THE INFLUENCE OF CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN CULTURE AND RELIGION ON THE SOCIO- ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONTINENT

Abstract

Contemporary African life is characterized by poverty in almost every sphere of it, be it economic, political, social and even religious. Many Africans cannot afford the basic human needs such as good food, decent clothing and shelter. Indeed, Africa is a suffering continent. Next to the problem of sin, poverty is Africa’s greatest problem as seen in many aspects of African life. In spite of her vast natural resources, Africa remains one of the poorest continents in the world. Africa’s poverty could be attributed to her Philosophy (the mindset of Africans), the culture of the people and their religion. The purpose of this paper therefore, is to consider how Africans have allowed their culture and religion to influence the Socio-Economic development of the continent. The research combines both historical and phenomenological approaches in the discussion. The research findings show that Africa has a culture of destruction, a culture of oppression, a culture of corruption, a culture of injustice, a culture of betrayal, a culture of greed and a culture and religion that promotes darkness. Religiously, Africans practice a kind of religion, where everyone feels his religion is the best and this has been one of the causes of religious crises in almost every part of the continent. This paper therefore recommends, that for the continent to have a sustainable Socio-Economic development, Africans should of necessity restructure their culture and religion in tandem with world best practices, because the society is in a flux.