Cultural Scars, Lost Innocence, and the Path to Restoration: A Rebirth of the African Child (original) (raw)

Most African societies are predominantly collectivist in nature with social relations forming their core basis of group identity. The affinity for that which protects the interests and identity of the group has come to be not just the source of strength for these societies, but also their bane, especially in the context of the development of the African child. This chapter begins with a consideration of the vitiated forms of the almajiri discipleship system and the persistence of female genital mutilation (FGM) in parts of Africa today, including the cultural and historical context in which these practices emerged and changed. The chapter next presents three major psychological theories providing insight into the persistence of these practices—Albert Bandura’s theory of moral disengagement, perspectives on non-violence in sociocultural practices from the field of Community Psychology, and Johan Galtung’s theories of cultural violence, positive and negative peace—and illustrates the applicability of these constructs in case study analyses of interviews with eight Nigerian respondents. The chapter concludes with perspectives on intervention and prevention strategies in regard to cultural violence, with a particular focus on the corrupted forms of the almajiri discipleship system and the persistence of FGM. Although most of the child-debasing practices are imbedded in long-standing cultural traditions, Africa also has people-friendly traditions to counter them. Priority should be given to encouraging conflict transformation, peace education, balancing between individual and cultural needs, instilling moral values, and advocating practices such as social cohesion, dialogue, truth-telling, and empathy.