Impact
of Globalization on African Cultures
By: Abdoulie Sawo
Many
scholars, opinion leaders and political analysts have expressed divergent and
dissenting views on globalization. It could be seen as a process of an increase
in interaction among the world’s countries and peoples facilitated by
progressive technological changes, political and military power, knowledge and
skills, as well as interfacing of Cultural values, systems and practices. It
encourages interaction among nations by breaking down barriers in the areas of
culture, commerce, communication and several other fields. Simply, it is a term
used to describe the changes in societies and the world economy that result
from dramatically increased international trade and cultural exchange.
The history of globalization in Africa could be
linked to slave trade, the scramble and partitioning of Africa and the structural adjustment programmes (SAPs) in 1984. This was when Africa was numbered
into different states by European power: Britain, France, Italy among others.
While demarcating the continent-the map-they took little or no account of the
numerous traditional African societies that existed on the ground.
Consequently, it cut through hundreds of cultural groups which enclosed
hundreds of diverse and independent groups with no common history, culture,
language, or religion. The era of slave
trade, colonialism and the SAPs of 1980s led to the relative stagnation and
decline of traditional cultural pursuits in Africa. African ways of doing
things became primitive, archaic and regrettably unacceptable in public domain.
These distorted and retarded the pace and tempo of cultural growth and trend of
civilization in Africa.
Africa is the world’s
second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. It is bigger
than US, India and China and most of Europe combined. Africa is endowed with
immense natural and human resources, as well as great cultural, ecological and
economic diversity. In terms of natural resources, Africa is the world’s
richest continent. These are what western media silenced about Africa.
There is no single culture that can be selected and
defined as an African culture. Africa consists of various and numerous
different cultures within the same country and beyond. Culture
can be conceived as the way of life of the members of a society, the collection
of ideas and habits which they learn, share and transmit from generation to
generation. The globalization trend has eaten so deep into African cultures and
tradition vehicles serious threat to the survival of various Africa’s rich and
diverse culture and people heritage. Globalization could be blame for the extinction and dilution of
African cultures, entrenching of poverty –widening the gap between the
rich and the poor.
The Impact of
Globalization on African cultures has both positive and
negative impacts. Positively, it opens people’s lives to other cultures which allow
the flow of ideas and values. It eases communication- global village- among
countries and peoples. Negatively, it has diluted several African cultures. As
a result of the cultural domination from outside, several languages and
cultural practices are rapidly losing their taste.
In
conclusion one can state that globalization, as a double-edged sword, has
impacted both positively and negatively on the African cultures. However, the
later carries more weight.
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