Cultural Autonomy and Cultural Dimensions in Africa

Abstract

Vansina (1992) has identified the destruction of African cultural autonomy as one of the causes for Africa’s poor development performance. He has predicted the emergence of new African cultural traditions, based in African languages, thereby highlighting that regaining cultural autonomy is key to achieving development.. This paper explores if and to what extent new cultural traditions are forming in Africa, using the cultural dimensions approach as developed in cross-cultural psychology. It takes issue both with the trope of Africa as one homogeneous cultural area and the trope of Africa as an area of bewildering diversity. It provides new Afrobarometer-derived scores on four of the Hofstede/Minkov dimensions of culture (Individualism/Collectivism, Power Distance, Indulgence versus Restraint and Fixed versus Flexible) for 36 African countries and more than 200 ethnolinguistic groups. These scores are expected to be directly relevant for all those who are engaged in intercultural contact involving Africa. The paper argues for a re-examination of traditional ethnic designations and recommends an extension of the Afrobarometer survey to enable more explicit and precise research on contemporary African cultures.