That is why one can meaningfully talk about social, moral, religious, political, aesthetic and even economic values of a culture. Values here are to be understood as beliefs that are held about what is right and wrong and what is important in life. Explaining how twins were looked at in those dark days, Udoh (2007: 103) writes that "one of the twins was said to be genuine, the other, an impostor. The birth of twins was seen as a very bad omen. African culture has a moral code that forbids doing harm to a relative, a kinsman, an in-law, a foreigner and a stranger, except when such a person is involved in an immoral act; and if that is the case, it is advisable to stay away from such an individual and even at death, their corpses would not be dignified with a noble burial in a coffin and grave. In this paper, we try to show the relevance of African culture and values to the contemporary society but maintain that these values be critically assessed, and those found to be inimical to the well-being and holistic development of the society, be discarded. Sophia: An African Journal of Philosophy Vol.7(2). The child in a traditional society cannot escape his cultural and physical environments. These slight variations only exist when we compare an African culture with others. African American culture is rich in tradition and American history. community. [ Links ], Ogbum, W.F. Therefore, negative and harmful traditional practices that dehumanise people and portray them as unimproved and backward people without future, should as a matter of urgency be discarded since culture is an adaptive system together with values that play a central role in giving the society its uniqueness. Culture, in traditional society, is not taught; it is caught. [ Links ], Idiong, S.0. The need for currency did not arise and so none was invented. I accept this mission, sir! THE PLACE OF VALUES IN AFRICAN CULTURE. The most significant thing about the traditional society is that the political hierarchy begins with the family. Even today, African American families are significantly impacted by two centuries of slavery. During the period of slavery, African Americans found strength and unity through communal worship. In an effort to contextualize and be mindful of a complex mindset and worldview, here are a few African cultural values to be aware of when traveling in Africa! The likelihood of reducing the period of culture lag is very much dependent on the desirability of yielding to change in the non-marital culture, the compatibility of the anticipated change with the existing culture or its flexibility, and the nature and magnitude of force available to exact or induce compliance. [ Links ], Taylor, E.B. Etuk (2002: 13) is of the opinion that "an entire way of life would embody, among other things, what the people think of themselves and the universe in which they live - their world view - in other words, how they organise their lives in order to ensure their survival". Doing so would expose a man as being too lazy. This was based on the true belief that the churning out of a well-behaved child would be to the benefit of not only the immediate parents, but also the society. Calabar: Edigraph Communications. We could see that African culture embraces the totality of the African way of life in all its forms and ramifications. It does appear that while material culture can be studied and evaluated under the aesthetic aspect of value theory, non-material culture can equally be studied and evaluated under the ethical aspect of value theory. The idea behind it is to prepare the maiden and make her look as good, healthy and beautiful as possible for her husband. Here we hope to show that while positive dimensions of our culture ought to be practised and passed on to succeeding generations, negative dimensions of our culture have to be dropped in order to promote a more progressive and dynamic society. The synergetic nature of the society that allows people to build houses and work on farms together is directly opposite to the Western individualistic model. Sorcerers and diviners are seen to be mediating between God and man and interpreting God's wishes to the mortal. [ Links ], Fafunwa, A.B. These fattened maidens are confined to a room where they are fed with traditional cuisines. [ Links ], South African Society for Greek Philosophy and the Humanities (SASGPH). 2005. African culture, with particular reference to the Ibibio people in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, for instance, has zero tolerance for theft. Influences of Christian Religion on African Traditional Religion And Value System Ibenwa, Christopher Ndubuisi Social Sciences Unit, School of General Studies. African American families had to struggle a lot in get united ⦠In the United States, there are also important American values. Culture and Decision Making in Nigeria. Thus, few inventions which could profoundly alter the culture could take place. New York: B.W. Having looked at some of the values that characterise the African culture, it is important to state here that these values are inextricably bound together and are to be comprehended in their totality as African cultural values, CULTURAL CHANGE IN AFRICA AND THE PROBLEMS OF ADJUSTMENT. Elsewhere, we have seen African culture as "all the material and spiritual values of the African people in the course of history and characterising the historical stage attained by Africa in her developments" (Idang 2009: 142). The guiltless can reach to the bottom of the pot and retrieve the stone without the hair on his arms getting burnt. Childlessness was seen as a curse and the failure to give birth to male children was blamed on the woman since it was believed that she determines the sex of the child. The fear of being made to go through such ordeal or to be stripped naked and taken round the community as in the case of stealing, adequately checks crimes of some sort. Thus, whether consciously or unconsciously, the society was guaranteed an increase in agricultural productivity, which was the mainstay of the traditional economy. That is why a man took pride in having many of them, especially males. Since culture is often seen as the sum total of the peculiarities shared by a people, a people's values can be seen as part of their culture. Tel: +234 8057420868. These peculiar traits go on to include the people's language, dressing, music, work, arts, religion, dancing and so on. the anger and wrath of the deities, the twins were killed together with their mothers. Apart from this, culture is dynamic in the sense that it is continually changing. 2nd ed. This shows that every human being who grows up in a particular society is likely to become infused with the culture of that society, whether knowingly or unknowingly during the process of social interaction. Å 2õý3¡J? Again, the pre-European-contact African pattern of exchange was mainly by barter. The good you do for someone else will eventually be paid back to you. Based on cultural considerations, some forms of behaviour, actions and conduct are approved while others are widely disapproved of. Rather, there are underlying similarities shared by many African societies which, when contrasted with other cultures, reveal a wide gap of difference. This system, whether it was founded on myth or not, had a way of preserving and conserving nature. The thief once caught in the act or convicted, would be stripped naked, his or her body rubbed with charcoal from head to toe and the object he or she stole would be given to him or her to carry around the village in broad day light. Hence, with respect to political values, we can see that it is inextricably linked with religious, social, moral values and so on. The conclusion here is simply that those positive dimensions of our culture -our synergetic society, our conservation of nature and even our native arts, dances and games that offer us interesting sources of entertainment and happiness, should be encouraged given the fact that culture ought to be knowledgeably innovative and instrumentally beneficial to people in such a way that the society can move from one level of development to another. University of Nigeria, Nsukka. In the African American community, family value means giving a lot of respect to elders, and therefore addressing even strangers with terms that other communities would keep just for close family members. Even though there are as many definitions of culture as there are writers, there is an element of similarity that runs through them all. [ Links ], Umoh, J.0. 2005. It can also be said that culture is uniquely human and shared with other people in a society. Culture is not static. But when we are dealing with an appraisal of beauty in the arts and crafts of a people, we are dealing with the aspect of value theory called aesthetics. In this respect, the synergetic nature of African culture is what made the society very amiable. A friend or neighbour who tries to correct an erring child will in no time, to his embarrassment, be confronted with the question: "What is your business?" We have observed elsewhere that there are many types and classifications of values. This shows that values occupy a central place in a people's culture. While material culture is concrete and takes the form of artefacts and crafts, non-material culture is abstract but has a very pervasive influence on the lives of the people of a particular culture. To experience a taste of African culture deep ... part of a close-knit community as well as having extended family on whom to rely helps immigrants like him preserve African beliefs and values. It was believed that disloyalty to a leader was disloyalty to God and the position of leadership was either hereditary or by conquest. "Cultural Relativism and the Language of Morals" International Journal of African Culture and Development Vol.2 (1). In Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, for instance, even though the traditional political institution was overwhelmingly totalitarian, there were still some checks and balances. 2001. Mothers of twins were not welcome and were regarded as the harbinger of evil, hence unacceptable. Religion in African societies seems to be the fulcrum around which every activity revolves. We shall try to illustrate that African culture and values can be appraised from many dimensions in addition to examining the method of change and the problem of adjustment in culture. Culture on the other hand is a way of life of a group of people- the behaviours, symbols, values, beliefs that people accept, not really thinking about them and are passed by mostly communication and imitation from one generation to another. They comprise of those traditional carnivals that a people see as necessary for their meaningful survival. The values and morals are abstract and invisible (non-material) such as respect, love, marriage, taboos, laws, hard work, kindness and worship. different languages, modes of dressing, eating, dancing and even greeting habits. African Values Greeting Greet people whenever you see them; even strangers. These instances show that marriage practices and the cultural values that are held about them are due and in urgent need for revision in some African societies. Religion and Cultural Identity. In the same vein, it was believed that if the child turned out to be a failure, it is not only the immediate family that would bear the brunt: neighbours, friends and acquaintances could also fall victim of his nuisance. In your country, you probably had strong traditions and culture that you valued. It is part of the African world-view to treat the environment in which he finds himself with respect: the African cooperates with nature and does not try to conquer it. Before we can have an appraisal of African culture and values, it is necessary for us to have an understanding of the concept of culture and its meaning. A culture is an embodiment of different values with all of them closely related to each other. The importance of discovery in culture lies in its use and or when it generates certain challenges to the people, which in turn metamorphose into invention for the development and survival of the society. Life seems to force people to make choices, or to rate things as better or worse as well as formulate some scale or standard of values. A look at the African reveals that marital rites and practices are usually carried out in line with the custom of the society concerned. For the Africans, for instance, we see that close kinship relations are held at a high premium. The full study of culture in all its vastness and dimensions belongs to the discipline known as anthropology, which studies human beings and takes time to examine their characteristics and their relationship to their environments. Prior to the coming of Western colonisation and its subsequent subversion of the African traditional political arrangements, African societies had their council of chiefs, advisers, cult groups, and so on. Black South Africans are generally warm, patient, tolerant, creative and charismatic people. $kÿýî-9¶ãøË@Ð|¹7ò. African Cultural Values â Rwanda In the end, remember that Africans are extremely gracious and caring people, ready to go the extra mile to respect and service others. Above all, it holds a moral sense of justice and truth and the knowledge of the existence of good and evil (Umoh 2005: 68). Children were seen as social security and economic assets and parents took pride in having many of them. This is usually done before marriage and after child birth. This singular underlying characteristic is the attempt to portray and capture culture as the entire or total way of life of a particular group of people. E-mail: ohisuccess@yahoo.com. Let us now look at these values piece-meal, as this would give us an understanding how they manifest in an African culture and the importance being attached to them. Ibadan: HopePublication. We do not need to have all the definitions of culture and its defining characteristics for us to understand the concept and meaning of culture. Just as an object is seen to be of a high value that is treasured, our beliefs about what is right or wrong that are worth being held are equally treasured. Therefore, conflicts between core beliefs and values of an individual may exist at a personal level yet, at the same time, conflict with prevailing public perceptions. This is the defining characteristic of African religion wherever it is practiced. As people differ in their conception of reality, then the values of one individual may be different from those of another. Lagos: Obaroh and Ogbinaka Publishers. YCCâs Director, John, has given me some serious homework. This shows that the African aesthetic value and sense of what is beautiful is markedly different. For a man to go for investigation, is already to point accusing fingers at his manhood and that is something no proud African male wants to subject himself to. In this paper, we shall be dealing with African culture and drawing examples from Nigerian culture. [ Links ], Bello, S. 1991. Idang African culture and values. If the relief comes, he finds himself having to hold dual allegiance - one to his new found faith, and the other to his primitive beliefs. Apart from this, failure to pressurise the husband to take another wife would be misinterpreted as selfishness - that she does not want anyone to share in her husband's wealth. It holds a belief in the existence of the human soul and the soul does not die with the body. Accepted 19 May, 2011 It is no longer a debate that pre-colonial African life was heavily influenced by religion. The main difference between values and beliefs is that values are principles, ideals or standards of behavior while beliefs are convictions that we generally accept to be true. Prior to the arrival of Mary Mitchell Slessor (1848-1905) in Africa, ignorance, superstition and negative values made multiple births to be seen as a harbinger of evil. Faith and religion Faith, church and strong religious affiliations are often central to family and community life in the Black and African American culture4. In discussing African culture and values, we are not presupposing that all African societies have the same explanation(s) for events, the same language, and same mode of dressing and so on. The acquisition of culture is a result of the socialisation process. It can be conceived as a continuous, cumulative reservoir containing both material and non-material elements that are socially transmitted from one generation to another. 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