CONTINUITY AND CHANGE IN THE AFRICAN UNDERSTANDING OF VARIOUS ISSUES

17/10/2016

An African community consisted of the living, dead and the unborn.
Each community had common characteristics such as common ancestors, unique language, a particular geographical area, a culture and distinct social, economic and political structure.
Today, the understanding of community has changed due to such factors as; education, urbanization, migration, natural consciousness and religion.
Urbanization has brought together people of different background.
Formal education has promoted new loyalties based on new social status and academic and professional qualifications.
New political systems and forms of Government have changed the traditional African community.

Old age and the aged

In A.T.C, old people were well taken care of and highly respected.
They did light duties e.g. looking after young children while others worked.
They were members of the council of elders who settled disputes and were consulted for advice.
The elders were custodians of community values, customs and religious beliefs.
Today due to urbanization, many elderly people are left alone in the rural areas with no- one to take care of them.
Sometimes they end up in homes for the aged or begging on the streets.
- Old people are important because they have wealth of knowledge to share. We should take care of them.

Was special and highly valued.
It was a source of food for the people and their animals and herbs for medicine.
Land was believed to be God given.
Land was communal.
There were land allocations to each family for farming. The men were the guardians of the land.
Land was not sold and there were no landless people.
Today land is only communally owned in nomadic communities since most of it is individually owned.
An individual can buy land and settle anywhere and is not bound to the ancestral land.
Land ownership is evidenced by a little deed or land allotment letter issued by the Government.
Today, some land is set apart by the government for public use like establishment of game parks, roads, schools, cattle dips and market places.

Is anything owned or possessed by a person.
In A.T.S., property could be individual or communal.
Women and children contributed to the accumulations of wealth by working on farms and grazing cattle.
Women and children were not allowed to own property.
Today, property can be owned by a man/ woman/ child.
There are various ways of acquiring wealth other than agriculture and keeping animals.
African economies have been influenced greatly by the western money-based economies where money is seen to satisfy or fulfill all needs.

A widow is a woman whose husband is dead.
An orphan is a child whose both parents are dead.
In A.T.S., a widow was inherited either by her husband’s brother or cousin to ensure that the late brother’s family would not suffer.
A woman not only belonged to her husband but also to his kin.
Any of his brothers takes over the household in his absence.
The children born after his death were still referred to as his children.
A man who inherits the wife takes over all the duties of the dead man e.g. protecting and providing for the family.
Today the spread of HIV/AIDS has raised a lot of debate over the practice of widow inheritance.
Due to individualism and lose family ties, it has become hard to care for members of the extended family.
A child who lost one or both of parents in T.A.C. was easily adopted into the family.
Orphans didn’t find it hard surviving because of the strong kinship system.
-Widowhood or being orphaned is very painful experiences for the people today.
Many widows have found themselves and their children going without food especially if the husband was the only provider.
Some children have dropped out of school to take care of their siblings.
Many orphans have ended up in the streets for lack of a caretaker.
A number of organizations have started to build children homes or orphanages to cater for the orphans especially with HIV/AIDS.

In TAC clothes were made from animal skin, bark, feathers, reeds/and sisal.
Every community had a way of dressing, depending on the climate in their region and their way of life.
Age, gender, status would always determine the type of clothing one wore.
Ornaments i.e. bangles, necklaces, anklets and ear plugs/ rings were part of the traditional dress.
The Maasai, Turkana and Giriama have to raid for livestock to maintain their traditional dress.
Today dress undergoes a lot of change because fashion changes with peoples tastes.
Today we have a national costume whose design is base on traditional costumes.

This is a gift of property that a groom gives to the bride’s family.
Bride price was given in terms of cattle, goats, sheep, and honey and food stuff.
Today, the concept of bride price has been commercialized.
Sometimes conflicts arise between parents and those intending to marry.
Dowry should be used appropriately to cement relationship.

Medicine was provided by medicine people who diagnosed and treated sicknesses.
Their medicine was in the form of herbs, minerals, powder and seeds and also spiritual.
Today, people take the sick to hospitals for proper diagnosis and treatment by qualified medical doctors.
Christians also offer prayers for the quick recovery of the sick.

This is free time for one to enjoy/ spend.
In T.A.C. leisure was integrated in the daily life of the community.
People would work and have leisure at the same time e.g. singing while digging.
They had leisure in form of festivals and rites which involved singing, eating, drinking and dancing.
Some leisure activities were free of charge and mostly communal.
Some leisure activities were specific to certain gender age group.
Today leisure is separated from work.
People engage in various activities e.g. listening to the radio, watching television, reading magazines or visiting friends.
Some leisure acts today are very expensive.
Some people misuse their leisure time abusing drugs or engaging in sexual immorality.
Some people help the needy visit the sick, do voluntary community and church work during their leisure time.

identify-five-occasions-when-oaths-were-administered-in-traditional-african-communities.html