African traditions corrupted
21 July 2008, 15:00
African tradiitons have been corrupted over many years by the influence of Western values, with its emphasis on materialism.
The corruption is particularly marked in the urban areas of South Africa, where there has also been a breakdown of the family as the vehicle of traditional values.
This was one of the conclusions drawn in SAfm Radio's After Eight Debate on the topic: "Are African cultures being corrupted?"
The debating panel felt traditional culture would have to be restored by a conscious and broad-based effort, through the family and all levels of education.
"We should accept that the culture of any people is dynamic and we should not be afraid of its dynamism," said Dr Mongane Serote, executive chairperson of the Freedom Park Trust.
"But Africans as a whole on the continent went through what was almost like nuclear war on us in terms of ideas," he said.
Africans had gone through slavery, colonialism, neo-colonialism and the Cold War, and had been impacted directly by them all.
Serote said that after the "negativeness" of being a defeated people, Africans now had to find ways to anchor themselves in the 21st century. He said progress had been made through the creation of the African Union and the African Renaissance.
"How do we further pan-Africanism on the continent within the global context as we understand it now?"
He said Africans had the dilemma of adapting to a money culture. "We have been a very poor people. To be poor in the world is to be the doormats of people."
Serote said African people still had the basics of ubuntu with which to counter the money culture. Africans had to ask themselves how they could adapt without becoming "cut-throats or money mongers".
His view was largely supported by Dr Pearl Sithole, senior researcher at the Human Sciences Research Council, who said African culture was more communal than that of the West.
African culture was more geared to building up social capital, by investing in people, Sithole said, adding that culture was dynamic by nature but, even allowing for change, there were signs of corruption.
She spoke of circumcision rites being used to make money and signs of Western materialism affecting the lobola tradition.
But there were also positive signs of cultural survival in South Africa, as could be seen in the way people resisted sending their aged to old age homes and in the way others were taking care of their own siblings.
"A lot of things are happening," she said. "They are not all positive, but they are not all negative either."
A third member of the panel, Mike Muendane, author of I am an African, said the corruption of African culture started a very long time ago.
"We were told our cultures were inferior to Western cultures and we made the mistake of accepting that," he said. With the Western cultures came the spirit of materialism and Africans lost their spirituality in the process.
Muendane stressed that great damage was done by the breakdown of the family, the vehicle of traditional culture. "There is no way our children can get African values if families have broken down."
He said that 50 percent of boys in prison were there because they had no father in their family. "To correct this we have got to go back to rebuilding our families."
Muendane drew parallels bet-ween Western and African values. "In the West it is competition, in Africa it is co-operation. In the West it is coercion and in Africa it is cohesion. In the West it is individualism and in Africa it is ubuntu, or collectivism."
He said African children were being subjected to Westernisation. "We must claim back our children," Muendane said.
The corruption is particularly marked in the urban areas of South Africa, where there has also been a breakdown of the family as the vehicle of traditional values.
This was one of the conclusions drawn in SAfm Radio's After Eight Debate on the topic: "Are African cultures being corrupted?"
The debating panel felt traditional culture would have to be restored by a conscious and broad-based effort, through the family and all levels of education.
"We should accept that the culture of any people is dynamic and we should not be afraid of its dynamism," said Dr Mongane Serote, executive chairperson of the Freedom Park Trust.
"But Africans as a whole on the continent went through what was almost like nuclear war on us in terms of ideas," he said.
Africans had gone through slavery, colonialism, neo-colonialism and the Cold War, and had been impacted directly by them all.
Serote said that after the "negativeness" of being a defeated people, Africans now had to find ways to anchor themselves in the 21st century. He said progress had been made through the creation of the African Union and the African Renaissance.
"How do we further pan-Africanism on the continent within the global context as we understand it now?"
He said Africans had the dilemma of adapting to a money culture. "We have been a very poor people. To be poor in the world is to be the doormats of people."
Serote said African people still had the basics of ubuntu with which to counter the money culture. Africans had to ask themselves how they could adapt without becoming "cut-throats or money mongers".
His view was largely supported by Dr Pearl Sithole, senior researcher at the Human Sciences Research Council, who said African culture was more communal than that of the West.
African culture was more geared to building up social capital, by investing in people, Sithole said, adding that culture was dynamic by nature but, even allowing for change, there were signs of corruption.
She spoke of circumcision rites being used to make money and signs of Western materialism affecting the lobola tradition.
But there were also positive signs of cultural survival in South Africa, as could be seen in the way people resisted sending their aged to old age homes and in the way others were taking care of their own siblings.
"A lot of things are happening," she said. "They are not all positive, but they are not all negative either."
A third member of the panel, Mike Muendane, author of I am an African, said the corruption of African culture started a very long time ago.
"We were told our cultures were inferior to Western cultures and we made the mistake of accepting that," he said. With the Western cultures came the spirit of materialism and Africans lost their spirituality in the process.
Muendane stressed that great damage was done by the breakdown of the family, the vehicle of traditional culture. "There is no way our children can get African values if families have broken down."
He said that 50 percent of boys in prison were there because they had no father in their family. "To correct this we have got to go back to rebuilding our families."
Muendane drew parallels bet-ween Western and African values. "In the West it is competition, in Africa it is co-operation. In the West it is coercion and in Africa it is cohesion. In the West it is individualism and in Africa it is ubuntu, or collectivism."
He said African children were being subjected to Westernisation. "We must claim back our children," Muendane said.
- This article was originally published on page 7 of The Daily News on July 21, 2008
