FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO HARMONY AND MUTUAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE AFRICAN COMMUNITY

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FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO HARMONY AND MUTUAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE AFRICAN COMMUNITY

​(i) Political ties.

• Power and authority is exercised and shared among clan leaders and elders.
• This enhances a peaceful co-existence among community members.

​(ii) Communal ownership of property.

• Land and other resources are owned by community.

​(iii) Division of labour.

• Done according to age, gender and social status.
• Ensures that all members participate in the activities of the community.

​(iv) Communal worship.

• All members are to pray and worship together and during times of crisis e.g. when there is a disaster, epidemic or serious sickness, people gather to offer sacrifices to God and ancestors/ spirits in order to appease them.
• Common beliefs about God and spirits are passed on from one generation to another and are held dearly.
• Members of the community try to live in harmony and peace with the departed and unborn.
• Every activity in life has a religious dimension.

​(v) Marriage.

• Strengthens and fosters closer ties among different families.
• Exchange of gifts is a sign of friendship, acceptance and mutual responsibility.

​(vi)  Leisure activities.

• People come together to sing, dance and be entertained.
• In T.A.C leisure is integrated with other activities although after work, people rest and share jokes.
• In the evening, men are entertained by the youth.
• Elders correct the youth accordingly and identify talents among performers.
• Beer-drinking parties are forms of leisure activities.
• During leisure activities people discuss family and community affairs.

​(vii) Children.

• ​The birth of children cements relationships, because in some communities, marriage is not complete without children.

​(viii) Rites of passage.

• ​Ceremonies marking birth, naming and initiation and bring families and community members together and create a source of unity and collective responsibility.

​(ix) Observation of taboos.

• ​Guides individuals in moral behaviour and maintains discipline and harmony.

​(x) Rules and regulations.

• ​Rules dictate and govern the roles and duties of all members in the community depending on age, gender and social status.
• Breaking of rules results to punishment.
• Elders maintain law and order by settling disputes and reminding members of what is expected of them.

​(xi) Belief of a common ancestry.

• ​This promotes a sense of brotherhood among members of the community.

​(xii) Sharing.

• ​Genuine concern for each individual within the nuclear and extended family is common.
• Cooking and eating is done at household level and all share in feasting and rejoicing in some communities.
• Marriage gifts such as animals and foodstuffs are shared among relatives of the bride’s family.
• Land in T.A.C is communally owned and is used collectively by members of a given clan or family.
• People work together on such land and share the proceeds.
• This creates a strong bond of unity among the people.

​(xiii) Social norms.

• ​People grow in T.A.C. knowing what is right and wrong.
• Rules and regulations are established to govern and regulate people’s behavior.
• Everyone understands the virtues they should uphold i.e. Friendship, love, honesty, courage, bravery, compassion among others.
• People are discouraged from developing vices i.e. cheating, theft, selfishness, greed and dishonesty.
• Social norms keep the community from disintegrating and they provide peace to the individual and society.

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