CULTURE could be defined as the beliefs, customs, practices, and social behaviour of a particular nation or people. It could also be defined as a particular set of attitudes that characterizes a group of people or nation.
VALUES are the accepted principles or standards of a person or a people or a nation.
PRACTICES are sets of customs or established habits or activities.
All over Nigeria I hear many cry and warn us over our rapid loss of OUR RICH NIGERIAN CULTURE. One thing I needed to clarify was; are these Nigerians talking about a loss of our moral values which are universal and timeless or are they referring to the ever-evolving and changing customs and practices? From a careful observation through the years, I discovered that an overwhelming majority spoke concerning the latter.
Cultural values like service, justice, respect, honesty, loyalty etc are priceless and not a function of time, place or people. They are parallel truths and have remained the same throughout the existence of man in the earth. However, this cannot be said about cultural practises and traditions like festivals, rites and rituals, social norms and languages for they have evolved through the ages and are particular to a certain people for a particular dispensation. They are also subject to manipulations by men.
Most times when culture is mentioned or showcased in Nigeria and many parts of Africa and some other parts of the world, it is largely associated with demeaning, debasing and even barbaric exercises; such as the wearing of leaves and animal skin, the brutal circumcision of the female genital organ, the drinking of animal blood and sometimes that of fellow humans, the whipping of a grown man with a cane to ascertain his maturity and readiness for marriage, the making of painful incisions on the bodies of infants and children and so on. Such practices only tend to promote a sense of primitiveness and backwardness, as many of these practices have been proven to have adverse negative effects on people.
We must always keep in mind that day by day the entire world is shrinking into a small community (global village) thanks to the advancements in technology. Therefore, as a people we must work hard to uphold true and right values passed unto us by our forbearers because these universally acceptable principles are the standards for bonding in this new world. Where possible, a complete doing away with or restructuring of such unwholesome cultural practices that have no place in this new age of globalisation must be encouraged.
Finally, we Nigerians must decide to change what we can while we can. These humiliating cultural practices should never be mistaken for sacred and everlasting observances given to us by God. Also, we must exalt and deliberately imbibe our moral values for these will create a better identity for us as a people everywhere and at anytime.
THE CHOICE IS OURS TO MAKE.
Thank you and God bless Nigeria.
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