Use of the term “Bantu” in South Africa
What countries are Bantu?
Communities speaking Bantu languages are indigenous to twenty-seven African countries: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, CAR, Comoros, Congo, DRC, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mayotte, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, …
Who are the western Bantus?
Western region Bantus are mostly found in the Western region of Kenya and speak a variety of languages and dialects. In modern times a large population has migrated to urban areas around the country. The Abaluyia community is made up of eighteen sub-groups.
What religion is Bantu?
Traditional religion is common among the Bantu, with a strong belief in magic. Christianity and Islam are also practiced.
Where do the Bantu live now?
Today, the Bantu-speaking peoples are found in many sub-Saharan countries such as Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Angola, South Africa, Malawi, Zambia, and Burundi among other countries in the Great Lakes region.
What does Bantu mean in Africa?
[2] Abantu (or ‘Bantu’ as it was used by colonists) is the Zulu word for people. It is the plural of the word ‘umuntu’, meaning ‘person’, and is based on the stem ‘–ntu’ plus the plural prefix ‘aba’. This original meaning changed through the history of South Africa.
Is Shona a Bantu language?
Shona is a language from the Bantu family and is spoken in Zimbabwe. It is the mother tongue of 75% of the people of Zimbabwe.
Is the term Bantu offensive?
Blacks in South Africa generally consider the word Bantu offensive. They similarly rejected the word “native,” which it replaced in official terminology some years ago, preferring to be called blacks.
What are African Bantu languages?
Bantu languages such as Swahili, Zulu, Chichewa or Bemba are spoken by an estimated 240 million speakers in 27 African countries, and are one of the most important language groups in Africa in terms of geographical and demographic distribution.
What do the Bantu believe in?
All Bantus traditionally believe in a supreme God. The nature of God is often only vaguely defined, although he may be associated with the Sun, or the oldest of all ancestors, or have other specifications.