Which traditional lifestyles?
Which African cultures? Liberia? South Africa? Nigeria? Chad? Egypt? Morocco? ???
how has the tension between traditional lifestyles and western influences impacted African cultures?
8 answers
Africa
African Culture The tension between traditional
and modern and between native and foreign also
affects African culture. Africans have kept their
native artistic traditions while adapting them to foreign
influences. A dilemma for many contemporary
African artists is the need to find a balance between
Western techniques and training on the one hand,
and the rich heritage of traditional African art forms
on the other.
In some countries, governments make the artists’
decisions for them. Artists are told to depict scenes of
traditional African life. These works are designed to
serve the tourist industry.
African writers have often addressed the tensions
and dilemmas that modern Africans face. The conflicting
demands of town versus country and native
versus foreign were the themes of most of the bestknown
works of the 1960s and 1970s.
These themes certainly characterize the work of
Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian novelist who has won
international acclaim. Achebe’s four novels show the
problems of Africans caught up in the conflict
between traditional and Western values. Most
famous of Achebe’s four novels is Things Fall Apart,
in which the author portrays the simple dignity of
traditional African village life
and modern and between native and foreign also
affects African culture. Africans have kept their
native artistic traditions while adapting them to foreign
influences. A dilemma for many contemporary
African artists is the need to find a balance between
Western techniques and training on the one hand,
and the rich heritage of traditional African art forms
on the other.
In some countries, governments make the artists’
decisions for them. Artists are told to depict scenes of
traditional African life. These works are designed to
serve the tourist industry.
African writers have often addressed the tensions
and dilemmas that modern Africans face. The conflicting
demands of town versus country and native
versus foreign were the themes of most of the bestknown
works of the 1960s and 1970s.
These themes certainly characterize the work of
Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian novelist who has won
international acclaim. Achebe’s four novels show the
problems of Africans caught up in the conflict
between traditional and Western values. Most
famous of Achebe’s four novels is Things Fall Apart,
in which the author portrays the simple dignity of
traditional African village life
This is what it says. ^^^^
reading it about Art, reminds me strongly of the art movement in the Lagos (Nigeria) area, or at most, Western Africa. Lagos is traditional, however, it has massive auto jams, and folks usually are western clothes.
That Paragraph says in my book.
Your answer is very specific, but doesn't answer the question.
Africa has 54 countries, with many varied histories and cultures.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_groups_of_Africa
Africa has 54 countries, with many varied histories and cultures.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_groups_of_Africa
I'm a bit confused here. Bre, is that long passage quoted from your text materials, or something you wrote?
It is generalized, whoever wrote it. It's pretty accurate, in that there is always a dichotomy between traditional culture and modernization, whether the modernizing influences come from outside or inside the local area. Urbanization does create a tension between "traditional" rural culture and urban culture. It can come down to wearing store-bought clothes (factory-made) or homespun. Which is better? In art, what influences are present to prompt artists to change styles? Is it "western" influence or just that this generation says the older styles are out of date and of no value?
Yes, older styles, "traditional" art and craft, etc., can be seen as quaint and just for the tourists. Is that because new generations are influenced by "outsiders", "westerners", etc., or just have new ideas, wherever they came from? Every generation in every culture seems to have a "new" idea, and the older ideas are always considered of no value at all, whether you are in Nigeria, South Africa, the United Kingdom, France, China, or the United States. As we more and more influence each other, through trade, the internet, people leaving home to study abroad, or whatever influences are present, we influence each other, and new ideas are born.
Certainly colonization of Africa by European "powers" had influence, not always a good influence (often horrible). But it remains that wherever the influences come from, the old is always considered inferior to the new. We like our automobiles much better than donkey carts, and today's electronic music is vastly superior to anything played on traditional instruments, or written more recently than last week. And a city apartment is preferable to a farmhouse, just as coffee from a store is better than coffee brewed at home, or so the "new" generation believes.
Are the new ideas really always better, or were the old ideas always better? You decide.
It is generalized, whoever wrote it. It's pretty accurate, in that there is always a dichotomy between traditional culture and modernization, whether the modernizing influences come from outside or inside the local area. Urbanization does create a tension between "traditional" rural culture and urban culture. It can come down to wearing store-bought clothes (factory-made) or homespun. Which is better? In art, what influences are present to prompt artists to change styles? Is it "western" influence or just that this generation says the older styles are out of date and of no value?
Yes, older styles, "traditional" art and craft, etc., can be seen as quaint and just for the tourists. Is that because new generations are influenced by "outsiders", "westerners", etc., or just have new ideas, wherever they came from? Every generation in every culture seems to have a "new" idea, and the older ideas are always considered of no value at all, whether you are in Nigeria, South Africa, the United Kingdom, France, China, or the United States. As we more and more influence each other, through trade, the internet, people leaving home to study abroad, or whatever influences are present, we influence each other, and new ideas are born.
Certainly colonization of Africa by European "powers" had influence, not always a good influence (often horrible). But it remains that wherever the influences come from, the old is always considered inferior to the new. We like our automobiles much better than donkey carts, and today's electronic music is vastly superior to anything played on traditional instruments, or written more recently than last week. And a city apartment is preferable to a farmhouse, just as coffee from a store is better than coffee brewed at home, or so the "new" generation believes.
Are the new ideas really always better, or were the old ideas always better? You decide.
1 answer