For a long time, the general definition of culture as a people’s way of life has continually received universal acceptance. Culture has also been perceived based on its manifestation through eating habits, languages, communication styles, dress codes, rites of passage, beliefs, and other practices held dearly by different communities. Unlike other regions of the globe, previous attempts to construct a common description of African culture have elicited mixed reactions filled with dissatisfaction.
The diversity in African culture
Africa is home to over 3000 ethnic groups. The ethnic groups are spread across the continent, each subscribing to a unique set of cultural practices. For instance, over 2000 languages are used among these communities. The complexity of the composition of Africa as a society makes it difficult to generalize the African culture from an ethnic point of view.
As one moves across the continent, trials to singularly describe the African dress code may be futile. Bumping into men and women donning Kaftans throughout Western and Northern Africa may be common. However, identifying Africans with Kaftans may become unreliable in Eastern Africa, where the Kanga replaces them. Moreover, the aforementioned dressing fashions cannot account for the Zulu dressing, the Ghanaian Kente, the Maasai Shuka, and many other unique dressing styles across Africa.
Is African culture inferior?
On the brink of civilization, concerns about whether African culture was self-sufficient as those from other parts of the world arose. The skeptical views of the African way of life majorly contributed to this. People (mostly foreigners) started dubbing the African belief system witchcraft, while others erroneously related African clothing to poverty. In equal measure, even expressing oneself in indigenous African languages became a clear sign of one’s illiteracy.
The labels tagged onto African culture significantly led to its erosion. It gave rise to a generation of Africans who embraced the use of some foreign cultures as a standard for measuring their own. Unfortunately, some foreign cultures eventually acquired demigod statuses, with the African cultures at their mercy. This does not make the African way of life in its authentic structure inferior.
Embracing the African culture
Ensuring that African culture is preserved with utmost respect lies in the hands of the current generation. This is because it is responsible for passing it over to the next generation. For this to be achievable, there is a need for each African community to embrace its own culture with equal dignity as those from outside the continent. African culture should also be given perennial consideration when packaging education curriculums in the continent for its preservation and passing over to other generations.
Conclusion
Even though globalization comes with a call for mutual co-existence among all world citizens, it need not be misinterpreted as a weapon against diversity. African communities must know that their way of life is their foremost identity. For this reason, they should embrace and promote it instead of looking around in search of other identities unveiled to them with an imaginary taste of universal superiority.
