Thirteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Ranging from the nomadic to the centralized and territorial, and from the trans-human pastoralist to sedentary agriculturalist, Africa is made of amazing, but simple diversity. The cultural traits acquired from African ancestors shaped the life styles of local communities, whose attitudes and behaviour have evolved with time into a new cultural paradigm. This study characterizes the cultural paradigm shift that is silently taking place in Sub-Saharan Africa. An ethnographic research design was conducted during the years 2016 and 2017 with the local communities at Akono in Cameroon and Rusinga in Kenya. The survey questionnaires included 248 participants in each site and unveiled determinants and cultural dimensions, whose stepwise regression model showed a significant correlation. At the Akono site, globalisation, monetisation of the economy, government regulations, and climate change significantly contributed to the variation in cultural dimensions. At the Rusinga site, globalisation, monetisation of the economy, climate change, and religion significantly contributed to the variation in cultural dimensions. The interviews were conducted with ten elders from each community and revealed that the transformation of cultural dimensions contributed to the loss of traditional practices at Akono and Rusinga respectively, while activities for subsistence evolved. Indigenous culture is selectively being discriminated and handed down to younger generations.