'The significance of Culture. Is it crucial anyway? ' Education  

Mambambo John (196.4.80.174) -

It has become more of a norm and very

prestigious and sadly seemingly educated when

one is heard criticising and downgrading the

whole notion or concept of "Culture" and all of its related facets. In Africa, the measurement of success and productivity, both financially and academically is based on "How far one moves away from being him/herself". In essence, success (kubudirira) is entirely structured upon the distancing of one's self from the mere African or specifically from the "African way of life" what generally is alluded to by the novice and layman as 'Culture'.

This is all the result of lack of understanding of what "Culture is" and what it constitutes. It connotes or implies that those who think they can distance themselves from their own culture by becoming Westernised only lack an understanding that one can not deny his own facial appearance and worse still his own culture. There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding what culture is and therefore i feel obliged to ellucidate on the concept of culture for the benefit of all within and outside the continent of africa. Within academic circles, it has been admitted or acknowledged that defining the term culture is somewhat akin to seeking a needle in a hay-stalk.Thus Bourdillon (1993) says, "The term culture has acquired a certain aura of ill-repute in socio-anthropological circles due to the multiplicit of its reference and the studied vagueness with which it has all too often been invoked". Each and every scholar who tried to define culture confined it to his specific understanding and considering the diversity and flexibility of human mind, we have resultandly found ourselves surrounded by divergent definitions of one concept and this has brought much difficulty in modifying or conditioning unanimously what culture is.

About the term culture Goodenough(1957) in Hudson (1980)says it is what"...one has to learn or believe inorder to operate in a manner acceptible to its members". He goes on to say that ..."culture being what people have learn, as distinct from their biological heritage must consist of an end-product of learning; knowledge, in a most general sense of the term." This means that, the knowledge which one acquired at birth can never be done away with, whether one becomes educated or not, the culture remains part of you as long as you have some knowledge within your schemata.

I will pursue this analysis, looking at the characteristicsc of culture in their diversity , the crucial aspects like cultural relativism versus ethnocentrism, and will look at the significance of culture in Nation building and development in general. This means that the moment one mentions culture, he/she can not manage to leave the issue dealt with in detail without alluding to the notion of "Language"

Mambambo John (Midlands State University-Zimbabwe)

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Reply #1 Mambambo John (196.4.80.174) -

The notion;"culture" is sub-divided into different categories. These categories or groups in essence if brought together build the whole understanding of what "culture" is. Culture is constituted of 1) Material culture and 2) Non-material culture. Alluding to the material culture, we will be referring to those physical or tangible elements which are in a culture. Such elements include the "Mentifacts" or what are generally referred to as "Archaelogical remains from the past". Pottery, houses, drawn pictures that signify the way of life of an olden-day people, clothes or hides and as well constructed sites like the Great Zimbabwe Ruins in Zimbabwe near Masvingo, Khami Ruins as well in Zimbabwe and many such sites physicall located in the vast region of Africa that have attracted masses of tourists from abroad.The material culture is very significant in the POLITICS from long back, ECONOMICS of a country, and even building our self image or indirectly articulating to the World what we are capable of creating( Part of establishing Maslow's self-actualisation element)-It tells the World that as a culture, we can be creative and innovative to such an extent and deductively beyond this(this..refers to whatever material element a culture might ascribe to itself).

Poltically, we have read in our History that the great monumental sites were more of a refuge sight during our liberation strugles. The sights were fortified to protect people from brutal and untimely attacks from their enemies. in essence, that was created for protective and security purposes. Having created them for that purpose however, after the dawn of Independence, the sites are now being utilised for ECONOMIC gains and growth. Economically, the nations are now being utilised for tourist attraction purposes, thus resulting in national development economically.(Isn't this culture that is contributing to National Development?).

When we utter of the Non-material culture, we are referrng to the non-physical elements of a culture that can not be manifested in the real, or tangible form. Such elements include are referred to as mentifects or mental elements of a culture.(These are what i will delve on my next publication)

Mambambo John (Midlands State University)

Reply #2 Mambambo John (196.4.80.174) -

Under the explanation of 'Material culture', the sentence must read;Such elements include the "Artifacts" or what are generally referred to as "Archaelogical remains from the past". Pottery, houses, drawn pictures that signify the way of life of an olden-day people, clothes or hides and as well constructed sites like the Great Zimbabwe Ruins in Zimbabwe near Masvingo, Khami Ruins as well in Zimbabwe and many such sites physicall located in the vast region of Africa that have attracted masses of tourists from abroad. NOT AS IT APPEARS;Such elements include the "Mentifacts" or what are generally referred to as "Archaelogical remains from the past". Pottery, houses, drawn pictures that signify the way of life of an olden-day people, clothes or hides and as well constructed sites like the Great Zimbabwe Ruins in Zimbabwe near Masvingo, Khami Ruins as well in Zimbabwe and many such sites physicall located in the vast region of Africa that have attracted masses of tourists from abroad.

Reply #3 Torie (75.67.22.89) - Fri Mar 14 13:05:46 2008

what is the traditional botswanian clothes?

Reply #4 Linzie (68.237.56.160) - Mon Apr 14 15:23:31 2008

What is the traditional botswanian clothes the wear?

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