African Journal of History and Culture Vol. 3(6), pp.

96-103, July 2011

Review

Colonialism and African cultural values

It is no longer a debate that pre-colonial African life was heavily influenced by religion. Almost every
aspect of life was seen and interpreted in the supernatural. The belief that the ancestors played
prominent roles in the maintenance of morality in the community hardly dies, even today. However, it is
true that colonialism altered the belief and values of the Africans significantly, just as its structure was
almost completely eroded. Today, the argument oscillates between a return to the ‘glorious’ pre-
colonial past as the minimum requirement for moral rearmament and a total break with the past. This
paper clarifies these positions and posits that even though it is not practically possible to have a total
return to the past, there are certain cultural values that consistently define the African personality,
history and belief that cannot be jettisoned without consequences. Through the gristmill of scholarly
and analytical framework, this paper argues that these values are critical to African identity in a post-
colonial, global community, and as such, there is the need to revisit some of them in order to keep pace
with the history and identity in the face of current global challenges.

Key words: Colonialism, Africa, values, religion, culture, morality.

INTRODUCTION

It is a fact that in African traditional belief, God is the reward the obedient and punish the culprit.
explanation of all things. The world was created by him. Contrary to theonomous idea of values is the influence
The Africans therefore believe that the environment is of colonial philosophy in Africa in which humanist
knitted to the presence of God. As Mbiti (1969: 119) puts philosophers argue that values are completely
it, “God is the explanation of man’s origin and independent of religion. In fact, the gulf of its
sustenance; it is as if God exists for the sake of man.” independence is so wide that they cannot be said to be
God’s agents are charged with the responsibility of related left alone identical. Humanism appreciates
maintaining law and order in the society. Thus, both naturalism in its discourse of values. According to this
physical and supernatural forces are always present in philosophy, everything, including human beings, can be
the administration of the society. It is from this prism that given a natural explanation without appealing to the
one can begin to contemplate the relationship between supernatural. This is what evolutionism explains.
religion and ethics as an engaging one. Different strands Evolutionary theory debunks the claims of creationism.
of opinions have characterised it. This centres on the The application of this theory has extended virtually to all
idea of finding a causal link between religion and values. areas of human life. This, however, is the crux of the
Do values have to be linked to religion to be meaningful debate on human value.
and functional in human society? For the theists, morality, For instance, in John Dewey’s naturalism, there is a
that is, practical ethics cannot stand without religion. In dualism: supernatural and natural. Everything is part of
other words, religion is the basis for the meaningfulness nature: the world of nature. Dewey argued that there is
and functionality of values. This is theonomous, that is, no permanence in the world of nature, no fixity. Put
morality is God-given law. African Religion (henceforth differently, “change is the only thing that is absolutely
referred to as Afrel) is uncompromisingly theonomous. universal.” Every other variable is a process; nature itself
The morality or value in Afrel is strictly traced to the is a complex wheel of process. Recourse cannot be
Supernatural Being. Discussion on values in most African made to transcendent intelligence for the course of
societies could not be divorced from religion. In Africa, nature. In the circumstance, no cosmic purpose has a
there are agents of moral implementation. They police predetermined force to coordinate the plurality of events
the responses of man to the values of the society. They and organic entities that characterise nature. As a result,
 Igboin 97

human values are idealizable, and the values which we is not engaging in missionary drive. By unconscious or
subscribe to divine origin or supreme quality are indeed conscious design, Afrel is universalizing increasingly. The
an embodiment of nature (Rockefeller, 1993: 27 - 29). practice of Afrel by the Africans in Diaspora caused by
In the naturalistic thesis, it is held that religion may slave trade and the recent attempts at organizing the
function as an enduring accommodation that involves religion are not unconnected with missionary zeal even
submission or acceptance of condition of life considered though the latter has not become full blown.
to be permanent. This forms a truly religious attitude that Ekwenife (1990: 1) corroborated the above definition
enables man to be more active instead of embracing when he wrote that Afrel:
stoic resignation. The proponents argue that there is a
“sense of values which carry one through periods of “means those institutionalized beliefs and practices of
darkness and despair to such an extent that they lose indigenous religion of Africa which are rooted in the past
their usual depressive character.” In spite of this religion’s African religious culture, transmitted to the present
functionality, attitude and adjustment, Dewey’s naturalism rotaries by successive African forbears mainly through
upholds the view that such functionality can occur without oral traditions … sacred specialists and persons, sacred
attributing it to religion. The function of religion can be places and objects and religious work of art, a religion
explained without making reference to supernatural which is slowly but constantly updated by each
causation. The only desirable alternative in contemporary generation in the light of new experiences through the
time is that religious values should not be connected in dialectical process of continuities and discontinuities”.
whatever form or guise, with institutional religion. To
naturalism, religion is not essential to the formation and These definitions are properly regarded as descriptions of
implementation of values in the society (Rockefeller, Afrel. They contain variant ideas of the religion in order to
1993: 27 - 29). give it a wide coverage. Nevertheless, they create a
G. E. Moore argued against the position of humanists. visible import and a symbolic tool for the understanding of
He claims that any attempt to defend any version of the religion. That is why African civilization is described
ethical naturalism will lead to the commission of as the civilization of symbol. In other words, Afrel is rich
“naturalistic fallacy.” The centerpiece of value is what is in symbols. The symbolic representation of the divine
good, which is denoted in intrinsic value, “the goodness earned it the derogatory appellations ascribed to the
of the things which are good as ends in themselves.” religion. However, some objective Western travellers
Besides, there are actions for instance, virtuous ones that have written that Africans before the coming of the
are not end in themselves but serve as a means by which Westerners had “an idea of the true God, and ascribe to
good can be brought about. Right action produces the Him the attributes of Almighty and Omnipresent; they
greatest possible amount of good in itself (Norman, 1998: believe He created the universe, and therefore vastly
158). These actions depend on intrinsic values which prefer Him before their idol-gods; but they do not pray to
have reference to religion. And this is where African Him or offer sacrifices to Him” (Gyekye 1996: 3 - 4). It is
Religion stands. What therefore is African Religion? this true God that Africans respond to in their daily
engagements, upon whom they depend for their moral
law through the divinities, spirits and ancestors.
DEFINING AFRICAN RELIGION John Noss’s relation of the implication of religious belief
is apposite to conclude this segment.
The necessity for the definition of Afrel hinges on the fact
that the subsequent part of this work will focus on African “All religions imply in one way or another that man does
values. The clarification made here will help in not, and cannot stand alone, that he is virtually related
appreciating the values in Afrel. Awolalu defines Afrel as: with and even dependent on powers in nature and
society external to himself. Dimly or clearly, he knows
“…largely written in the people’s myth and folktales, in that he is not an independent center of force capable of
their songs and dances, in their liturgies and shrines and standing apart from the world…. Religions, as a general
in their proverbs and pithy sayings. It is a religion whose rule, relate men closely with the power or powers at work
historical founder is neither known nor worshipped; it is a in nature or society…. Most men from primitives in the
religion that has no zeal for membership drive, yet it jungle to members of societies far advanced in tech-
offers persistent fascination for Africans, young and old” nology and intercultural relationships, do not think that
(Awolalu, 1976: 3). men are all that matters” (Noss, 1969: 2).

Since the founder of Afrel is neither known nor These features enunciated by Noss are commonalities
worshipped, Afrel can be said to be as old as Africa. It is shared by almost all men in their response to the divine.
autochthonous to Africa and persistently meets the Men’s responses are hinged on so many factors:
existential problems of its adherents in profound ways. geography, culture, belief system, etc. Africans are not
However, it cannot be said for surety nowadays that Afrel left out. In fact, as Bhagavan Das argued:
98 Afr. J. Hist. Cult.

“Throughout history men have followed the religious faith institutions and strategies will fail”. In order to achieve this
of their own culture, and the majority has accepted their lofty value of globalisation, the report recommended that
own faith as the only embodiment of truth. Yet in every “people should treat others as they would themselves
religion there have been wise men holding the candle of wish to be treated” (Awake, February 8,2003: 13). This
light by which wisdom can be seen” (McDowell and global “Golden Rule” is not new. It is the melting point of
Stewart, 1982: 12). all religions and perhaps philosophies and ideologies.
The unfortunate aspect of this monumental value is that
The candle of light of Afrel is well expressed as the the leaders in the global ethics have unabatedly abased
cherished and shared values of the people. the ethics in their daily interaction with other people of the
world. Somehow, the global value, devoid of spiritual
import, tends to combine the instrumental and
THE CONCEPT OF VALUE consummatory values. The instrumental values permit
Values may be ideas that propel man’s daily actions. In the adoption of new ideas based on their utility in order to
other words, they are the standard which members of the produce a desired goal. Consummatory values on the
community adhere to in their personal and communal other hand, link new ideas to the ultimate spiritual ends of
interaction towards the achievement of the goals. It is the community and push them away when they feel they
they that determine those who are to be praised or are not in line with spiritual needs (Khapoya, 1998: 61).
reprimanded for their actions. In another sense, values There is a picturesque example of European combination
refer to what is ‘good’ or ‘desired’. In the descriptive of these two aspects of value, ostensibly for political
sense, value can mean the worth of something as when interest as demonstrated in the colonization of Africa. We
an article is evaluated. Values can be institutional and have not lost sight of our discussion. Moral values as
cherished by individual and by a group of people. Values universal phenomena are called the ‘highest good’ or
can refer to the usefulness of a thing which is a function ‘ultimate good’. This is known as intrinsic values.
of choice-making. That is, there are options opened to Extrinsic values are instruments or necessary conditions
one from which a choice is made. The concept of choice to realise intrinsic values. In other words, they are instru-
is preponderant to the greatest aptitude of the person mentally valuable as a means, or causally necessary for
making the choice (Ewelu, 1999: 40; Omotehinse, 2001: the realisation of intrinsic values. The ‘good’ in extrinsic
101). value depends on objects to exist and to be purposeful.
In so far as values are universal, they can be material, Extrinsic value therefore derives its being from its service,
spiritual, religious, moral, aesthetic, communal or that is, as an instrument of achieving an intrinsic value
individualistic. Another feature is that values are found in (Brink, 1989: 217- 218). On the other hand, intrinsic
all religions. People’s values are largely based upon values are inherently good and end in themselves. That
traditional religious and moral principles that they cling to. is to say, good in itself. Some philosophers agree that
Values can be influenced by what we see and hear. A intrinsic value is “anything desirable or capable of
Vatican II document positively attests to the universality arousing desire or interest; and as a ‘unity’ of any
and pervasive nature of values. It reads: desirable thing which can cause interest to be aroused or
as a capacity of being an end of action”. The assumption
The Catholic Church rejects nothing of what is true and is that good is what we ought to desire. However, the
holy in these religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, etc). She subjectivists argue that goodness depends on persons
has a high regard for the number of life and conduct, the for its existence. According to R. B. Perry and A. K.
precepts and doctrines which … often reflect a ray of that Roger, “good is partially dependent upon person as any-
truth which enlightens all men… (Pazhayampalli, 1995: thing desired.” It could also be that goodness depends on
527). persons as a satisfaction of any desire. Hedonism holds
goodness to be a pleasant feeling (Omotehinse, 2001:
From the universal level, apart from religions, 109).
philosophies and ideologies also have the idea of values.
These values are dynamic and often change to meet the
ever-evolving nature of the society. These changes in FOUNDATIONS OF AFRICAN VALUES
society may reflect economic, technological and cultural
changes. For instance, globalisation – a concept The universe from the African understanding is a
associated with unipolar tendencies, aggressive towards composite one; a blending of the divine, spirit, human,
economic puissance, and imperialistic in disguise – is the animate and inanimate beings, which constantly interact
latest in the drives towards unifying the world. Its values with one another. These visible and invisible elements
theoretically align with positive values but practically deny that comprise the African cosmology are what have been
it. The Commission on Global Governance for example, referred to as the “forces of life” or “vital forces”. The vital
reported in 1995 that “without a global ethic, the frictions forces are hierarchically structured in such a way that God,
and tensions of living in the global neighbourhood will the creator of the universe is at the top. In the pyramidic
multiply; without leadership, even the best designed structure where God is at the top, invisible forces of life,
 Igboin 99

like the divinities, spirits and ancestors, form part of the These supernatural forces are not, and cannot be,
hierarchy. It is to this God – Osanobuwa (Edo), Nyame inhibited from coming into, and going out from, the world.
(Akan), Olodumare (Yoruba), Chukwu (Igbo), Ubangiji They guide man’s activities, they reward the obedient as
(Hausa), Soko (Nupe), Oghene (Urhobo), etc. – that well as punish the culprits.
devotion, worship and commitment are ascribed. It is
because the Africans regard God as the Supreme Being
that informed His reverence. The ethical demand of God, VALUES IN AFRICAN RELIGION
as the Holy, becomes part of the basis for the people’s
response to God. Godwin Sogolo (1993: 119) wrote that “African
African experience of God is depicted in their various values…may be taken to mean a set of institutionalized
attributes to Him. These attributes are somehow ideals which guide and direct the patterns of life of
expressed mythically, metaphorically and anthropo- Africans.” African values therefore are goal-oriented
morphically. In the mythical sense, the Africans transmit because they point to a desired goal, which actions are
their experience of God in couched stories that are held geared towards and upon which the expectation of every
to be sacred. Such stories tell us about the beginning of individual and community is hinged. Individual actions are
human life – creation. This leads to the belief in God as mirrored through the approved society’s values upon
the creator of the universe. In the same vein, the ethical which the test for justification is based. This makes an
or moral standard of the Africans are also believed to be action a moral one. The question of moral justification
derived from God. It is to this thought that Africans hold provides us with the notion of ultimate value. The society
ethics as theonomous. The metaphors attributed to God may or may not actually or consciously recognise it, yet it
were such that God could be ‘understood’ from what He is a part of its moral value.
is. For instance, God is kind, God is just, etc. Among the various African values, the sacredness of
Afrel’s thought of moral codes is steeped in tradition, human life is of utmost importance. The respect and
which flows from God to the ancestors. The ancestors dignity accorded human life cannot be over-emphasised.
are the repositories of the tradition. Through the spirits Respect for humanity spreads beyond the confine of
and the priests/medicine men, the morality of the society nuclear family. Members of extended family, community
is maintained. Afrel holds the belief in the ubiquity of the or tribe are regarded as brothers whose lives must be
spirits (Magesa, 1997: 41). This is why the spirits are preserved and protected. In this case, the notion of
believed to play stupendous role in the implementation human value is intrinsically linked with a wide range of
and maintenance of morality. For example, Africans brotherhood, which may not be biologically based. The
believe that the spirits punish the culprits. In the hay concept of brotherhood in Africa goes beyond that of the
days, a seller would keep his wares on the roadside and Western understanding. Therefore, in whatever circum-
designate the price with stones or pebbles. Without being stance, the spirit of brotherhood stimulates patriotic
there physically, the buyer would pay exactly the same response and disposition of one towards another. Man is
amount and keep the money there for the owner of the valued above every other possession. This informs the
goods. No other person would steal the money because it reason African places high premium on children. African
was believed the spirits were present. Thus, the belief attitude to human life has an ultimate worth because of its
was strong that the goods, the forests, the road, the intrinsic relation with the creator of life.
money had spirits that could haunt any culprit. This However, there are handful expressions of the abuse of
helped a great deal in the maintenance of morality in life in spite of the appreciation of human value. The cases
African societies (Ejiogu, 2000: 9). of inter-tribal wars and ethnic conflicts leading to the
The ancestors, described as the “living dead” or the death of even blood-related African brothers are quintes-
“revered dead”, are believed to be the moral agents in sence. African involvement in the ignoble slave trade is
their immediate families they have physically left behind. dehumanising. There used to be internecine burial of
They oversee and superintend over the family ethical people along with deceased kings and nobles, which
code. For example, whenever a woman commits though is based on false metaphysics (Gyekye, 1996:
adultery, it is believed that the ancestors will expose her 26).
by inflicting her with sickness. It is also true when a man Africans place high value on communal living.
commits adultery with a woman in the same ancestral Communal values express the worth and appreciation of
affinity. The divinities supervise the activities of their the community; the values which guide the social interac-
worshippers. The worshippers of any particular divinity tion of the people towards a common goal. Interpersonal
are careful in relation with the moral demands of that bonds go beyond biological affinity in expressing the
divinity. Otherwise, offenders would be punished. values of communality, Africans share mutually; they care
It is in this case that we say African universe is a for one another, they are interdependent and they
composite one. In other words, the universe is not made solidarise. Whatever happens to one happens to the
up of human beings alone but the dead and other community as a whole. The joy and sorrow of one extend
supernatural forces are essentially parts of the universe. to other members of the community in profound ways.
100 Afr. J. Hist. Cult.

The willingness to help others for the development of the parents. To bear children is very important because of
community is reciprocal. It is within this communality that the socio-religious implications. Divorce had no place
Africans are mostly fulfilled. This is beautifully expressed except as an excruciating last resort. Even today,
by Mbiti (1969) when he wrote: “I am because we are. traditional Africans still view divorce as obstructing the
And since we are therefore, I am.” This is dialectically solidarity, mutuality, love, care, togetherness, cohesion,
opposed to the Western rugged individualism, which has nourishment, fellowship and continuity of the family
unfortunately threatened the very root of African (Gyekye, 1996; Megasa, 1997; Khapoya, 1998).
communalism through colonial contact. Hard work is highly appreciated by the Africans. Even
Individualistic values are linked closely with communal the indolent also acknowledges that hard work is a value
values. Africans have and also appreciate personal will that engenders positive influence in the family and com-
and identity. Among the Edo, individualistic values are munal circles. The African who is hard working makes
expressed in the following maxim: “You first see the persistent efforts regardless of failures and setbacks. In
forest before calling the trees by name”. This means that fact, those who were not industrious became the initial
from afar off the trees make up the forest. But on entering victims of slave trade. Ironically, apart from the children of
into the forest, one can begin to identify different trees by the kings and nobles, the hard-working people of Africa
their names. The communal values that guide the social were almost the last in receiving Western education at
life of the individual members of the community appear to the inception of Christian missions and colonialism.
all that matter. But when one takes an intent look at the Parents only sent their lazy children to school while the
people, one discovers that there are individualistic hardworking ones were doing the family job. The value of
values. Both communal and individualistic values co-exist hard work is appreciated at worksites with proverbs,
perfectly together. They may sometimes clash, but the songs and praise names. Work is regarded as the cure
communal values are the superintending ones in for poverty. Poverty or failure is an orphan while success
adjudication. In spite of this, individualistic values of the has many fathers and a long genealogy. Nobody wants to
persons in the community are not consciously trampled associate with lazy people, and many of them cannot
upon. They are respected just like the communal even get married or perform the required social
(Gyekye, 1996: 47). responsibility demanded by the family and community.
Moral values are intrinsically social, which arise from Wealth results from hard work. Anyone who possessed
interdependent relationship. Morality is crucial to the wealth he could not account for was viewed with
proper functioning of the community. It is central to the suspicion. The community scorned at such a person. The
orderly nature of the community. We have said earlier value of value is critically linked with accountability and
that morality in Afrel is derived from supernatural powers. transparency. Many maxims express the values of
It is only through this basis that one can justify the African wealth. It also reflects in names. For instance, the Edo
moral code. The total well-being and welfare of the people bear Efearue, meaning: “It is wealth you greet”. In
community are essentially important to the moral values. other words, you greet those who are wealthy and could
Thus, responsibility, kindness, honesty, hospitality, despise the wretched. Eghoghunu – “Money is mouth” –
accommodation, generosity, compassion, faithfulness, is an expression that the rich can talk and be listened to.
fruitfulness, love, dignity, diligence, etc., are all The people also believe that he who is poor materially in
considered to be moral values. This forms the bedrock of the Elder’s Council is also poor in wisdom. What this
social value which abhors ethical egotism. Ethical expresses is that, hard work is cure for poverty and the
egotism in its conceptual meaning holds that everybody belief is strong that one could not be poor for being hard
is to pursue to his own welfare and interest. This gives working unless there were extraneous reasons.
rise to selfishness. Political value is linked with chieftaincy title in Africa.
In Africa, the value of the family cannot be over- The political structure could be complex. In some
emphasized. It is the primary unit of the social life of the cultures, it was pyramidal and highly religious and
community. Its cohesion is a sine qua non of the unity of traditionally fixed to the lineal succession. In some other
the community. As fundamental as the family is, it has societies, it could be hierarchical and centralized with the
social and moral values. The nuclear family functions king as the head and commander-in-chief of the military.
within the extended family. Interestingly children have In this bureaucratic structure, the king had the final seal
their rights and obligations towards their parents, just as of approval or disapproval of any decision, but based on
the parents towards the children. The husband has his collective agreement. In segmental structure or in
duties and privileges as the head of the family just as the acephalous societies, the political power was diffused
wife, towards her husband. In this unit, marriage and shared. It is a stateless or decentralised political
becomes the basic institution for the establishment of a structure. Such society could run a geroncratic
family. Marriage as part of rites of passage has its social government. In spite of the various political structures,
and moral code in various societies that make it worth the leadership value was essential to Africans, highly
name. For a woman to be found a virgin carries a high religious and morally demanding. The political leader was
value and dignity that attracts respect and honour to her required to possess some traits that could engender
 Igboin 101

respect, unity and progress of the community. If he did and value. The acceptance of this by the Africans has
not avail himself of the required standard, in some continued to have serious negative effects on the post-
cultures, he was removed. The political head works in colonial Africa and its values.
concerted efforts with the members of council to bring
about development and progress in his domain. He does
not work in isolation. He is to be responsible and APPRAISAL OF AFRICAN VALUES IN
responsive to his people (Khapoya, 1998: 62; Gyekye, CONTEMPORARY PERIOD
1996: 112). However, these features of values in African
cultural heritage have been vitiated by colonialism. It must be said that the values as discussed previously
are not exhaustive. It is also necessary to say that African
values were not at all times positively adhered to before
COLONIAL INFLUENCE ON AFRICAN CULTURAL the coming of the three incursive forces of slave trade,
VALUES foreign religions and colonialism. While slave trade
abused the sacredness and dignity of human value,
It is doubtless that colonialism stimulated positive and some Africans were collaborators. With the foreign reli-
negative changes in Africa. More importantly, colonial gions – Christianity and Islam – many changes took place
rule was an imposition that unleashed deadly blow on in African values. Even those values that correspond to
African culture with the immediate consequence of the the values in these religions in traditional African values
introduction of such values as rugged individualism, were disparaged. For colonialism, the political value of
corruption, capitalism and oppression. Colonial rule Africa was dislodged and replaced with a foreign one,
disrupted the traditional machinery of moral homogeneity thus putting a round stick in a square hole. Luke Mbefo
and practice. The method of moral inculcation was argued that combined conspiracy of Christianity and
vitiated, which resulted in the abandonment of traditional colonialism resulted in the dereliction of African values.
norms and values through a systematic depersonalisation These new values have replaced the old ones (Ewelu,
of the African and paganisation of its values. Instead of 1999: 40).
the cherished communalism which defined the life of the The question should be asked that without those three
African, for example, a burgeoning societal construct was forces would there have been internal revolution in Africa
introduced which alienates and destroys the organic that would have changed African values? One cannot say
fabric of the spirit of we-feeling. for certain but can haphazard that every society is
According to Okoduwa (2008: 18), colonial rulers dynamic. Nobody would be able to trace the deviant
promoted their economic and religious values. This is behaviour majorly outside the community in a closed set
evident in economic exploitation and socio-religious up. Therefore, there would have been changes no matter
vitrification that characterised the colonial period. It is in the magnitude and speed. But with interaction and
this theorising that Irvin Markovitz conceives of colonia- contact with colonial forces, changes necessarily became
lism as “one expression of an ever more encompassing an inevitable result whether positive or negative.
capitalism” (Okoduwa, 2008: 18). However, apart from With the increasingly globalising world, greed, egotism
the economic exploitative agenda, colonialism expressed and loss of community are taking over the age-long
“the ethnocentric belief that the morals and values of the cherished values. The powerful media, especially of the
colonizer were superior to those of the colonized” West, have succeeded in spreading exotic values into the
(Okoduwa, 2008: 18). This belief was programmatically interior of people’s bedroom. In fact, even without cable,
achieved through the establishment of schools, which the “contentless” and “contextless” colonial values have
curricula were tailored to achieve the goals of the colo- been sold cheaply to Africa. The result is the systematic
niser rather than train the colonised to be independent, erosion of traditional African values. Through the media,
and the missionary ventures, which helped a great deal in the sanctity of human life has been consigned to the
vitrifying the religious concept and inclination of the dustbin. You could hear a statement like, “I am not of the
colonised. This scenario naturally created two classes, opinion that human life has value”. This valueless opinion
one being the superogatory and the other the sub- of human life makes life more meaningless and the
ordinatory, with deliberate administrative structure that struggle for survival a crude effort. Thus, we can now find
favoured the former. corpses littering our streets with abandon.
One consequence of this was the erosion of the values, The decline of moral value is catastrophic. The “society
culture and religion of the subordinatory. The African cos- is moving toward sexual norms that give wider latitude for
mos became a victim of extraneous ideology which it has individual sexual gratification and individual self-
continued to grapple with, with little or no success. For expression” (Awake, June 8, 2003: 4). This has led to the
instance, as part of the erosion of the African cultural prevalence of children in giving birth to children
values, Africans now bear at least a European or syndrome, which is pervading our society. Dignity of la-
Christian name. This means that African names, arts, bour as a cherished value has been infested with corrupt
music, religion, etc. are inferior of pagan in orientation virus of quick and lewd way to success. The success
102 Afr. J. Hist. Cult.

highway code does not include hard-work anymore for Awolowo’ brutal acknowledgement of this, even during
most people. This accounts for the thriving illegal but the time of colonialism in Africa, is apposite here.
smart business called 419. Academic laurels among
students have gone to stock exchange. Just as we now “It is surprising that our European guardians and tutors
have organised crime, a more sophisticated organised have not found it worth while to turn their attention to the
examination, which in the slang is called “ECOMOG wealth of knowledge which our country has in store for
exams”, is taking over the educational system. Miracle the world. It is more surprising still that the educated
Centre Syndrome (MCS) where candidates pay exor- Africans have never stopped to think whether it is not
bitantly to people who help them write their examinations possible to make some good out of what we generally
is eroding the value of study. Certificate forgery and term “devilish.” This default on our side, of course, is
racketeering is no more viewed with serious disapproval partly due to the fact that the voices from the pulpits …
because it is almost becoming a part of acceptable norm. have always admonished us to close our eyes to the
The government too is not free from the agents of erosion practices of our forefathers, and partly to the fact that we
of our values. Insincerity, dishonesty, unfaithfulness, seem to prefer, in any case, Europeanism to Africanism,
cheat, corruption, bribery, favouritism, irresponsibility, and thus every mistake in Britain is a style in Nigeria”
irresponsiveness, pen-robbery, embezzlement, harass- (Awolowo, 1939: 30).
ment, organised crime and gambling, deceit, lies,
exploitation, etc. have characterised the activities of the One dangerous effect of these incursions is the argument
government. The list is endless. about the autonomy of morality from religion. This is
The deterioration of values is so pervading that Ewelu where Africans were exposed to ideas which are contrary
(1999: 43) wrote satirically that “in Nigeria, a blind person to their traditional values. With the belief in the separation
can be given a driving license if and only if he is able to of values from the superintending supernatural agents,
put on table the “required amount”. Mbefo did a crisp things fell apart. This has affected every aspect of human
compendium of the devaluation of our value when he life, from spiritual to physical.
wrote: Even in government policies, what we find is the
importation of foreign ideas that do not have cultural soil
“New values have been adopted and canonised. to grow in Africa. Africans therefore have become queer
Dishonesty and cheating, fraud and getting away with it mixture, only African in skin (although some have also
have now replaced ancestral moral uprightness and bleached their skin), and foreign in skill or mentality. To
probity. Logic and legal smartness with their quibbling live in between these two worlds is causing us a lot of
with their nuances of words have banished truth and devastation. As Basil Davidson frontally pointed out, “the
integrity from traditional values to the archives (sic) of problems and solutions of today have to be envisaged
antiquarians…. Getting rich overnight without working for within a historical framework, an indigenous historical
it has become the new criterion for achievement. Youths framework, no matter what contribution an external world
now take on titles such as chiefs by grace of may have made” (Magesa, 1997: 9).
unaccounted-for-wealth, titles that their ancestors merited It is not only to realise this, but to actually live it. Our
through years of hard-work and honesty…. Nobody religious and moral values constitute the frameworks for
wants to be honest anymore simply because honesty the sanity of our society. No religion has failed humanity.
“does not pay”. Honesty has no cash value” (Ewelu, But practitioners of religion have syncretised their reli-
1999: 43). gions with other mundane ideologies to fashion a way for
themselves. Africa did not escape this reality. It is on this
false and doubtful foundation that the post-colonial Africa
CONCLUSION was built. The fruits of this are aplenty. The realities of
foreign cultures and religions cannot be denied. Their
Reasons for the dereliction of moral value in Africa can persistent influences on the lives of Africans are certain.
be traced to the intrusion of colonial ideas and foreign But the return to our moral value understood from the
religions. This position may not account for the whole reality of the day is impossible in spite of the grubby
truth. While it is however true that colonial influence are consequences of not going back. As John Mary Waliggo
majorly concerned with imposition of their ideas, such as wrote:
rugged individualism, which has destroyed the
communalistic value of Africa, with its negative effects, “No sane society chooses to build its future on foreign
the gullible reception by the Africans cannot be excused. cultures, values and systems. Every society is obliged to
Christian values may not be too different from the search deep in its own history, culture, religion and
tradition African ones, except in the concept of salvation. morality in order to discover the values upon which its
The problem was and is still our flair for “anything development and liberation, its civilization and its identity
Western, especially American, people have love…. They should be based. To do otherwise is nothing less than
want to eat and be it” (Awake, May 22, 2002: 11). communal suicide” (Magesa, 1997: 9).
 Igboin 103

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York/Cambridge University Press.
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Ejiogu A (2000). Morality and National Development: A Case for
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