Ten things we have learnt about Africa
The Pew Research Center has just released one of the
which has revealed a host of interesting facts.
Download comes from Pew Research Center website.
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Here are 10 things we have learnt from the study, which surveyed 25,000 people
in 19 countries.
1. 75% of South Africans think polygamy is "morally wrong" - bad
news for their president, as
However, the survey also revealed some possible double-standards. While only
7% of Rwandans approved of polygamy (although this did include women), a
rather higher number - 17% - of men said they had more than one wife.
2. An overwhelming majority of respondents disapproved of homosexual
behaviour. In three countries - Zambia, Kenya and Cameroon - this was a massive
98%. Interestingly,
one of the countries with the highest numbers of
people - 11% - accepting homosexuals is Uganda , where
The former Portuguese colonies of Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique were also
relatively tolerant of homosexuality.
3. Africa is probably the world's most religious continent,
with more than 80% saying they believed in God in most countries.
At least half of the Christians questioned expect Jesus Christ to return
to earth during their lifetimes . In Ethiopia, 74% of Christians say
they have experienced or witnessed the devil or evil spirits being driven
out of a person and in Ghana, 40% of Christians say they have had a direct
revelation from God. About half of all Muslims expect to see the reunification
of the Islamic world under a single ruler, or caliph, in their lifetimes.
was not one of the countries surveyed. But
26% of Nigerian Christians
said they traced their origins back to Israel or Palestine .
5. Belief in witchcraft is also common - about 40%; a similar percentage
also visit traditional healers to cure sickness.
Belief in witchcraft
is highest in Tanzania with 93% - this is the country where
Ethiopia had the lowest levels of belief in witchcraft - at just 17%. Belief
that juju or sacred objects can prevent bad things happening was generally
lower - between 20 and 30%. In Senegal, however, 75% thought such things
worked - far higher than in Tanzania (49%). It may come as a surprise to
learn that South Africa had the highest number of people - 52% - saying they
took part in ceremonies of traditional religions, or honoured or celebrated
their ancestors.
6. Predictably, there was also a religious split concerning alcohol,
banned by Islam. Surprisingly, however,
more Muslims in Chad (23%) approved
of booze, than Ethiopian Christians (5%) . This comes as a huge surprise
to Ethiopia experts, however, who point out that it is traditional to welcome
Orthodox Christian clergy with traditional honey beer when they visit your
house. Maybe "alcohol" was only taken to mean spirits by some of the respondents?
7. Attitudes to divorce showed a strong divide along religious lines
in Nigeria . A massive 79% of Christians thought it was "morally wrong",
while among Muslims, a narrow majority (46-41%) accepted divorce.
8. In recent years, Islamist hardliners in Somalia and Nigeria have
introduced strict punishment based on Sharia law, such as amputating the
hands of thieves and even
The majority of people disapproved of such Sharia punishments .
In Nigeria, they were backed by about 40% of Muslims and less than 10% of
Christians. However, a majority did approve of whippings and amputations
in Senegal and Mali. In nearby Guinea-Bissau, even 50% of Christians backed
them. This was double the rate among Muslims in Ethiopia (25%) - maybe it
feels like a more realistic prospect to them, as they share a border with
Somalia and most Muslim Ethiopians are ethnic Somalis.
AFRICA HAVE YOUR SAY The blending of
religions like Islam and Christianity with African religions is one way of
ensuring survival of traditional religions BaDumisani, Berlin
9. The survey also asked about material well-being in the world's
poorest continent. Not so long ago, Cameroon regularly topped surveys of
champagne consumption per head. However,
a shocking 71% of Cameroonians
surveyed said there were times in the past year when they did not have enough
money to buy food . In Ethiopia, which is commonly seen as a country
struggling to feed itself, the rate was far lower - at 30% - the lowest of
all countries surveyed.
10. Ethiopia did, however, have the lowest numbers of people - 7% - who
said they regularly used the internet . Rwanda's President Paul Kagame
is striving to turn his country into Africa's answer to Silicon Valley and
is being helped by
He will be encouraged by the finding that 30% of his countrymen - the highest
number - regularly browsed the web. Mobile phones, were far more common -
with 81% of respondents in Botswana owning one. Many countries reported more
than 50% having phones but here, Rwanda lagged behind at just 35%.