The dividing up of the society in Africa was not static. It was nonrigid. It was flexible. Social stratum is a person’s class in a society. People belong to different social strata or social stratum, and this could depend on the family that a person was born into or the type of occupation one is involved in e.t.c. but it could change for the better or worse. In Africa, before colonization, the kings’ position was undisputed at the top of the social stratum. The kings were at the top of the political hierarchy and slaves were placed at the bottom. Though, slaves were able to climb up the ladder to greatness. Ancient Africa provided a level playing field for everyone to achieve greatness. A poor family could move up the ladder of society and a wealthy family could do better and sustain their wealth or push downward to poverty. Hard work and determination to succeed is one of the characteristics of Africa. This is evidence in the folklore of Africa and narratives of enslaved Africa
