Revitalizing African Youth for Unity and Peace Building: Celebrating African Culture, History and Values (Published)
The study examined revitalizing African youth for unity and peace building: celebrating African culture, history and values. The study highlights the potential of African cultural revitalization to foster a sense of shared identity, pride and belonging for unity and peace building. Two research questions were raised and answered in the study. Survey design was adopted for this study. The population for this study comprised all African youth. The sample for this study was 1000 respondents. Stratified random sampling method was used to select youth while cluster sampling technique was used to select 5 countries in Africa in the study. The instrument used for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire titled “Revitalizing African Youth for Unity and Peace-building Questionnaire (RAYUPQ). The questionnaire were administered using online platform such as Google Forms and Microsoft Forms. Descriptive statistics of simple percentage, mean score and standard deviation was used to answer research questions. Benchmark of 2.50 was established to accept any item with a mean rating of 2.50 or above as agreed while any item with a mean rating less than 2.50 was regarded as disagreed for research questions. It can be concluded that revitalizing African youth for unity and peace building requires a multifaceted approach that celebrates African culture, history and values. By embracing their rich heritage, youth can develop a strong sense of identity, pride and belonging. This in turn can foster a culture of unity, tolerance and peaceful coexistence. It therefore recommended that government, traditional rulers and African leaders should integrate African culture history and values into educational curricula. Support youth-led initiatives. Foster regional collaboration. Promote cultural exchange.
Keywords: African Culture, Peace – Building, Unity, Values, history
Christian Values and African Culture: An Evaluation (Published)
This paper attempts to examine the influence of Christian values on African culture. As a matter of fact African holds certain things to be of great value, e.g. large family, respect for old people, and believe in the existence of gods, e.t.c. It is these values that gave Africans a distinct cultural personality and enable us to make some contributions to the society. The Christian religion on the other hand means for the African fundamental changes in many of his cultural values. The paper argues that the influence of Christianity has caused certain customs and beliefs to be discarded or modified, at the same time it has caused others to be retained by one level of society while on another level new alternatives are being accepted. We argue further that Christian influence on culture has been selective. It has not been systematically complete or effective, for example in the area of human sacrifice, the slave trade, and the killings of twins have been discarded and old and new ideas have been amalgamated in the sphere of religion. Hence the position with one foot in Christianity and the other in tradition poses a serious dilemma for both Christianity and tradition in Africa.
Keywords: African Culture, Christian God, Deities, Religion., Values
Traditional Values, Meanings and Beliefs in Some Sculpture Products in Kpando Traditional Area in the Volta Region, Ghana (Published)
The world is created in a way that nothing exists without being perceived with the eye. Everything is artistically made: being it physical or abstract, artistic products have forms that can be seen and described with their peculiar meanings. Sculptures cut across all human horizons. An important aspect of them is their cultural values and beliefs, which are legacies laid down by the ancestors to their descendants. The aim of this manuscript is to unveil the values and beliefs of some sculptures used by the traditional authorities in Kpando in the Volta Region, Ghana. The main tools used for the paper were interviews with artists who specialized in making traditional symbols, and personal experiences as a practicing sculptor. This facilitated the acquisition of in-depth knowledge about some traditional values and beliefs through the use of sculpture products, in the spiritual, social, economical and political lives of the people. The outcome of the manuscript will go a long way to promote peoples’ comprehension of the values and beliefs of sculpture products used traditionally in the Kpando community.
Keywords: Akpini Traditional Area, Beliefs, Kpando, Sculptures, Values