WHAT IS
CULTURE?
Culture is a way of life of a group of
people--the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally
without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and
imitation from one generation to the next.
Other
Definitions of Culture
·
Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of
knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies,
religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe,
and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the
course of generations through individual and group striving.
·
Culture is the systems of knowledge shared by
a relatively large group of people.
·
Culture is communication, communication is
culture.
·
Culture in its broadest sense is cultivated
behavior; that is the totality of a person's learned, accumulated experience
which is socially transmitted, or more briefly, behavior through social
learning.
ELEMENTS OF CULTURE
Symbols
The first element that exists in every culture is a
variety of symbols. A symbol is anything that is used to stand
for something else. People who share a culture often attach a specific meaning
to an object, gesture, sound, or image. For example, a cross is a significant
symbol to Christians. It is not simply two pieces of wood attached to each
other, nor is it just an old object of torture and execution. To Christians, it
represents the basis of their entire religion, and they have great reverence
for the symbol.
Language
The second element present in every culture is a
language. Language is a system of words and symbols used to
communicate with other people. This includes full languages as we usually think
of them, such as English, Spanish, French, etc. But, it also includes body
language, slang, and common phrases that are unique to certain groups of
people. For example, even though English is spoken fluently in both America and
Britain, we have slang and phrases that mean different things. American French
fries are British chips, American cookies are British biscuits, and so on
Value
Values are
another important element of culture and involve judgments of what is good or
bad and desirable or undesirable. A culture’s values shape its norms. In Japan,
for example, a central value is group harmony.
Norms and Beliefs
Our examples show that different cultures
have different norms, even if they share other types of practices and beliefs.
It is also true that norms change over time within a given culture. Two obvious
examples here are hairstyles and clothing styles.
Rituals
Different cultures also have different rituals, or established procedures and ceremonies that
often mark transitions in the life course. As such, rituals both reflect and
transmit a culture’s norms and other elements from one generation to the next.
Initiation and commencement ceremonies in colleges and universities are
familiar examples of time-honored rituals. In many societies, rituals help
signify one’s gender identity. For example, girls around the world undergo
various types of initiation ceremonies to mark their transition to adulthood.
WAYS TO PROMOTE OUR
CULTURE
- By
introducing our original dances
- By
introducing our original music and songs
- By
introducing our original food recipes
- By
always using our original clothes
- Promoting
tourism in social media
- Attend or organize major
events
- Speak your ancestral language
- Share your culture's art and
technology
REASONS FOR
PRESERVING OUR CULTURE
- Culture contributes a sense of
comfort and belonging. It brings families together and enables people to
reconnect with friends.
- Culture reinforces values such as freedom, faith,
integrity, a good education, personal responsibility, a strong work
ethic, and
the value of being selfless.
- Culture provides a forum to
showcase role models and celebrate the things that really matter in life.
- Culture enables us to showcase
the principles of our Founding Fathers, celebrate diversity, and unite as
a country.
- Culture serves as an avenue
for creating
lasting memories for our families and friends.
- Culture offers an excellent
context for meaningful pause and reflection.
DOES CULTURE AFFECT OUR RELIGION IN NIGERIA?
EXPLAIN
The culture of Nigeria is
shaped by Nigeria's multiple ethnic
groups. The country has 527
languages, seven of them are extinct.[1] Nigeria also has over 1150 dialects and
ethnic groups. The six largest ethnic groups are the Hausa and Fulani in the north, the Igbo in the southeast, and the Yoruba predominate in the southwest, the Tiv
people of North Central
Nigeria and the Efik - Ibibio. The Edo
people are most frequent
in the region between Yoruba
land and Igbo
land. Many of the Edo tends to be Christian. This
group is followed by the Ibibio/ Annang/ Efik people of the coastal south southern
Nigeria and the Ijaw of
the Niger Delta.
Nigeria's other ethnic groups, sometimes
called 'minorities', are found throughout the country but especially in the
north and the middle belt. The traditionally nomadic Fulani can be found all over West and
Central Africa. The Fulani and the Hausa are predominantly Muslim while the
Igbo are predominantly Christian and so are the Efik, Ibibio, and Annang
people. The Yoruba are equally likely to be either Christian or Muslim.
Indigenous religious practices remain important to all of Nigeria's ethnic
groups, and frequently these beliefs are blended with Christian beliefs, a practice
known as syncretism
