To be clear, I regard culture as "the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society".
I belong to a category of people who believe that wherever there is a rule there was a problem. In order to disregard rules and practices which one was trained with one has to be sure that the reasons behind the establishment of those rules are well understood. Most times, these rules are based on moral values and/or cultural norms of any society.
Today, in Africa, it is becoming increasingly apparent that there's a gradual shift in our cultural values. We are gradually disregarding some earlier held beliefs and practices and are tending towards a mixed blend of western and African cultures. This transformation can be seen from our dressing, our mode of governance, educational system, financial transactions, health care, accommodation choices, mode of transportation, religious practices etc.
We have witnessed the gradual demise of idol worship and are rather seeing a blend of islam/christianity and superstitions. We have seen the gradual rise of a lost generation caught midst this phenomenal transformation and having identity crisis/clashes.
There are relatively fewer people today who speak their native languages fluently in Africa than there was in 1980. Due to this we have seen a gradual disappearance of African proverbs and wisdom learned by the ancient Africans. Our forefathers(as we normally refer to them) may not have built skyscrapers, motor cars, ships and airplanes, however, they seem to have focused more on religious practices and in developing moral values based on their limited exposure.
A roaring lion kills no game. (meaning: You cannot achieve or gain anything by mere sitting around and just talking about it.)
Our forefathers were human beings and witnessed moral degradation in their societies which led them to develop certain rules and proverbs which we now look back on as African proverbs and superstitions. Let's take a look at some proverbs.
A popular igbo proverb is this: "Egbe bere ugo bere, nke si ibe ya ebena nku kwaa ya" which means(may both the eagle and the kite perch but if one does not want the other to perch, may his wings break. An english version is "The sky is wide enough for the eagle and the kite to fly in"). Looking closely at this proverb, you would see the advice towards encouraging coexistence. It is a well known fact that the igbo people tend to be very industrious and this can often lead to serious competition and various kinds of disputes. This proverb is usually recited each time there is a dispute of any kind and both parties usually have no choice than to calm down. I have witnessed 6 such occasions where this proverb was recited when resolving a business related conflict and I must say that it works like magic.
Another Igbo proverb with wisdom written over it is "Kama m ga erijuo afo dachie uzo ka m buru onu" (I will rather remain hungry than eat so much that I collapse on the roadside). This attempts to tackle the problem of biting more than you can chew and encouraging focus.
Yet another African proverb is: "The best way to eat an elephant in your path is to cut it into smaller pieces" which means that "The best approach to solving a problem is to take it bit by bit; one at a time"
There are thousands of such proverbs from the African culture which shows deep wisdom but why weren't we inclined towards technological advancements and conquests of kingdoms like the westerners?
My response would be: "Because it didn't matter".
From the African perspective, it didn't matter who was on the other side of the world. Although we had tribes in Africa that were always after each other's skin, it was usually a matter of preserving what they currently had, competing internally and not global domination. That is one of the reasons why we are termed "Local champions".
We always don't feel compelled to compete globally because we are comfortable the way we are and are regarded as "mediocre". Even our forefathers told tales about "the gods" to keep us all in line. That's why our parents and also some superstitious young persons still regard technology today as "devilish/demonic/witchcraft". What cannot be explained is tagged "witchcraft".
With the onset of globalization and forced international competition through colonialism, some Africans have been able to rise to the challenge and produced outstanding results (Aliko Dangote is an example in the business side of things) others still prefer to compete within their immediate environments than on a global scale.
A man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness (meaning:What goes around, comes around so whatever you sow, you shall reap)
Our problems in Africa may not necessarily be problems if you look from within. But it becomes a problem when you begin to compare our culture to the western culture. You begin to think that life is a lot easier for the westerners and we, like electricity and water, prefer to flow through the path of least resistance.
Hence, more and more Africans are hoping on the train of westernization. It used to be a "taboo" or a "witches strike" when someone dies of cancer in Africa. Now we are embracing it as a norm. Gradually, we would see "all" our cultural values become extinct and then would we begin to battle the "problems of the west".
"What the white man is running from, is what we are running towards."
These are just my thoughts and I leave them to you to think through before you belittle your cultural background or disregard one practice or the other.
