Any scholar studying the African continent and it’s people would consider these entities to be one and the same, the land not detached from the people and vice versa, and the diversity to be vast among both. There are virtually thousands of different ethnic groups residing today across the continent of Africa, many of which have eventually been faced with very similar problems and as a result have developed a sense of sameness when it comes to cultural overlaps and dealing with these problems.
Despite this, to think that the African continent is completely whole without taking into consideration the cultural, linguistic and racial differences between that of native Saharan and sub-Saharan Africans would carry with itself foolishly naive implications. An academic would be wise to take into consideration the historical and geographical differences between these two parts of Africa. Ever since the days of ancient Egypt and it’s clashes with the dark skinned Nubians, the differential realities of this continent have apparated into fruition.
Since the 7th century, it has been a widely studied subject in academia, trade and among government officials, that of the Arabic language and Islamic religion’s migration across North Africa as well as into East Africa. The Organization of African Unity (OAU) has formed a consortium on the subject matter of shared concerns among various African countries.
To many outsiders, this large, majestic continent would seem difficult to traverse. On the other hand, for natives it has been relatively easy to travel through different parts of the continent. Throughout the centuries, many different ethnic groups from different regions in Africa have intermingled and maintained cordial relationships, so as a result of this many Africans are multilingual. Whether it be coastal, trans-Saharan or interior trade as well as travel, the flow of languages, ideas, goods and services and cultural traditions have been common throughout the land.