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Cultural Values & the Social Media-Age African
There are certain values most Africans can relate to, at home or in diaspora, despite the vast space and diverse religious and cultural barriers that separate us. One of such is the hierarchy of respect as defined by age and position. The demand for, and expression of respect is consistent across our societies, language structures, proverbs and social interactions. This culture of respect is so ingrained in the African that we often find it disconcerting relating with older people in other cultures where there is less emphasis on respect as practiced the African way. A common one is when older people, or people of authority in Western societies ask to be called by their first names. Most young Africans struggle with this, because ingrained somewhere in our psyche is a misalignment of values that makes this seemingly normal request difficult to grant. Needless to say that interwoven into this African culture of respect is the tendency for older people to be condescending towards younger people, disregard their opinions, and at times, be downright oppressive in their enforcement of this tacit cultural code of respect. I once heard what sounded like an adage from an older Nigerian man, but which lacked any wisdom at all. In defending why he wouldn’t pay me for a job I did for him, he said (in Yoruba language,) “What is age for, if not to cheat the younger person.” I can’t verify the…
