Experts Harp on Research to Reclaim Family Cultural Values

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

In the call towards reclaiming African cultural identity and values, Professor of sociology, demography, population studies and social research at the University of Lagos, John Oyefara, has harped on the need for research, documentation, data collection and dissemination of the findings.

He said while all cultures have positive and negative sides as revealed in the face of education, awareness and globalisation, Nigerians must not lose sight of the importance of what family, culture and values can offer in national development. 

Speaking on the theme,” Reclaiming African Family, Culture and Values” which was organised by The Initiative for Equal Rights (TIEM), Oyefara stated that as Nigeria’s continue to have contact with other societies, advancement is achieved and people bring in the right approach to issues that centre on agitations to what is different from that they’re used to.

  According to him, “What we need to do really is to see how we can do more of studies to be able to understand these cultural issues that are good, because there might be some other aspect of our culture that might not be good.

“But the ones we know that are good, how can we retain them? How can we sustain them? How can we keep them to forge ahead? And since we need to hand over these cultural issues to our children, we must not forget the proper way of documentation.

“You know, it’s like victimisation of women. If we have widowhood rights, do you have widower rights? So is it only women that can kill their spouse? Is it not possible for men to kill their partners. These are feasible things.

In his speech, Executive Director of TIER, Afolabi Aiyela, said the ultra-conservative transnational organisations are attempting to recolonise African minds, policies, and social institutions through moral imperatives that are not rooted in African culture.

 While calling for equal rights for all regardless of sexual and religious affiliations, he said colonialism and foreign ideologies have had a profound impact on African cultures and values, often severing people from their indigenous understandings of kinship and belonging.

He said the colonial mapmaking and indirect rule have shaped ethnic identities and traditional authority in Africa, with lasting legacies that continue to influence contemporary identities which are often misunderstood.

He therefore, emphasised  the need for critical reflection and cultural truth-telling, advocating an Africa where families are affirmed in their diversity, and where gender and sexual minorities are not erased but embraced.

“By reclaiming and celebrating African cultural heritage, Africans can challenge external narratives and ideologies that seek to undermine their identities and values. This includes recognising the diversity of African family structures, cultural practices, and values, which are often overlooked or distorted by external forces.

“By doing so, Africans can work towards a more inclusive and culturally diverse future, free from the shackles of colonialism and foreign influence. This requires a nuanced understanding of African identity and culture, acknowledging the complexities and contradictions that shape the continent’s cultural landscape.”

 In the same vein, mental health expert, Dr. Olayinka Atilola, said there is the need to decriminalise government’s involvement in policing certain aspects of personal life, noting that it allows individuals to make choices about their personal lives without fear of criminal prosecution.