By Dan Amor
Culture is the artistic and other activity of the mind and the works
produced by this. It is also a state of high development in art and thought
existing in a society and represented at various levels in its members. But
culture as a thematic focus in this piece, concerns the particular system of
art, thought, custom, beliefs and all the other products of human thought made
by a people at a particular time; in short, the way of life and identity of a
people. This essay is therefore informed by the urgent need for a new sense of
national identity and character in Nigeria .
What special qualities would distinguish the
citizens of this country considered to be the largest and most populated black
nation in the world? For instance, under the influence of Montesquieu, Abbe du
Bois, and others the eighteenth century placed great emphasis on delineating
national character. The Spanish, for example, were said to be brave, mystical
and cruel; the English practical, phlegmatic shopkeepers; and the French
refined, artistic, and immoral. Each nation was thought to have a special
significance, a character, evident in its history, the impression made on
travelers, its climate, and in the features of its land. Most nations possessed
a long, mysterious past from which its character had simply come into being.
The United States of America ,
on the other hand, could see its origins clearly and explicitly. Moreover, its
people were largely British with minorities of Germans, Dutch, French, and
others in some of the provinces. Yet, in curious, unselfconscious ways, these
transplanted Europeans, even in early colonial days, seemed somehow a different
breed of men.
What then can we refer to as the common heritage of our society, as
Nigerians? While it cannot be transmitted genetically, culture instructs
society’s perception from one generation to another. Yet, viewed holistically,
culture is a dynamic entity at once enabling and restraining the continuing
process of refinement of the mind of a people as well as the sum total of their
style arising from it. Consequently, the distinction between the materialism
and idealist approaches to our understanding or appreciation of culture becomes
solely heuristic. Unfortunately, here in Nigeria
and, indeed, Africa at large, our leaders are
oblivious to the significance and solemnity of the new world order. They are
indeed smug in their self-righteousness whereas the continent is in flames.
Were this not a genuine historical tragedy, one would have been faintly amused
by the forces at play in Nigeria
and on the continent – forces which rather than being only mysterious and
intangible, are indeed grimly mundane. The historical dispute awaiting
resolution by Nigerians is that a country which cannot agree on its past cannot
agree on its present or future for that matter. But Nigeria our beloved country remains
in a quandary in terms of a holistic view of culture. Independence has failed to guarantee economic
and political progress; rather it has brought poverty and misery as aspects of
our national culture.
Hence, it is necessary that the mystique of the latter replaces that
of the former, or more exactly, it is necessary to show that the profound
truth, hidden up to now, but essential to independence, is development which is
the end product of a people’s culture. The only way to prevent the
demobilization of the Nigerian masses in the wake of a joyfully-accepted and
fictitiously conceded independence is to make them understand that independence
has a goal, that the value of independence is measured by the use of it to
promote growth and development. The tragedy, however, is that Nigerian rulers
think of culture only in terms of artifacts and our rich antiquities which,
ironically and unfortunately, have been stolen from our shores and sold to Europe . And this also is an area in which our rulers’
claim to the appreciation of cultural beauty is another grand illusion. The
long history of cultural patronage by the ruling class is highly relevant if
one is to understand the African cultural experience. State patronage of high
culture is classically an aristocratic phenomenon. It usually looks to the
production of beautiful and expensive things that the rulers can enjoy
themselves and that, while meeting their standard of taste, they fell obligated
to have provided for everybody else. And the problem remains, however, as to
who will direct our rulers in their necessary, though dubious cultural tastes.
There is the long and implacable desire for a liberal education, and education concerned not with immediate ends, and the efficient adaptation of the individual to existing surroundings, but with values independent of time or particular conditions. Truly, this should be our great and enduring cultural legacy: knowledge capable of being its own end; knowledge which is desirable, though for a lifetime of hard labour. Incidentally, the absence of these noble tenets of civilized culture has turned our country into a vast banana republic where violence has been promoted to the height of a national culture. Another alternative to violence as our national culture is corruption. It is indeed the indisputable national identity of our country,
How did we come to this sorry pass? It is squarely the result of
mundane leadership. How then do we face the bitter challenge of modern
development? There must be an authentic national philosophy, education and
pedagogy, civilization and governance. We need men who can swim against fierce
currents to save Nigeria
from ruin. Thieves and lawless tribal or religious bigots should no longer be
allowed to misrule us if we must evolve a truly civilized culture. We have more
than enough of young, conscionable, educated and liberated Nigerians who can
lead us out of the woods irrespective of tribe or religion. Bickering and
unrest will not help us.
*Dan Amor, a public affairs
analyst writes from Abuja (danamor641@gmail.com)
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