Our heritage, our culture

One thing Africa was reputed for, even from the medieval ages, was its diverse cultures and traditions. Most notable was the strict adherence to these cultures and how the society was crafted around principles derived from these traditions. Communuties had custodians of these traditions and traditional historians kept records of events and monuments, passing them down to subsequent generations in tales, poems and songs of all sorts. Given the beautiful vegetation that envelopes the continent, the people were predominantly farmers and fishermen. Festivals were organised to unite the people, marking remarkable days, events and seasons. There were planting season festivals, harvest time festivals, and lots more. Events like new yam festival and fishing festival were commonplace.

However, these festivals and traditions which bound the society with a religious feel now carry less intensity than they used to. In times past, cultures attached spiritual significance to their ways. Nowadays, with the embracing of colonial culture came the discarding of much of the African traditional culture. Many of the beliefs upon which the society was woven were cast aside as superstition. Some times, this was with the objective of loosening up the society to easier central (colonial) administration.

The colonial masters raised people in this new belief system, which had little appreciation for the people's foundational customs and tradition, and set them above the rest of the society as administrators.

The direct repercusion was a decline in the zeal towards the foundational principles (customs, traditions et al) on which the society was established and the crave for a new kind of success, which was only in understanding the stranger's way of life (a way which was considered superior to the domestic alternative).

Unfortunately, the years of colonialism lasted long and at the expiration of it all, the colonial masters were more concerned about returning home and opening up the continent to further exploitation that they did not consider reversing the negative effects of the colonial rule.

The society has developed on this today. Skirmishes of the once culturally robust continent can still be found in it. But, the major crust of its tradition has suffered much loss. Traditional historians who used to thrill the young ones with tales by moonlight have been replaced by movies and cinema. Youth now tend to spend time on fascinating seasonal movies, rather than settle down for an epic. Reasons like suspense, setting appeal, picture and sound quality, amongst others are held to blame for the ugly trend.

For what it is worth, whether the excuses given be true or not, the colonial masters kept and protected their history and few cultural values with all they had. Their museums contain artefacts that hold evidences of their meaningful past and gives them a sense of belonging. On the other hand, many African artefacts were either carried away or outrightly destroyed during the advent of colonialism and no replacement or compensation has been made to remedy the loss ever since.

It is the sole responsibility of Africans to ensure the survival and prosperity of its ways. We must preserve our true history and rally behind our festivals, artefacts and culture, in honor of our land and fathers. If we fail, our heritage, our culture will be lost forever. This culture of ours, this once enviable identity, is it not worth protecting?

Sources and References:
Images from different African festivals
The second wave of europian colonialism
Top ten highlights of African culture