Culture and its clash of identity

Reuters photo

By

Ogunniyi Abayomi

It is the position and identity of individuals in society, the way of life of people, their thoughts and behaviors embeded charateristics that built the existence of a society.

Awaking our consciousness, the relics laid down by predecessors encompass the spiritual and social way of life of the people. A sensitive subject discarded by society when we are engaged in amorality as a total rage against the values that establishes society.

A country acquires abrupt orientation via the neglection of standards, rules and procedures in the name of corruption. The underappreciated value is rather sold for the glory of another race’s way of life, suffering the seclusion of our identity, yet we are slaves for another culture.

Nigeria and negro communities profess the standard of the western world, religion and education as superior, rather the westerners imbibe the culture we fail to acknowledge. The blank attitude are questions concerning the knowledge of who we are and the wrong criticism and notion we attract.

We want their education, children of the masses are suffering from the ignorance of illiteracy. The culture and value of our system cannot be improved upon, rather we encounter Ali slaughtered Daniel over religious differences which is seen as the opiate of the masses.

Are we confused or do we malign our morality, the principle of distinction between good and bad behaviour in our society? The younger generation are agemates with their elders, disrespecting their advice, sometimes we mistreat them, likewise injuring the old only to be acknowledged as a threat to society, while in the meantime we are wasting.

Culture is more a stranger in a society that fails to follow norms, a society where leaders lack the ethics and conduct of approaching situations in the country. It is more a stranger when we fail to balance the judicial system with equity considering not to prosecute a political officer who is involved in crime and acts against the norms of society.

Like the Yoruba adage that says ‘a le sowipe aye di aye olaju, ka fi asa wa sabe orule,’ which means because the world is civilised does not mean we should hide our culture. If we embrace it, it is for the benefit of society.

Do we acknowledge our way of life or are we slaves to another man’s belief?

Ogunniyi Abayomi

Ogunniyi Abayomi was born July 11, 1991 in the city of Lagos, where he resides. A poet and essayist whose works have been published in various journals.