Culture and Economic Security in Africa: Analysis and Implications of Indigenous Knowledge Systems

Wilson E Herbert

doi:10.7176/jcsd/60-05

Abstract

Throughout history, great nations have been built and great developmental strides attained, not by inchoate policies or untailored measures, but by well-articulated systematic policies of sustained development. For Africa, development policies and programmes must be circumscribed by a clear understanding of the crucial role of the forces of cultural and economic security on the development process. Given the giant leap in economic, political and social development by other developing continents vis-à-vis Africa, it has become imperative to ponder these questions: Do African cultures encumber or foster Africa’s economic development? Is Africa’s leadership challenge rooted in her cultural heritage? Despite huge natural resources and potentials, the crisis of Africa’s poverty and underdevelopment juxtaposing corrupt and inept national leadership warrants a reassessment of the trajectories of Africa’s development. Indigenous peoples' cultures and their knowledge systems have had a determinative effect on the lives, socioeconomic development trajectory and pace of development of Africans. Yet, these cultures and their knowledge systems have been largely misunderstood, incompletely developed or even ignored by conventional models of economic development. Understanding the crucial role of the dynamics of culture and security in economic development of nation states is important, especially given global commitment to democracy, human rights and pluralism (political, religious and cultural). This paper identifies the cultural challenges that cause the success or failure of national development in Africa. It prescribes the synthesis and remodelling of the apparatuses of cultural and economic security in the bid to foster economic development in the region. Keywords: Africa, Culture, Cultural Infrastructure, Cultural Security, Economic Security, Economic development, Indigenous knowledge systems, Nigeria DOI: 10.7176/JCSD/60-05 Publication date: June 30 th 2020

Highlights

Every society has a culture, which defines and carries its values
Traditional African culture is imbued with warmth, hospitality and sense of community; built on optimism and resilience, even in the face of adversity; thrives on communal effort; anchored on tribal politics, leadership and patronage; largely agrarian or bucolic; and secured on self-determination (Herbert, 2012)
The relevance, universal applicability and bounded rationality of indigenous peoples' cultures and their respective knowledge systems in explaining Africa’s lagged economic development and other multidimensional social phenomena are incompletely developed in models of socioeconomic and political development

Summary

Introduction

Every society has a culture, which defines and carries its values. A society's culture influences the thoughts, feelings and actions of her people. The longer-term goal of cultural and economic security is to draw the attention of African governments, business leaders, academics, NGOs and CSOs to the important role of cultural imperatives or dynamics of society’s mores on the political, social and economic development of nation states.

Results

Conclusion