The total way of Life of people in a particular place known as culture has more to do with beliefs, norms, value, customs, language, etc than individual perception of life and direction of reasoning known as philosophy. The totality of man can also be know in the overall view of Life by the individual which guide and direct their way of behaving in the social, cultural, economic and political environment. The mode of reasoning of people is guarded by the factor they have overtime be exposed to which shape their behaviour.
In everything, there is an unwritten law known as “choice’. The choice we make and the ground we base our decision as opposed to the direction or command given us, are influence most time by prejudice, experience and custom, norms and value.
While culture are acquired, they’re also learn. When you live in conformity with the existing norms of your home or environment without question, but profusely following the dictates of things as established by your predecessor, in the way they have been doing it, you are said to be following trends and pattern. It is culture, when you don’t question the status quo. In situations of questions and challenge of status quo and refusal to key in the former setting lay down, to follow a new direction which is alien to yours, adopting such new practice is known as acculturation. Acculturation is also brought about by globalization.
Globalization is a process of advancement and an increase in interactions among the world’s countries and people facilitated by a progressive technological changes in movement communication, political and military power, knowledge and skills as well as interfacing of cultural values, systems and practices. Akindele (1990) refers to globalisation as the process of the intensification of economic, political, social and cultural relations across international boundaries. Squeal to the above perspective, globalisation is a process that creates inter-relationship and interconnectedness within the global ecosystem through the transformation of political, social, economic, education, culture communication technology and flow of information towards integrating the global arena into unique modern patterns of relationship.
Although globalisation promotes cultural integration that pushes the words to become the global village to educate their ideology for universal religion, idea as well as establishing room for a uniform culture that detribalized African customs and tradition. It is tantamount to the relegation of African cultural values and cultural extermination. Impact globalisation has attributes to exposed to all society foreign cultures that may bring changes to their local cultures, norms and values and traditions. Cultural imperialism.
Imperialism is the domination of one country over another country’s political, economic, and cultural systems. The transition of the African states into the modern world of colonial plunder neo-colonialism and imperialism is known as cultural imperialism. Globalisation has alluded to the dynamic change of the traditional cultural process of Africa to Western culture. The new trends in African culture today is brought about by colonial conquest. The scenario which led Africa to shun away their cultural system. Obioha (2010) points out that there is a rapid decline in the traditional cultural system across the globe. This is due to the spread of colonization the Western systems and global culture. Africans behaving in line with Western culture dressing dreaming and thinking West. This very illusion has entered into the African psyche and affected their psychological so much that made some Africans not to create a balance within the social, psychological, cultural system of Africa in relation to Western culture. So many African now perceive the Western culture to be more superior than their own culture. The reason African culture is running into extinction. The acceleration of globalisation has really permeate African customs norms and values and change the cultural thinking of Africans toward Western perspective. Today, in Africa, most of the women are have dress while their male counterparts by their hair put on earrings, nose rings and wear some clothes or rigs all in the name of fashion and western civilization.
In case you don’t know the power of communication in regards to culture, cultural imperialism clears that misunderstanding. Because through communication culture has been adopted, de-adopted and re-adopted.
– Idoko Olivia Ejura
Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba, Kogi State.
