“Future generations are to remember us more with gratitude than sorrow, we must achieve more than just the miracles of technology. We must also leave them a glimpse of the world as it was created, not just as it looked when we got through with it.” – Lyndon B. Johnson, former president of the United States of America
Technology is not static; it’s a dynamic force that evolves daily and disrupts society’s ecosystem. The seismic effects of technological advancement on culture and society reverberate across generations. A generation sets the tone for what to expect from the next. If a generation isn’t well nurtured and guided on how to deploy technology for the greater good, it might spell doom for the subsequent generation. Consequently, it’s imperative to reflect on how we utilise and consume technology before it erodes our cultural values and heritage.
In Africa, communal living has been a point of pride since time immemorial. People look out for one another, a concept reinforced by proverbs like “one couple gives birth to a child, but the whole community raises the child”. Such admiration for community relations and communal living was deeply rooted. However, this lifestyle appears to have waned. No longer do we share folklore and folktales by night, nor do we sing folksongs. Many of our children can no longer speak our languages proficiently; they prefer foreign languages. While understanding other languages in a globalised world is reasonable, should it be at the cost of our own? Our languages are now being labelled as vernacular due to ignorance. To worsen matters, the content we consume on digital platforms not only alienates our culture but also threatens our collective heritage.
The cartoons and animations our children engage with, like Ben 10, The Avengers, Teen Titans Go, Avatar, etc., paint a foreign narrative. We inadvertently contribute to foreign economies by consuming such content. Our own folk heroes have faded into obscurity. Few remember ‘Ogun’ (the god of iron) or ‘Sango’ (the god of thunder). These characters are no longer appealing, even branded as ‘evil’. No one endeavours to project their heroic tales using technology. Jagun Jagun, the blockbuster movie by Femi Adebayo, stands as an exception. This film showcases culture and addresses societal issues through digital technology. It’s a case of globalising local content with technology. This approach preserves our heritage while also generating income. The movie’s global ranking and worldwide acceptance testify to its success. Interestingly, even the famous ‘Gen Z’ warms up to the movie due to its technological effects.
Apart from Jagun Jagun, our music is rich and has taken the global stage. Regrettably, many overly westernized Africans still believe our music falls short. Can we blame them? Not really. Foreign music, spotlighting foreign cultures, continues to dominate our airwaves. This challenge is where the new ministers of culture and creative economy, digital economy/innovation, and science, technology and innovation need to intervene. Our culture, already under threat, requires immediate attention to prevent extinction. It’s high time we shifted the narrative. Let’s employ technology to repackage our cultural values, music, language, and more.
Revamping traditional cultural industries necessitates designing a policy that prioritizes culture in content development. If such a policy exists, it needs to be revitalized by taking centre stage through public awareness campaigns. The Ministry of Culture and Creative Economy could address this issue. Moreover, stakeholders in science, technology, innovation, and the digital economy should explore how our culture can be repackaged and rebranded for economic gain. It’s an avenue that’s been largely unexplored. Inter-ministerial and inter-agency collaborations will greatly assist. We possess abundant untapped potential in this domain. Beyond economic benefits, this endeavour would preserve our cultural values and solidify our identity. Our uniqueness distinguishes us as a nation. Our brand’s allure stems from our distinctiveness. Hence, in the words of Lyndon B. Johnson, “if future generations are to remember us more with gratitude than sorrow, we must achieve more than just the miracles of technology. We must also leave them a glimpse of the world as it was created, not just as it looked when we got through with it.” We owe the next generation a rekindling of our traditional cultural heritage and values. This is the least we can do to halt the slide into cultural oblivion. Technology can invigorate their interest in our heritage. Its deployment must prioritise bridging, not widening, the gap between them and our culture. It could be a step toward renewing hope in our cultural values and heritage for both current and future generations.
