Various sources and scholars in the field have attempted to define the notion of culture from different disciplines. These sources commonly stated that culture signifies the given peoples’ way of life. This is a very general understanding. Many explanations and terminologies can be posited from it. The way of living incorporated the broader concepts of the political, social, religious, aesthetics, morals, feelings, attitudes, and philosophies of a given group of people. How these issues are demonstrated in a given group is called the culture of that group. The basis for segmenting cultures across groups is the prevalence of varied understanding and demonstration styles of knowledge within groups. People who are gathered in a given space have their way of knowing and portraying acquaintance, and others in another space had also their reaction to facts. Thus, we need to examine these groups as cultures ‘A’ and ‘B’. In Africa where various and numerous groups of people are located, there are lots of diversified and colorful cultures.
Since the continent is the source of ancient humankind, the experiences, human and natural interactions, philosophies, spiritual connections, dances, and every humanistic activity had been practiced in the continent before any nation in the world. Thus, I can say that the African way of life or culture is the source of that of other peoples of the world.
Though the people are equally African, the countries and the groups in each country had their cultural exhibition which makes them unique among each other. These varied cultures had a valuable impact on certain spheres like politics, economy, religion, and social relations. The peoples’ cultural background had a greater impact on the tendency of their readiness to create sustainable political and economic systems. Beyond that, the process of technological dissemination is highly influenced by the cultural history of the people.
The indigenous African cultures have been escaped and exploited mainly during colonization and currently by neocolonialism. Since the appropriate recognition hasn’t been given to the sector, the continent has never got any benefit from it. The spiritual and material assets of the people have been exhaustively taken by outsiders. Their economic and technological advancement did equip them to affect the originality of our culture is the justification of experts in the field.
But these days, cultural arts and heritages are becoming the central issues of the people of Africa. People are claiming their indigenous cultural practices. DC Patrick Kabanda, the author of the book called The Creative Wealth of the Nation said that “culture is one of our greatest assets we have in Africa. But unfortunately, it is often neglected in our development of social agenda. It is high time. We check this seriously and partly.”
In the 34th African Union Summit the issue of building Africa’s art, culture, and heritage was the major theme to be achieved in agenda 2063.
Since Africa is the source of lots of admiring and impressing cultural values, the people’s lower consciousness, the government’s little attention and the absence of manifestation spaces are very basic challenges that hinder the continent from gaining equivalent rewards and benefits. These facts were the roots of the summit that inspired the members to focus on it.
CGTN in its program called ‘Talk Africa’ was approaching three individuals including the above-mentioned one who had a connection with culture and art to get their reflection on the theme of the summit.
The journalist had raised the question of the possibility of changing the image of Africa using its culture. This inquiry was taken up by Okana Ansali, an independent art manager in Cape Town. Here is her reflection. “It is not so much about changing African’s image. It is about providing platforms for what already exists. To be a showcase and amplified right, because if you see even in the highest popular kind of cultural products, that I have emerged recently, it was very clear that the world does refer to Africa and look at Africa for inspiration.”
As the expert underlined based on what she experienced, the greatest blocking factor of African culture is the absence of appropriate space for dramatizing African culture in the face of the world. In the process of showing African culture, the activity by itself can strengthen our relations with countries across the globe. And this can help the continent to use it as a way of peaceful relations with outsiders. The woman mentioned this, “If we understand the soft power of cultural diplomacy, we begin to understand why it is in African’s best interest to invest in making sure that what we have to offer is given platform. We are more international and deliberate about what it is that we put out there about ourselves. We can control the narrative that goes out there and the kind of leverage that we already have. So this drive is not a kind of present a picture of something that doesn’t exist. It is there. It is just that it was too largely external that people were speaking about Africa from their narrow perspectives. But now what we are calling for is for Africans to drive the counter-narrative to the already existing problematic pragmatic narratives that are out there about the continent.”
As the director said, African people should be confident enough and responsible for speaking out about their cultural practices in a given space. We should never let others speak about us. We need to know and identify ourselves to the world and that way the image of the continent could be improved.
The journalist directs her question to DC Patrick Kabanda to have a say on the interaction of Africa’s culture with others. Here is his argument, “we Africans mustn’t be afraid for our cultures to interact and intersect with other cultures. I don’t think Africans should fear that if we are exposed to other cultures. Our own cultures are going to disappear and be subsumed by perhaps other more commercially marketed cultures.”
He referred to his own country’s history in this context. “In my country, the art forms that have gone through wars and isolations are still survived and are resilient. They have interfaced with so many other foreign cultures but what I am seeing now is a lot of young Zimbabweans for example starting in music singing a song in local languages. They are going back to reclaim some of their terms from their clans.”
Farah is the third person to add that African cultures are always adaptive. African culture is not what it was 500 years ago. African cultures are very capable of incorporating technology into their cultures. They are very capable of borrowing some interesting and exciting kinds from other cultures and getting rid of things that do not work for them.”
The world is characterized by quite different and unique cultures and styles. Though the culture of those who dominated the economy and technological advancement of the globe seems influencing indigenous cultures of the continent, the people are contextualizing and preserving their identity markings progressively. Farah Funya has a point in here. “Africans are globally connected, globally sensitive, and globally aware. But they realize that there is something of essence in them that is African. Something that has to do with this soulfulness within African spirit…I sense a kind of humanity and what is that sense of humanity that all these people feel is not just the sun and the warmth. It is the cultural right. So, globalization is going to manifest itself better if it actually allows us to see the broader diversity of the world cultures.”
Farah also recommended that in the way of creating a good picture of Africa media can play a greater role exceedingly. “The dominant global media have often given us limited spaces for participation and limited spaces to appreciate what is out there. … Africans need to do more to populate some of these spaces.”
The summit that considered the potential of African culture that aimed at lifting the sector and starting to generate income was alerting the section so much and brought hope for the people. Farah needs the assembly to consider the impact of global media on awakening the issue in the world. Next to that he wanted the summit “They must allow greater mobility within African countries and across African regions and the continent.”
As the origin of humankind, Ethiopia has super unique and marvelous cultures, artifacts, and heritages that can be incurred proudly by Africans and people around the globe. But these assets are not yet even touched as expected. The problem of the appropriate platform is also the threat of the section in the country.
Though there are some progressive alerts, there is a long way to go. The meaning of culture needs to be understood as it deserves. That way policies and implementations could follow in addressing the sector. Farah had a say on this, “The summit has to rethink what culture is. There has to be a rethinking of what creative industries are and how they can contribute to the creative economies of Africa. Creative industries …the institutions should allow African culture to domesticate the charter for African cultural resistance. It is all there in that charter and the agenda 2063 should articulate all these things.”
The conclusion is demonstrating space or platforms for Africans to exhibit their culture is the primary assignment of the summit, OAU, and the governments of each country of Africa. Secondly, policies and strategies need to be revised and implemented in a way that considers the cultural sector. Thirdly creative industries need to be appreciated and supported at a country and continental level. These cumulative efforts can play a greater role in protecting the cultural arts and heritages which can positively impact the image of the continent.
BY MEKDES TAYE (PhD)
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 31 JULY 2024
