What we witness in most African countries today is a rapid de-valorization of the peoples’ cultural norms since independence. The Ivoirian writer, Ahmadou Kourouma, fittingly calls it the “bastardization of (Africa’s) independence”. The aping of Western political systems and cultural practices has left the average African virtually despondent and groping frustratingly for cultural identification whenever the need arises. The Conradian concept of Africa of indolent savages and baboons chasing each other in impenetrable jungles and the negative image of the continent in Western media is what may have prompted Toronto Mayor, Mel Lastman, to consider Africans as cannibals. According to the Toronto Star, Mayor Lastman had said that he was “scared of going to Africa to lobby IOC members and about picturing natives dancing around him while he stewed in a pot of boiling water”. When Alpha Diallo, the Guinean IOC official, protested to the IOC about the Mayor’s racist remarks, Mr. Lastman told news reporters that he didn’t care if his comments had contributed in Canada’s failure to win the bid to host the next Olympic games. Over 500 centuries of religious and colonial domination has created the cultural conundrum in which African societies find themselves, presently. Someone did point out that South East Asian countries such as Japan, the Koreas and China have adapted Western technology while still holding on to their cultural values. They proudly practice their religions, speak their languages, and eat their foods! Yet, since the end of the Second World War they have made considerable strides in development that has gained them a respectable place in the arena of nations. Most African governments have in fact helped in tarnishing the continent’s image. They plunder their economies, shamelessly enrich themselves to the detriment of their nations and then spend half of their time begging for debt and debt relief from their more developed partners. Hence, the poor farmer will live and die in the leaking grass-hut just like his ancestors did. He can hardly feed himself throughout the year, much less upgrade his grass-hut with more durable materials. It is also quite common to see (especially educated) Africans speaking English or French to one another or to their own children even if they are fluent in their national languages. It is no doubt in reaction to this situation that the eminent Kenyan writer, Ngugi wa Thiong’o has decided to write books only in his native Gikuyu language. His first trial with the acclaimed play, ‘I Will Marry When I want’, was a huge success. As for African baptismal names, they will soon be history if the trend continues. We borrow names from our Middle-Eastern religions in the misguided believe that they identify with our religious leanings and thus get us closer to God. It is encouraging to note that the Senegalese government has come up with a plan to redress some of these cultural anomalies. Effective September, members of the parliament and other key government officials will reportedly be required to be literate in one or more Senegalese languages. The study kits and other resources are being put in place. Prior to this, Professors Sakhir Thiam and Cheikh Anta Diop, to name only a few, had successfully written math books in Wolof. In my opinion, it is the duty of all Africans and that of their governments to protect the positive components of their cultural and traditional practices. Ideally, we expect to live in a Senghorian “civilization of the universal”, where every race can bring the corner stone on which our harmony will be built. Hamadi _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------