figurative terracottas are used in connection with funeral practices that date at least to the 17th century.
[3] It was not until the end of the 17th century, however, that the grand Asante Kingdom emerged in the southern forest region of Ghana, when several small states united under the King of Kumasi in a move to achieve political freedom from the Denkyira.
Crops such as maize, peppers, sweet potatoes, peanuts, tomatoes, manioc, and squash were introduced from the Americas during the Atlantic slave trade.
The Baule government is highly centralized; there is a king or chief on top, who inherits his position, along with various subchiefs in charge of local populations.
The markets are run mostly by women who as a result hold a large amount of economic power, while the men fish, hunt, and clear land.
At one point, according to Akan mythology, this God walked upon the earth with man, but moved high up into the sky after being continuously beaten with a pestle of an old woman pounding fufu.
The earth itself is considered a deity, and a female one by the Abron called Asaase Yaa, directly connected to fertility and fruitfulness.
The Oyokos who were the nephews of the Adakos, headed by Opoku Ware, kept control of Oyoko clan and the Golden Stool, whereas Nana Abena Pokua the QueenMother moved to Kaase (then Kwaman) with her partisans numbering about 3.5 million half the population of Asante moved and settled with the Anyi, Nzema and the Sanhwi to the west of Asante.
After crossing the River Comoe Nana Abla Pokou and her various warrior Groups started to settle each to ts location.
Beretuo Dynasty 1717 to 1720 Amaniampon, the Mamponghene Regent, Mamponghene became regent due to the assassination of Nana Dako during the contest for the Succession to the throne after the death of King Osei Tutu the civil that ensued lasted for 3 years 1717–1720 that led to the migration of Nana Abena Pokua and the Adako Dynasty to Cote d’lvoire and the founding of the Baule Kingdom.
The Anyi live in loose, spread out neighborhoods of family housing complexes, usually with a headman, directed by a Council of Elders who represents the town in regional politics.
The Anyi, like other Akan people, have a highly stratified society including a hierarchical political administration made up of officials with rank and power.
The Dan believe that all creatures have a spirit soul (du), which is imparted onto humans and animals from the creator god, Xra, through birth.
Generally, each village had a headman who had earned his position of advantage in the community through hard work in the fields and through luck as a hunter.
They usually surrounded themselves with young warriors for protection from invading neighbors and exchanged gifts with other chiefs in order to heighten their own prestige.
Out of this custom was born the basic tradition of tin among the Dan, which was based on displaying one's success in order to build a good reputation and name.
Although farming and hunting have been largely replaced by laboring in the diamond camps or working at the rubber plantations, the establishment of a hierarchical social order is still based on the individual's ability to succeed.
The Senufo are made up of a number of different groups who migrated south to Mali and the Ivory Coast in the 15th and 16th centuries.
The Senufo are a very animistic society; they believe that the ancestor spirits are responsible for all events that occur, and if they are not appeased through proper ritual they may cause drought, infertility, and illness.
One of the highest possible honors given in the Senefo culture is the title of sambali (champion cultivator), who is respected throughout the region and in his old age is typically given a strong leadership role.
There is usually a group in each village made up of men from ages 15 to 35, who are in charge of working in the fields and providing a huge festival during the dry season.