Africana
/ˌæf.rɪˈkɑː.nə/noun
Books, objects, artworks, and other materials relating to Africa or people of African descent.
Did you know?The word belongs to a scholarly naming tradition that treats cultural collections as a kind of living memory, alongside terms such as Americana and Americana’s Latin-style predecessors.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Λιβύη (Libýē)
“The Greek name commonly used for the region later called Africa; it referred broadly to lands west of Egypt.”
2nd–1st Century BCE
Latin
Africa
“A Roman geographical name for the territory around Carthage and, increasingly, the wider continent.”
Classical Latin
Latin
Africānus
“African; belonging to or originating in Africa.”
Medieval Latin
New Latin
Africana
“A feminine or neuter plural form referring to African things or materials.”
19th Century
English
Africana
“A scholarly collecting and cataloguing term for African-related books, artifacts, art, and records.”
Modern English
English
Africana
“Material culture and knowledge associated with Africa and the African diaspora.”