Atlas of Dying African Traditions

As part of a broader long project mapping out the dying traditions of Sub Saharan Africa, this series looks at the 'Carnaval' tradition in Guinée Bissau where all the tribes from the archipelago reenact key events in their history. The project was born out the need to document and share the dying traditions which act as pillars to our societies. In a world of globalization, tradition often pays the price for modernity. On a continent where religions often overlap with Animist beliefs - recognising the existence of a vital force in natural beings, be it humans, animals, plants or rivers. These are accompanied with numerous ‘Rites and Myths’ with the purpose of capturing the vital forces which inhabit the universe, and by communicating with nature to seek out the natural unity of things and beings in order to discern the ‘global spirit’ of the universe. Many have argued that the crisis the continent is facing today,i is the result of a society in crisis where myths and rites have been extensively weakened. The idea that society cannot bring protection to individuals due to “the loss of rites, myths, societal markers and roles of institutions”.