8 May, 2008

Abu Bakarr S. Tarawally, Freetown

Culture and the Beauty of Africa

The ornament to beauty in Africa is described as culture and tradition. To the extent that African civilisation is envisaged through culture and tradition. The historic past left out legacies of cultural lineage that is being inherited through the generations.

Amid mixed feelings and perceptions about culture and traditions in Africa, the good and bad aspects of the social tolerance of the duo accounted that tradition and culture to some extent pervaded the African society in that the sacrileges indulged in the spirit of occultism is inmate to certain souls that culture and tradition is almost taking the place of religion in some school of thoughts. On the other hand, it is said that the neglect of culture and tradition has led the African race into being a lame duck without values.

However, a take on the good aspects of culture and tradition is the values and heritages of moral essence.

The inception of the western culture has infiltrated so many negative tolerances in the African society that the religious and social morale are being ridiculed.

Yet the interpretation of liberty in the concept of freedom of expression and right to freedom of choices is defined without reflecting the importance of societal morality and we see the prevalence of reckless attitude in our societies in Africa.

Africa is endowed in a spirit of tradition that well defines the rule of discipline and its vital components. For instance the line of respect that cuts across age barriers and limitations with regards to status and other standards.

But these customs, traditions and culture, like I said, also portrayed extremism. It is evident that the stale of some traditions is deterring modernity and social standard improvement.

Like some movies are displaying some faces of African extreme traditional concept, it has denied dynamism of idea play that a resistance is always the form of alternation to new sources of modernity.

Following news on the air waves of our local radios in Sierra Leone was a heated debate on the ban of traditional initiation of girls into the secret society in recent days. The Bondo or Sanday society which is one of the oldest traditions of women across West Africa according one of the Soweis (traditional initiators) is not a thing of the past that must be abolished. It is a tradition that they inherited that must exist come what may. The question that most people often asked is that must the tradition continue even if some aspect of it lost foresight?

On the other hand, we envisage culture as a beauty that Africans should be proud of because, diversification in tastes and values of culture and traditions form part of the discriminate organs of society. For instance, an African can only thrill other nations with their own culture that they are admired at.

Marking the 47th anniversary of our country’s independence, witnessed mixed cultural performances witty of appetite. Thus a sharp reflection into such cultural haemorrhage reassociates a spirit of love for the country. If one is out of Sierra Leone and got wind of home beats it is really thrilling.

Mama Africa is a host of many sweets culture that is distinct of melody.

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