If you're willing to investigate the notion of a Medicine Man or Shaman, you could look at recordings like "Sorcerer" or "Singing Stones" by Michael Stearns & Ron Sunsinger, "Kiva" by Sunsinger, Stearns, and Steve Roach, or "The Serpent's Lair" by Roach and Byron Metcalf. Very rhythmic stuff, with plenty of ambient weirdness and some chanting here and there. It's not strictly African sounding though - it's more Native American and Central/Latin American.