Culture and the burden of being and development in Africa

Abstract

This plenary chapter seeks to interrogate two conceptual issues behind the problems of cultural and political development either in Africa as a continent or in any of its disparate parts or countries, whether it is Nigeria, the Sudan, Gambia, Kenya, Zaire or Zimbabwe: culture and development. In so doing, it politically situates the context by adapting two definitional keywords: structure and culture. In the exposition on culture, society and development, I shall borrow arguments and definitions from Claude Ake's theory of political development, Peter Ekeh's theory of social development and cultural theorists like Sule Bello and lshola Williams. The chapter will point out how culture and political events have not worked together in Nigeria and Africa as it should to produce anticipated development; why Nigeria must engage creative thinking and basic praxis to overcome the problems of underdevelopment; and concludes on whether development is still possible under the present political structure and culture. The chapter concludes on the grim question of whether the present debacle in Nigeria and Africa is not already a closed predicament. Though it closes on a pessimistic note, the chapter indicates that the only ray of hope is to continue to interrogate our human condition as the existential movement does. This being that existence not only precedes essence but that concrete human action for development is almost always preceded by historical anguish and disaster such as we presently have. That a closed predicament amounts to where we are now on a continent so blessed with human and material resources and yet much abused and thoroughly managerially bastardized.