The Effect of Western Civilization and Culture in Africa

Afro Asian Journal of Social Sciences Volume 1, No. 1 Quarter I V 2010 ISSN 2229 – 5313 THE EFFECTS OF WESTERN CIVILISATION AND CULTURE ON AFRICA Dare Arowolo (Lecturer, Dept. of Political Science Public Administration, Adekunle Ajasin University, Nigeria) ABSTRACT The central argument of this paper stems from the submission that colo nialism, slave trade and missionary are the platform upon which Western civilisation and culture thrive and are sustained. While insisting that Western civilisation and culture has precariously contaminated the traditional values o f Africa, the paper contends that Africa had established, well before the advent of colonialism, a pattern of home-grown political systems, governance process and generally†¦show more content†¦A new crop of elites was created, nurtured, and weaned on the altar of violence and colonialism armed with the structures of the modern state to continue to carry out the art and act of subjugation of the mass of the people in the service of colonialism (Mimiko, 2010:641-42). The above assertion was corroborated by Kasongo (2010:314) when he submits that â€Å"one could infer tha t when westernisation was imported to African countries, the hidden side of modernism was materialist interests. Civilisation was just another concept of domination: imposition of incoming new culture over traditional cultural values†. It is important to emphasise fundamentally that urgent and more decisive steps need to be taken in order to reorder and reverse this evanescent trend of cultural emptiness, without which Africa may experience seasons of cultural extinction and drought of African values. It is appalling Afro Asian Journal of Social Sciences Volume 1, No. 1 Quarter I V 2010 ISSN 2229 – 5313 to note that two hundred years or so of colonisation were not only destructive in terms of cultural heritage and values for which Africa was famous before colonialism but also precariously retrogressive as the continent was robbed of decades of opportunities- opportunities of self-development, opportunities ofShow MoreRelatedThe Perception of Africa as a Single Entity Essay708 Words   |  3 PagesLooking at Africa as a single entity has been an issue facing how the world perceives it. When news of Africa hits the stands it is rarely talking about specific places but rather a story about the whole of Africa. Viewing Africa as a single thing has lead most of the world, especially Western cultures, to see it in a generalized way which has led to a negative stereotype of Africa and its people. During the time of European expansion, many in Europe only knew of Africa, though the lettersRead MoreThe Golden Age Of Destruction998 Words   |  4 Pagessixteenth century was an era of European expansion on the Western World. Europeans have made many discoveries during their travels and also influenced every civilizations they had come across. This period of expansion, however, can be seen more as an age of destruction rather than an age of discovery. The Europeans have left a trail of negative effects on every route they took – the Americas, Africa, and including their own continent, Europe. The Effects on the Americas Prior to colonization, the AmericasRead MoreWestern Civilization And Its Impact On The Wider World860 Words   |  4 PagesWestern civilization has had an enormous outsize impact on the wider world in the last two centuries, primarily through spreading western ideas and assumptions about society. The source of the capability of these western civilizations to impact other regions of the world comes from their political philosophies. The two political philosophies that have allowed western civilizations to have such an impact are Leninism and liberalism. Both of these political philosophies generate immense power for aRead MoreA Review of How Europe Underdeveloped Africa998 Words   |  4 PagesHOW EUROPE UNDERDEVELOPED AFRICA AUTHOR –WALTER RODNEY (1972) Re: Published by Panaf Publishing Incorporated, Abuja – Nigeria. (By arrangement with Howard University Press, Washington) Book page: 361 (Three Hundred and sixty one) REVIEWER: NSE VICTOR O. Modern Africa historians have correctly stressed that Africa had a meaningful past long before the coming of the Europeans. Also Africa has been argued to be the cradle of the world civilization, but whether or not Africa went to sleep or signedRead MoreWesternization And Its Effects On Globalization And Westernization1134 Words   |  5 Pagesback to the Akkadian Empire in Mesopotamia, larger civilizations have sought to dominate other peoples while smaller nations have struggled to preserve their history, beliefs and culture. Various examples of this can be seen throughout history - assimilation of conquered lands into the Roman Empire, of native South Americans and Africans into Christianity and European culture during colonization, and the assimilation of Native Americans into the culture of the United States. Assimilation can also createRead MoreGreek And Roman Civilizations : Greece And Ancient Civilizations1503 Words   |  7 Pages Greek and Roman Civilizations In examining the impact that the ancient world has had on modern Western civilization, the two ancient civilizations which are frequently understood as having had the greatest influence are Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. These two civilizations would eventually come to shape much of what would become the modern European culture, politics and society, and by extension, a vast proportion of global culture and society. In scrutinizing the trajectory of modern historyRead MoreGreek And Roman Civilizations : Greece And Ancient Civilizations1498 Words   |  6 Pages Greek and Roman Civilizations In examining the impact that the ancient world has had on modern Western civilization, the two ancient civilizations which are frequently understood as having had the greatest influence are Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. These two civilizations would eventually come to shape much of what would become the modern European culture, politics and society, and by extension, a vast proportion of global culture and society. In examining the trajectory of modern historyRead MoreThe Impact Of Colonization On The Indigenous People Of Rhodesia Nervous Conditions 1711 Words   |  7 PagesIn Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions, the natives of Rhodesia, Tambu and Nyasha, illustrate a hybrid identity crisis as a result of imperial oppression over the language and educational system of the nation. The role of English language and culture, imposed by colonial education, emphasizes the movement for natives to abandon their indigenous cultural and linguistic roots. The mental coloniza tion of the colonized by the means of English language, education, and European cultural values resultsRead MoreThe Globalization of Culture: Cultural Homogenization1707 Words   |  7 Pagesalso damages the unique cultural identities they once took pride in. This paper discusses the effects of globalization on culture, along with its positive and negative effects. Since the effects of globalization on culture are non-exhaustive, it is attempted to incorporate a few of the most significant ones. The origins of globalization are also discussed. I. Globalization—Towards a Homogenous Culture A. What is Globalization As Yazdani, (2009, p. 54) writes, globalization refers to the growingRead More Degeneration of Kurtz, Colonialism, and Imperialism in Heart of Darkness1025 Words   |  5 Pagesidealist mirage of civilizing work in Africa has to be one of the central themes of Heart of Darkness. This theme forms the background of the whole story, from beginning to end, before the character of Kurtz is even introduced.    The focus of Heart of Darkness is not on the direct effect of the colonial presence on the native population, but on the reflected effect on the colonial occupiers. Centrally, the whole story being told directly is the effect on Marlow of his colonial adventure