African Life & Customs

African Life and Customs is a must-have compilation of Edward Wilmont Blyden’s papers about African society’s socioeconomic structure. Blyden (1832-1912), a native of St. Thomas, West Indies, spent the majority of his life in the African continent. He was a skilled educator, linguist, writer, and global traveler who passionately championed Africa’s and its people’s distinctive characteristics. Blyden looked at the culture of pure Africans who had not been influenced by European or Asian influences in his book African Life and Customs. He recognized polygamy as the foundation of African families and the family as the primary unit in African civilization. He regarded African social structures as cooperative, with everyone working for the benefit of the group. No one went without food, clothes, or job.