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As a continent Africa has diverse cultures that make it a wonder land for many foreigners. In fact a corporate leader from the West one time remarked that Africa is complex- more culturally diverse than the world ever thought. Even within one country there are many different cultures and subcultures. And even though Africa’s cultural diversity is not the only thing that makes Africa a richer and admirable continent, if you take away its cultural diversity Africa will be poorer. The most famous among African cultures that is already known to the world are the Nolly Wood, which is Nigeria’s famous movie industry. In East Africa is found the Maasai culture, known for both their artifacts and nomadic way of life. Actually the Maasai community which is predominantly found in Kenya and partly in Uganda and Tanzania has the most preserved culture up to date in Africa. Basically there has been very little external influence on the Maasai way of life and little has changed about their beliefs and social organization. I would be confident to say that the Maasai you would meet in the 19th century is not very different from the one you will encounter in the 21st century if you visit Kenya. There is also the ‘Ramogi’ culture in Kenya that is known for their traditional dances and performances which have traversed many continents. Then in the Southern part of Africa, is found the Zulu culture of the South Africans.

  Over the years, many African countries have relied on their cultures for social progress, economic prosperity and to advance political course. In many of them the diversities are shaped along tribes, religion and race. Thus within a country there are as many different cultures as there are tribes. In Kenya for example, there are 42 tribes and each tribe has its distinct cultural practices that make it stand apart. They speak different languages, have different stable foods and economic organization. In terms of Social progress, African culture is a source of social cohesion. Many people in Africa find a common identity and purpose in their cultures. Indeed up to date in many African societies, there are traditional kings or chiefs(in some cultures they are called senior chiefs) who gave orders and direction the community takes on social and political issues. The communities act as a single entity based on the king or the chief’s word. In Uganda for example ‘Kabaka Mutesa’, the Ugandan King is a powerful figure that rallies the community on a particular course. In some cases the kings and chiefs held the community land in trust and allocated it to the community members as he or she deemed necessary. Similarly most of these cultures provided for mechanism for conflict resolution and dialogue, often chaired by council of elders. This structured dialogue ensured intervention In case of conflicts and promotes coexistence among different communities.

 Furthermore, African culture has for a long time acted as a social safety net. It propagated the idea of community life, where the old and the vulnerable were cared for in the context of extended families. Young and energetic family members were obliged to provide for the old and to treat them with dignity and respect. But as people continued to migrate to cities in search for jobs, they have become more individualistic and this aspect of culture has quickly faded away in many African communities. Today many young people in Africa are caught between modernization and its individualistic emphasis and communal life with its expectation of care and reciprocity. It is what many development policy makers have propagated in most cases. 

 Sadly the kings and chiefs in Africa communities had autonomy of decision making. For example they could determine who should go to school and who should not. Thus communities which had progressive and forward looking chiefs or kings would have more educated people, while those who were backward looking hindered the education of many children. This autonomy of decision was partly responsible for inequalities in some African countries because certain communities would be more educated and have more opportunities than the less educated ones. In other communities like the Maasai, herding was more prized than education hence low levels of education attainment. It is also amazing that up to date some chiefs can still order ladies from a particular family to marry them and if the lady or her family objects they are ejected from the community for disrespecting the chief. This practice is still ongoing in some countries like Cameroon.

 Economically, culture has been a boon for many African countries as a source of tourist attraction and employment. In Nigeria, Nolly Wood, the famous Nigerian movie Industry employs thousands of people. Indeed, Nolly Wood is the second biggest source of revenue for Nigeria, earning between $200,000 to $300,000 million annually. It is way ahead of the Holly Wood and is only second to India’s. Similarly, not many tourists would be content to come to Kenya and fail to visit Maasai Mara game reserve, where they meet the Maasai and experience their culture. In fact in Kenya, like Nigeria, tourism is the second largest source of revenue for the government. The Maasai market found in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital is packed with Maasai cultural objects and is the market that is most visited by foreigners in Kenya. But the Maasai cultural objects are now found even in international markets; USA, Europe and Asia including in Korea. Surprisingly, the Maasai community still remains among the poorest in Kenya. This shows some deficiency in the way the community’s resources and talents are utilized. 

 Politically, African culture has been used to propel and keep many leaders in power. Organized around tribes, race or religion, many African leaders have perfected the art of mobilizing their tribes or religions behind their political candidature. The political implication of this practice is that a tribe with the biggest population would easily have one of their own ascend to power, regardless of his or her suitability for the office. In this regard we can cite many examples, including in Nigeria, where Presidential elections have always been a competition between the Muslims and Christians. In Cameroon, the Presidents have always come from among the French speaking. In Kenya since the reintroduction of multiparty democracy, Presidential elections have always been a political contest between the Kikuyu tribe and the Luo tribes which are among the two dominant tribes in Kenya. And the Kikuyu have always won the elections, whether fairly or unfairly because they are the majority. In addition, whenever a community leader from a particular ethnic background is accused of corruption, they have always persuaded their people to view the accusations as a political witch hunt because of his or her tribe, race or religion. Most of them have succeeded to rally their people behind them and stop calls to quit office. The problem with this trend is that it has robbed many Africans of their nationalism as most of them identify more with their ethnic origin, race or religious affiliation.

 But one other important way in which Africa’s cultural diversity has been a bane to African countries is by way of conflicts. Most of the civil wars that we have seen in Africa have revolved around tribal and religious diversities. The most recent one that happened in Africa’s youngest nation, South Sudan is nothing but pure tribal war that is driven by greed and political ambitions of competing leaders from two opposing tribes. The former vice President of South Sudan Riek Machar hails from the tribe of Nuer, while his former boss now turned political rival, President Salva Kiir comes from the Dinka tribe, the largest in South Sudan. Both resorted to tribal mobilization amidst disagreements that escalated into one of the most tragic humanitarian crises in Africa. And Rwanda just commemorated a decade since the deadliest genocide that claimed one million lives. Even as it did so, it could not but leave an indelible mark in the conscience of the entire world about how tribal rivalries led to devastating effects in the history of the nation. Rwanda’s genocide was a culmination of political tension between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority in Rwanda.

 At the same time, in most of the African countries, development or allocation and distribution of resources for development, government appointments, land grabbing among other ills have followed ethnic patterns. It has always been the dominant or ruling ethnic group against the minority ethnic group which is often marginalized. In Kenya, the post election violence of 2007/2008 was a manifestation of deep seated tribal rivalries and marginalization since independence. The minority tribes comprising 41 tribes were all united against one majority tribe which has been ruling the nation and has been accused of historical injustices, including land grabbing and marginalization. Over 1,300 people died and another 6,000 were displaced during the conflict.

 Therefore, even though Africa’s cultural diversity gives it a unique identity and has to some extent been a source of social, economic and political strength, it is also the biggest contributor to the myriad challenges responsible for underdevelopment and instability in the continent. This is the dichotomy of Africa’s cultural diversity.