By Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
Today, May 21, 2019, is world day for cultural diversities. In 2001, UNESCO adopted the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity. In December 2002, the UN General Assembly, in its resolution 57/249, declared May 21 every year to be the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.
Cultural diversity is a driving force of development, not only with respect to economic growth but also as a means of leading a more fulfilling intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual life. Cultural diversity is thus an asset that is indispensable for poverty reduction and the achievement of sustainable development.
At the same time, acceptance and recognition of cultural diversity – in particular through innovative use of media and Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) – are conducive to dialogue among civilizations and cultures, respect and mutual understanding.
The day provides us with an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the values of cultural diversity and to advance the four goals of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions adopted on 20 October 2005:
1. Support sustainable systems of governance for culture
2. Achieve a balanced flow of cultural goods and services and increase the mobility of artists and cultural professionals
3. Integrate culture in sustainable development frameworks
4. Promote human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Unfortunately, the Europeans overlooked these important cultural values and decided to abuse, bastardise and attempted to destroy African culture and invariably distort our socio-economic, intellectual, political and spiritual growth. They gave the world the impression that Africa was an uncivilised continent of monkeys who were yet to see the light. But that was not true about Africa. They misrepresented us.
The late literary icon, Chinua Achebe, once explained that one of the reasons why he wrote his novels was to prove to the world that Africans had already known about culture and civilization long before the Europeans came. In other words, Africans did not hear of culture and civilization first from the Europeans. Africans already had an organized way of life that was gradually inching towards full socio-economic, intellectual, political and spiritual development.
Before the Europeans encroached into African shores in the fifteenth century when the likes of Mungo Park claimed to have discovered the mouth of the River Niger, Africans were relatively living in peace.
Our forefathers had a way of life that was defined by their culture and tradition.
However, this gradual development was distorted by the Europeans who came to Africa with the pretence of coming to trade with our forefathers and on seeing the rich cultural heritage of our people, began to interfere in the administration and government of our people in violation of the many treaties they signed with our fathers.
It’s on record that the British, for instance, signed a treaty with the Bonny and Kalabari Kingdoms as far back as 1836 and 1884 respectively.
By the 15th century, the Portuguese, being the first Europeans to enter Africa, were already trading with the ancient Bini Kingdom.
But greed would not allow the Europeans to confine themselves to the trade they came to do, as they began to fight our traditional rulers and steal our traditional artefacts, some of which were made of gold, silver, bronze, clay and wood.
Ivories and hides and skins were also among the treasures they stole. Initially, they gave our fathers peanuts and trivial items like walking sticks, tobacco, hats, mirrors, clocks etc.
But as they gained the confidence of our people, they started taking advantage of them, sometimes attacking them, irrespective of the peace treaties they signed with them.
The stories of the predicament of the likes of Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi of Bini, King Jaja of Opobo, Nna of Itsekhiri, among others, in the hands of the Europeans, are just a few instances.
They desecrated our culture, tradition, shrines and sacred places. As if that was not enough, they started stealing human beings and selling them to slave masters abroad. Gradually, they introduced slave trading and with the combined force of the gun powder and little gifts and money enticement, forced our fathers to sell some of their most energetic, most brilliant and most talented sons and daughters. The great feats being achieved by blacks in Europe and America in sports and academics are eye-openers to the quality of men and women our fathers sold to the slave merchants.
The climax of the injustice done to us by the Europeans was the balkanization of Africa in 1885 in Berlin when they shared African nation-states and cultures to themselves, which later brought about the colonization.
They then brought their Christian religion, starting with the Church Missionary Society and the Roman Catholic Church and their missionaries to perfect the mental and spiritual colonization. Through their so-called missionaries and their teaching, the colonialists succeeded in brainwashing our fathers to totally reject, detest, hate and abhor whatever remained of their cultural and traditional heritage, after stealing some of the artefacts representing the same culture, such as our masquerades, ivories, sculptures etc. What hypocrisy!
Thank God for the boldness of late Catholic Pontiff, John Paul II, who, on March 13, 2000, tendered an unreserved apology for the sins the church committed against ‘heretics’, Jews, and the native peoples of the world, including Africa.
The celebration of the world day of cultural diversities today or any other day will never be complete until Europe and America apologise to Africa for the sins committed against her and her culture.
