Where is our culture

                                       Where is our culture

Culture is the way of life of the people. A man’s right lies in his confidence and personality which is greatly nurtured by his culture. Man is essentially the product of his culture. It beats and moulds a person into a particular shape. Culture makes one think, speak, dance and behave in a particular manner. It’s culture that makes one Kanuri, Jukun, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Alago, Tiv, etc.

Africa as a continent and Nigeria as a country have their given cultures which are unique in their own respect. This culture may not be absolutely the same among all countries and even within a country, a lot of cultures exist but there are features that differentiate Africans from other people of the world.

Nigeria which is made up of rich and diverse cultural values is beginning to lose most its cultural ideals especially through the adoption of foreign culture showcased through the mass media (such as magazines, television, radio ,etc). Nowadays, it is observed that our young men and women have abandoned our local attires such as the ‘Adire’ and ‘Ankara’ for alien attires. It is common to see young people walking across the streets half nude putting on micro-mini skirts, handless top, trousers and other outfits that are not part of our cultural identity.

Our language is dying a natural death, where the young generations are no longer fluent in their mother tongue languages. They are fluent in English language even more creative in the use of the language than a Briton. We say it does not matter after all we are in a civilized world.

The folk tales is no more, alanta galala asonto dancing to mention but few have taking over the folk tales, riddles, cultural dancing and play   ,  forgetting that this folk tales and stories etc, add more values to our culture by building moral, norms that shape our behavior to leave acceptably well among the people. For example we are made to understand that “education without cutlass is not complete”, “if you go to school you will raise your shoulder high among your peers, and those that are not educated tend to be slave to their peers, ” work hard to earn a leaving, idleness gave birth to stealing”, it goes on and on. All these go down well to the subconscious mind of a young person that later become a guide to future life.

Something I pity this young generation, because civilization has erode them of basic common sense that can be easily gain from our culture, no wonder that averagely children of nowadays lack manner, looking for short cut to wealth and success., dying zeal for education, not interested to learn craft or handiwork

Some of the projected solution for this discussion is for every family to stand up for it’s primary obligation to socialize and build up her offspring in a way that is acceptable in the society both culturally morally and otherwise, because when you train a child you train the world. Our culture must not die for posterity and for the generation yet unborn in order to know their root, lineage, appreciate and be proud of whom they are as an individual belonging to a sects ( religion/traditional system) ethnic group etc.