Hi,

I have a friend who seems to be of the opinion that there is really one African tradition with many manifestations.  He happens to be a cultural nationalist, so I guess that would be expected.  He had a girlfriend once from Zimbabwe who used to argue that each tradition was different.  But he stood his ground.  Mind you, he's never actually BEEN to Africa to witness for himself....I tend to disagree with him out of respect for the views of actual Africans.  Yes, there are similarities.  But in all, I think that each tradition has its own unique elements that should not be ignored and that often contradict each other.  So I don't buy it.  Any thoughts?

Peace.