AFRICAN ORAL TRADITION, HISTORY, & LITERATURE AT COLUMBIA


This bibliography on African oral tradition, history, and literature in translation—to be frequently updated— represents highlights from the last fifty years of book acquisitions and other resources available at Columbia University Libraries.  Originally compiled in 2014 by Anschaire Aveved and Yuusuf Caruso, the list has been frequently updated since then.

For works in African languages taught at Columbia (present and past), see: African Studies Home Page

For periodical literature, Columbia faculty and students can search in the following databases:
Africa-Wide Information ; AnthropologyPlus ; MLA Bibliography ; JSTOR ; Cairn.info ; Persée

Return to African Studies Home Page

Contents Arranged by Theme & Country/Region

Country/Region Oral Tradition
Sources
Oral History
Sources
Reference Related Tales and
Proverbs
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Congo
Cote d'Ivoire
DR Congo
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritius
Mauritania
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
São Tomé &
Príncipe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
Sudan
Swaziland
Tanzania
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Central Africa
East Africa
Indian Ocean
North Africa
Southern Africa
West Africa
Africa—General
Diaspora

Oral Tradition—Sources

 

 

Algeria

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Angola

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Benin

 

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Botswana

  • Schapera, Isaac. Praise-poems of Tswana chiefs ; trans. and ed. with an introduction and notes, by
    I. Schapera. 2nd South African impression. Cape Town : Oxford University Press, 1988, c1965. (255 p.)

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Burkina Faso

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Burundi

 

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Cameroon

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Comoros

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Côte d'Ivoire

 

 

DR Congo

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Egypt

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Gabon

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The Gambia

  • Camara, Sirifo. The epic of Kelefaa Saane ; edited and translated by Sana Camara. Bloomington : Indiana University Press, c2010. (185 p.)
    [The epic honors the legendary warrior prince of Kaabu and Mandinka cultural hero. It was recorded in the city of Dakar, Senegal, in 1987 by Boundiaye Jiite, an important patron of Senegambian music.]
  • Suso, Bamba and Banna Kanute. Sunjata : Gambian versions of the Mande epic ; trans. and annotated by Gordon Innes with the assistance of Bakari Sidibe ; [ed. with a new introduction and additional notes by Lucy Duran and Graham Furniss]. London : Penguin, 1999, c1974.(117 p.)
  • Wright, Donald R. (Interviewer) Oral traditions from the Gambia. Vol. 1: Mandinka griots ; vol. 2: Family elders. Papers in international studies. Africa series ; no. 37-38. Athens, Ohio : Ohio University Center for International Studies, Africa Program, [1979-].

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Ghana

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Guinea

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Guinea-Bissau

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Kenya

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Lesotho

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Liberia

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Madagascar

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Mali

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Morocco

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Namibia

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Niger

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Nigeria

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Rwanda

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Senegal

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Sierra Leone

  • Fyle, C. Magbaily. Oral traditions of Sierra Leone. History (Niamey, Niger) ; 3. Niamey : Organization of African Unity, Centre for Linguistic and Historical Studies by Oral Traditions, [1979]. (69 p.)

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Somalia

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South Africa

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Sudan

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Swaziland

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Tanzania

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Togo

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Tunisia

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Uganda

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Zimbabwe

  • Fortune, G. (ed.). Ngano. Salisbury, Zimbabwe : Mercury Press, [1980-]
  • Gandari, J.O. [comp. and trans.] and A.J.B. Hughes [ed.] Duma texts. Salisbury : Tribal Areas of Rhodesia Research Foundation, 1975. (77 p.)
  • Shona praise poetry ; compiled by A. C. Hodza ; ed. with introd., translations and notes by G. Fortune. Oxford : Clarendon Press ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1979. (401 p.)
  • Vambe, Maurice Taonezvi (ed.). Orality and cultural identities in Zimbabwe. Gweru, Zimbabwe : Mambo Press, 2001. (127 p.)

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Africa (General)

  • Belcher, Stephen Paterson. African myths of origin. London ; New York : Penguin, 2005. (511 p.)
  • Belcher, Stephen Paterson. Epic traditions of Africa. Bloomington : Indiana University Press, c1999. (276 p.)
  • Les épopées d'Afrique noire ; [recueillies et commentées par] Lilyan Kesteloot et Bassirou Dieng ; [préface de François Suard]. Paris : Karthala ; Paris : UNESCO, 1997. (626 p.)
    [En Afrique de l'Ouest: extraits des épopées de Soundiata, Gabou, Ségou, Samory, et plusieurs autres textes des peuples soninké, wolof, sérère, peule, zarma, songhaï, haoussa...en Afrique centrale et de l'est: celles de Mwindo, Mvet, Ozidi, Bassa, Lianja, Liyongo Fumo, Ruganzu, et de l'Afrique du Sud: l'épopée de Chaka.]
  • Johnson, John William, Thomas A. Hale, and Stephen Belcher (eds.) Oral epics from Africa : vibrant voices from a vast continent.  Bloomington : Indiana University Press, c1997. (331 p.)
    [Selections from Soninké, Mande, Songhay & Zarma, Fulbe, Wolof, Egyptian, Central African, and baNyanga epics.]
  • Mapanje, Jack and Landeg White (comps.) Oral poetry from Africa : an anthology ; [adviser, Isidore Okpewho]. New York : Longman, 1983.
    (216 p.)
  • Textes sacrés d'Afrique noire ; choisis et présentés par Germaine Dieterlen; avec la collaboration de Béatrice Appia...[et al.] ; [préface de Amadou Hampâté Bâ]. Paris : Gallimard, 2005. (305 p.)

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East Africa

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Southern Africa

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Oral History—Sources

 

 

Angola

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Ethiopia

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Ghana

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Guinea

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Kenya

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Mali

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Namibia

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Nigeria

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Rwanda

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Senegal

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South Africa

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Sudan

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Swaziland

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Tanzania

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Zimbabwe

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Central Africa

  • Kubik, Gerhard and Moses Yotamu (comp.) The Luchazi people : their history & chieftaincy: Angola, Congo, Namibia, Zambia ; [assisted by Kayombo ka Chinyeka and Vwime Ngunga ; edited and additions by Chikota Cha Luchazi Association ; trans. from Luchazi by J. Mukombo wa Muwema]. Lusaka : Central African Oral History Research Project, 1998. (255 p.)
  • Perrot, Claude Hélène...[et al.] (eds.) Passé de l'Afrique par l'oralité. Collection Analyses. Série Analyses bibliographiques. Paris : Ministère de la coopération et du développement : La Documentation française, c1993. (304 p.)

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Diaspora

 

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Bibliographies & Other Reference Works

 

 

Cameroon

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Malawi

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Nigeria

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Rwanda

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South Africa

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Zambia

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Central Africa

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Southern Africa

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West Africa

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Africa (General)

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Diaspora

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Algeria

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Angola

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Cameroon

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Cape Verde

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Congo

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Cote d'Ivoire

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DR Congo

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Egypt

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Ethiopia

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Gabon

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Gambia

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Ghana

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Guinea

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Kenya

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Liberia

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Madagascar

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Malawi

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Mali

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Mozambique

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Namibia

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Niger

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Nigeria

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São Tomé & Príncipe

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Senegal

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Sierra Leone

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Somalia

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South Africa

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Tanzania

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Togo

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Tunisia

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Uganda

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Zambia

  • Moyo, Stevens P.C.; Tobias W.C. Sumaili & James A. Moody [comp. & eds.] Oral traditions in southern Africa. [Lusaka] : Division for Culture Research, Institute for African Studies, University of Zambia with the assistance of UNESCO, 1986. (540 p.)

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Central Africa

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East Africa

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North Africa

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Southern Africa

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West Africa

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Africa (General)

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Diaspora

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Folktales & Proverbs

Algeria

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Angola

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Benin

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Botswana

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Burkina Faso

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Burundi

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Cameroon

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Cape Verde

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Central African Republic

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Chad

  • Equipe de recherche de Bousso. L'espoir brisé. Réalités tchadiennes. [N'Djaména] : CEFOD, c1995. (44 p.)
  • Fuchs, Peter. Les contes oubliés des Hadjeray du Tchad. [préf. de Jules Hie Nea ; dessins de J. C. Bedia]. Pour mieux connaître le Tchad. Paris : L'Harmattan ; 2006. (310 p., [16] p. of plates)
  • Isaac, Tchoumba Ngouankeu (comp.) Autour du lac Tchad (contes). Yaoundé : Éditions Clé, 1969. (181p.)
  • Tubiana, Marie José (ed.) Contes Zaghawa. Paris : Les Quatre Jeudis, [1962, c1961]. (206 p.)

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Congo

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Cote d'Ivoire

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DR Congo

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Egypt

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Equatorial Guinea

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Ethiopia

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Gabon

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Gambia

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Ghana

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Guinea

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Guinea-Bissau

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Kenya

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Liberia

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Libya

  • Chambard, Roger ...[et al.]. Proverbes libyens. Paris : GELLAS: Editions Karthala, c2002. (602 p.)

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Madagascar

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Malawi

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Mali

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Mauritania

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Mauritius

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Morocco

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Mozambique

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Namibia

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Niger

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Nigeria

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Rwanda

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São Tomé & Príncipe

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Senegal

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Seychelles

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Sierra Leone

  • Benjei. The origin of the white race: stories. Stories and songs from Sierra Leone ; 34. Freetown : People's Educational Association of Sierra Leone, 1987. (47 p.)
  • Finnegan, Ruth H., comp. Limba stories and story-telling ; [compiled and translated by Ruth Finnegan]. Oxford library of African literature. Oxford : Clarendon P., 1967.
  • Smith, Arthur E. E. Folktales from Freetown. Stories and songs from Sierra Leone ; 26. Freetown : People's Educational Association of Sierra Leone, 1987. (70 p.)
  • Yassin, Mohammed. Tales from Sierra Leone. London : Oxford University Press, 1967. (55 p.)

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Somalia

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South Africa

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Sudan & South Sudan

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Tanzania

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Togo

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Uganda

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Zambia

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Zimbabwe

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Central Africa

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East Africa

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Indian Ocean

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North Africa

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Southern Africa

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West Africa

Africa (General)

Diaspora


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