The African Family Before And After Industrialization
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Date
1997-02
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
I intend in this paper to explore and show how life was lived
in the African Traditional family community before the period of
industrialization. What the African concept sustained and helped
the extended family to survive and fulfill her moral duties.
In chapter four I shall discuss the place of material
possessions in the African traditional family The origin of
material things and the role it played in the family community: it
enhanced the value, respect and dignity of both the individual and
community, of both the poor and rich, and indeed of the stranger.
The Supreme being and their ancestors blessed an individual with
material property, so it was understood that the property was to
be used to help the needy members in the community. Failure to do
so would anger the Supreme Being and ancestors. Consequently,
people cared for one another and shared their material things. A
spirit absent today at the age of industrialization whereby people
are more individualistic
Having done that, then I shall also show ways in which the
modern view of life is increasingly becoming focused on the
acquisition of material things for meaningful life, hence
subsequent erosion of moral standards of the past. How material
things which enhanced the respect and dignity of the human person,
has also contributed to the downfall of the human vocation - to
live in the very freedom of the children of God.
When God according to Genesis, created the world saw that it
was good, then he entrusted it to the human race, it was to serve the ongoing development of that race into a community of material
exchange and growing complicity.
Yet all material property put into human hands immediately acquire
a certain ambivalence. They can be either used to build up
relationships as God intended, or they can be turned into
instruments of division and violence.
It is true that due to Western influence, the world is
becoming more secularized and individualistic, with very little
focus, concern paid to the humane and spiritual dimensions of human
existence. In the African traditional family community there never
existed a distinction between the Sacred and Secular. The basis of
traditional morality lay in the firm belief in the unity of the
universe. The unity of the universe defied any attempt separate
secular from Sacred.
I an also aware in this paper that my recommendations of
having a new look back at old attitudes to material things, moral
values in African traditional family, is not a romantic call to a
return to an ancient form of life. Certainly industrialization is
a positive sign that man obeys the commandment of God of subjecting
the earth to himself and so Improve the standards of living. But
because of the daily experience, African families are becoming more
and more secularized and the African child is loosing contact with
traditional culture and values. It is helpful to re-examine once
more the African traditional familyvaluesbefore industrialization
to discover what lessons can sustain African family today and
enhance concern for others especially those lacking the basic human necessities of life. Many have values which modern society, family
needs and certainly western societies need to learn so as to move
towards liberation and more humane modes of life.
Industrialization has caused many challenges today to the
African modern family Challenges such as the weakening of the
African Family communal life of the past and replaced it with
inhuman structures as I shall show in the following chapters.
Also in chapter three I shall discuss the values with which
the extended African family respected and nurtured children with
great honour. The life of a child was much loved to the extent
that any act of abuse done to the child such as prostitution and
rape, was severely punishable. For that reason, child abuse was
rarely unheard of in the past family, incomparable to what is
happening to the contemporary child. Then chapter five I will give
the teaching of the Church on Family, marriage and children which
is compatible with my earlier treatise. Finally, I shall offer a
critical evaluation on Family as a Universal phenomena, hence
drawing some pastoral suggestive guidelines for pastors, parents,
leaders and indeed, for all those who are inveloped in Family
education, catechesis and evangelization.
I would like to sum up my introductory words with a quotation
of the Pope's opening homily of the African Synod as a Preliminary
insight and Foundation of my paper:
"The sons and daughters of Africa love life. It is
precisely this love for life which leads them to give
such great Importance to the Veneration of their
ancestors . The believe instinctively that the dead
continue to live and remain in communion with them. Is this not in some way a preparation for belief in the
communion of Saints? The People of Africa respect their
life which is conceived and born. They rejoice in this
life. They reject the idea that it can be destroyed,
even when the so-called "Progressive Civilizations" would
like to lead them in this direction. And practices
hostile to life are Imposed on them by means of economic
systems which serve the selfishness of the rich"'
The Pope continued in these words,
We are pleased to notice that opening up towards life is
one of the most beautiful and typical features of the
African continent, on the other hand, we are very sorry
and worried to see that this continent is torn apart by
old tension and bloody wars. We can only be deeply struck
and upset by this dramatic contrast between love and
hate, between joy to live and terror, between solidarity
and fratricide, between life and death
Description
Keywords
The African Concept of Family, The Traditional African World-View, Children in the African Traditional Family, The Material Goods in an African Extended Family, Church's Teaching On Family Life, Marriage and Children, Critical Evaluation on Family Life and Some Pastoral Suggestion