George_D:

there are other lands living in poverty who still won't sell their culture like we are doing here.

The difference is that the other lands are poor countries. It is a different matter if your country is poor. Nigeria is NOT a poor country but our rulers ensure that our people continue to suffer and smile. While ordinary people's children die of malaria government officials fly abroad for common catarrh! Look around the world and observe countries whose citizens engage in MASS migration (not low level migration), you will find that they are either escaping wars, natural disaster, abject poverty or hopelessness. In Nigeria it is the last two most people are leaving for. Like I have said already when a country does not invest in i's citizens or give a damn about it's citizens inevitably the culture of that country will die and be overtaken by the culture of MONEY. It has been going on in Nigeria for a long time and it will not stop until our government starts to care for and respect our people. We are treated like rubbish all over the world and it is because people know that the so called Nigerian government does not care about it's people and are only interested in looting and sending their stolen money ABROAD, buying mansions ABROAD, sending their kids to the most expensive schools and universities ABROAD, going for medical treatment ABROAD and now the latest fashion is to DIE ABROAD . So please don't confuse issues about preserving culture. Ordinary Nigerians are not stupid, if our culture is so great why do our rulers and people in power do everything ABROAD?

roforofo, you have spoken well but blaming our leaders alone i think is not the answer.

westernization i guess.

but hey--some nigerians dont's promote the culture. how about nigerians abroad? the only thing most kids abroad know about 9ja culture is party party party--going from one convention party to the next.

look at some of these francophone countries like senegal. their govt is so involved with promoting its culture with a national sengalese dance troupe that performs all over the world. same with south africa. nigerian govt needs to promote the culture worldwide.


nollywood was doing a good job but why do the characters in these movies now have names like David Williams and Lisa Johson-- Lisa Johnson from Anambra??

because that is the name her parents gave her.

westernization + too much TV dats wat makin us lose ourselves
u hav got 2 admire d Europeans
dey still keep there culture alive,

exactly!

Well what is even Nigerian culture sef.

okay yes culture is dynamic,

yes culture can be imported and exported .
i'm just wondering why we are always on the importing end.

Having imported clothes, fuel, food, etc must we import culture as well.

Have heard never-travelled-nigerians speak with american accent dy see on tv, speak d informal american english-"we was" etc never heard of americans speakin our inf pidgin.



I dont want to agree that its happening everywhere, americans copy britons/europians or vice versa sometimes asians(martial arts) , indians (music) a lot of mixing is going on here and there but it seems no one is gooing after "AFRICANS". Our culture seems to be going down d drain.

asha 80
Is there anything like 'nigerian' culture?

pls dont find flaws acting like u dont know what we mean!
nigerian culture=ethnics culture i.e. yoruba culture+igbo culture+ hausa etc

kulyie

our culture is retrogressive,if u luk at d western culture it enhances dia lives but here its in our culture 2 marry more dan one wife (even wen u know u dont have d means 2 provide 4 more dan one)-increas in poverty n illiteracy,it is in some warped culture here in naija 2 circumcise a female (so she wont be promiscous)-increase in mental,physical n emotional pain,it is in our culture 2 wear silly aso ebi (even if u nid 2 borrow money 2 wear it)-increase in debt.bleep naija culture!!!!! followers of naija culture r bunch of hypocrites, so called culture is just increasing our poverty n we r oblivious of dat fact.westerners dat dont have a culture of morality r dey not much more developed n civilized dan we are? our culture is bull poo

No culture is perfect, every one has its flaws, dt u feel there's something wrong about a culture doesn't make it all wrong and doesn't make another perfect.

good talk, sofa-dj.

@ sofa-dj
did i tell you i love you!!

pls dont find flaws acting like u dont know what we mean!
nigerian culture=ethnics culture i.e. yoruba culture+igbo culture+ hausa etc

kulyie

No culture is perfect, every one has its flaws, dt u feel there's something wrong about a culture doesn't make it all wrong and doesn't make another perfect.




[quote][/quote] YOU ARE D MAN[b][/b]

my take on this is quite multifaceted. it is a mixture of the following below;

1. americanisation of the world through music, movies, fashion, sex, drugs, rock and roll

2. inferiority complex of nigerians who believe that anything west is best

3. state of the country. if it was better more people will have more interest

4. parents. they have a vital role to play in the formative years. can you imagine some dumb parents forbid their kids from speaking their local language at home or in public? it has to be english english english. ko da rara.

to complete this i AM very very proud of nigeria and dont hesitate to explain our culture and wear our clothes when its not winter ! God bless Asa, Nomoreloss, tuface, dbanj, femi kuti, p square and many others for flying the flag. God bless Nigeria always.

carry on, brother!

Culture culture culture, why do we elude our selves of the reality on ground.Culture is not Dbanj's or Asa's song or just native wear or the salutation.Culture is a way of life of a people.what's our way of life here?, for 40 + years we have not been able to define the true tenets of who we are as a people.

An elder in Nigeria steals public funds and tells the younger generation that they have derailed, which is accepted in our culture? the MTV effect or the stealing acts.

Until Nigerians define a true identity and a well definite blue print for our selves as a people and what we call culture becomes relative to our growth, poverty alleviation, better living, and a sincere purpose and desire towards nation building, , we would just be fooling our selves over and over and over.

you're muddling things up, friend.

mufikings:

Culture culture culture, why do we elude our selves of the reality on ground.Culture is not Dbanj's or Asa's song or just native wear or the salutation.Culture is a way of life of a people.what's our way of life here?, for 40 + years we have not been able to define the true tenets of who we are as a people.

An elder in Nigeria steals public funds and tells the younger generation that they have derailed, which is accepted in our culture? the MTV effect or the stealing acts.

Until Nigerians define a true identity and a well definite blue print for our selves as a people and what we call culture becomes relative to our growth, poverty alleviation, better living, and a sincere purpose and desire towards nation building, , we would just be fooling our selves over and over and over.

George D is right when he opines that you are indeed muddling things up and have digressed from the topic 100%. the question is why the declining interest in nigerian culture and not an opportunity to rant about why things are not right

Globalization

ladej:

George D is right when he opines that you are indeed muddling things up and have digressed from the topic 100%. the question is why the declining interest in Nigerian culture and not an opportunity to rant about why things are not right

Please do go through the discuss very well, doesn't seem like an issue of decline, and even at that, the simple fact remains that a culture that is none progressive in terms of economic gains,social maturity,tolerance,etc will definitely be dumped by any generation, its a case of "practice what your preach".

If we don't want a decline in our culture we should say our culture and mean our culture.What is responsible then? Nigerians have developed a "split personality", we are at a cross road in our history as people who do not understand the dynamics of who we were and what we want to become, its like branding.

What America has done with it's way of life (culture) is simply make a super brand of it, that is irresistible to the world, not just Nigeria.

Decline from mostly the youth in Nigeria is attributed to a life style(Culture) brand, that made us a unique people suddenly disappear, who culturally are our heroes today?, Wole Soyinka,Fela,Obasanjo,?, our parents? lie !!! Most of them are confused themselves.

Lastly we look as the issue of religion and believes, more youths today are drawn to religious tenets as a result of lack of trust on the cultural system which contradicts their faith, be it Christian or Muslim.

God Bless

mufikings:

Please do go through the discuss very well, doesn't seem like an issue of decline, and even at that, the simple fact remains that a culture that is none progressive in terms of economic gains,social maturity,tolerance,etc will definitely be dumped by any generation, its a case of "practice what your preach".

If we don't want a decline in our culture we should say our culture and mean our culture.What is responsible then? Nigerians have developed a "split personality", we are at a cross road in our history as people who do not understand the dynamics of who we were and what we want to become, its like branding.

What America has done with it's way of life (culture) is simply make a super brand of it, that is irresistible to the world, not just Nigeria.

Decline from mostly the youth in Nigeria is attributed to a life style(Culture) brand, that made us a unique people suddenly disappear, who culturally are our heroes today?, Wole Soyinka,Fela,Obasanjo,?, our parents? lie !!! Most of them are confused themselves.

Lastly we look as the issue of religion and believes, more youths today are drawn to religious tenets as a result of lack of trust on the cultural system which contradicts their faith, be it Christian or Muslim.

God Bless

wole soyinka, fela and obasanjo are not confused. fela CERTAINLY wasnt. go to new york where fela is being portrayed on broadway in a musical. wole soyinka won a nobel laureate and is internationally recognised for his african work on culture. obasanjo is obasanjo ! he is known for his work with the congo crisis as well as other dispute settling work he has done in the last 20 years. lets leave religion out of it bros and stick to the topic at hand. your contribution has a point when u say

What America has done with it's way of life (culture) is simply make a super brand of it, that is irresistible to the world, not just Nigeria.

u make a good point here cos when u do go to america and see the hordes of obese people u wonder where people like halle berry reside. all na marketing bros !

^^^

when u do go to america and see the hordes of obese people u wonder where people like halle berry reside. all na marketing bros !


funny but true

speaking as an African American, it means being true to yourself and not trying to fit in with the norm. I can see Nigerians falling off here in America, but in Nigeria, No. The Nigerian culture is a beautiful one. What I see a lot of times is Nigerians wanting their children to fit in at school and they tolerate bad behavior. Also, the way the system is set in the US, you can not just spank your child, you may end up in jail. My husband (who is Nigerian) and I plan to send our twins to Nigeria when they come of age so that they can be emersed in the culture and language (Yoruba). Do I need to rethink?

when u do go to america and see the hordes of obese people u wonder where people like halle berry reside. all na marketing bros !

It's called "Hollywood", we here born and raised in America know that stars starve themselves to the point of death to look like Halle Berry. TV adds 10 pounds to you, so she you know she looks like a crackhead in person. The hordes of obese people is a result of a nation that has too much food and people eat the wrong combinations of food. As far as Nigerian culture, especially the beauty, I want to see more African women wear the ethnic hairstyles and stop wearing all the ridiculous weave that you see them wearing. You know it's fake because their real hair is nappy as hell and the fake hair is smooth. There are more African American sistas that wear their hair in its natural state.

People should stop trying to fit in and just be themselves. That's what used to be beautiful about this country; the diversity; it gave people here something to look forward to. Now when you see African, especially Nigerians, as far as the speech and mannerism, you can't tell them apart from the African Americans. That's why I chose to marry a Nigerian because of the culture of respect for family and older people but I don't even see that anymore.

When people from other countries come to the states they continue thier culture, they have their own schools, stores, churches, etc. But, I see more and more Africans trying to be Americanized, ghetto, acting like they from the hood and don't even understand what the hood life is about.

It is the Africans responsibilty to continue their cultural upbringing so that we as African Americans better understand each other and the great culture that our ancestors were stripped of.

Aint a damn thing wrong with america!!!!

I plan to send our twins to Nigeria when they come of age so that they can be emersed in the culture and language (Yoruba). Do I need to rethink?

not a bad idea

another cause is school abroad. if you doubt it, ask mutallab's parents!

mayfrances:

speaking as an African American, it means being true to yourself and not trying to fit in with the norm. I can see Nigerians falling off here in America, but in Nigeria, No. The Nigerian culture is a beautiful one. What I see a lot of times is Nigerians wanting their children to fit in at school and they tolerate bad behavior. Also, the way the system is set in the US, you can not just spank your child, you may end up in jail. My husband (who is Nigerian) and I plan to send our twins to Nigeria when they come of age so that they can be emersed in the culture and language (Yoruba). Do I need to rethink?

thank you, the nigerian culture indeed is a beautiful one. i think the combination of monitoring one's kids, being their friend and confidant, allowing them to make mistakes and LEARNING from them is the way to go. sending your kids to nigeria to be immersed in the culture and language is a good way to go. just ensure the people monitoring them are trustworthy, reliable and good.if you can go as well even better. there's a lot to learn

mayfrances:

when u do go to america and see the hordes of obese people u wonder where people like halle berry reside. all na marketing bros !

It's called "Hollywood", we here born and raised in America know that stars starve themselves to the point of death to look like Halle Berry. TV adds 10 pounds to you, so she you know she looks like a crackhead in person. The hordes of obese people is a result of a nation that has too much food and people eat the wrong combinations of food. As far as Nigerian culture, especially the beauty, I want to see more African women wear the ethnic hairstyles and stop wearing all the ridiculous weave that you see them wearing. You know it's fake because their real hair is nappy as hell and the fake hair is smooth. There are more African American sistas that wear their hair in its natural state.

People should stop trying to fit in and just be themselves. That's what used to be beautiful about this country; the diversity; it gave people here something to look forward to. Now when you see African, especially Nigerians, as far as the speech and mannerism, you can't tell them apart from the African Americans. That's why I chose to marry a Nigerian because of the culture of respect for family and older people but I don't even see that anymore.

When people from other countries come to the states they continue thier culture, they have their own schools, stores, churches, etc. But, I see more and more Africans trying to be Americanized, ghetto, acting like they from the hood and don't even understand what the hood life is about.

It is the Africans responsibilty to continue their cultural upbringing so that we as African Americans better understand each other and the great culture that our ancestors were stripped of.

i agree with you here. too much food, gosh. . the hair bit, again you are spot on 100%. what happened to natural hair? the truth is very few people are comfortable in their own skin, hence the need to try to fit in. a lot of people dont realise that most times the africans who are most successful in america today are as real as before they left africa[an example is the ex-basketball player Hakeem Olajuwon] who still speaks in his nigerian accent despite living in america 20 years plus and millions in the bank. when some people feel inferior all sorts of things happen. its sad. one can only try his/her best to be proud of his/her culture regardless. i definitely am 100%

westernization i guess.

but hey--some nigerians dont's promote the culture. how about nigerians abroad? the only thing most kids abroad know about 9ja culture is party party party--going from one convention party to the next.

look at some of these francophone countries like senegal. their govt is so involved with promoting its culture with a national sengalese dance troupe that performs all over the world. same with south africa. nigerian govt needs to promote the culture worldwide.


nollywood was doing a good job but why do the characters in these movies now have names like David Williams and Lisa Johson-- Lisa Johnson from Anambra??

This is so true and the last bolded part had me LMAO!!

@Topic,

Education, Evolution, and Change are the major influences.

@Poster I won't speak reagarding Nigerians (I'm not Nigerian but I see the same in my own culture and other's) however the case is very much all over the developing world. It comes from a mentality that the already developed world is our role model and so emulating what they do makes us more like them! Of course it doesn't help when in the media all we see is how good and forward everything in the western world is and how poor and backward the Eastern world is. To an impressionable mind that says to be more like the west and you'll achieve what they have. All this then results in a major loss of culture and pride in their heritage.

was there a Nigerian culture in the first place, Nigeria has it's national pride but Nigerian culture maybe with food I guess but besides that it is complex. There is tribal culture in Nigeria, You can't compare Hausa culture with Igbo culture, it is impossible. I think some tribes favor foreign culture over their own while other favor their own culture over foreign, while respecting the foreign culture. So When it comes to declining culture it depends on what tribe you speak to because it is different from one tribe compared to the next.

As for me I appreciate my culture more for the fact I was born in the western world, so I grew to respecting and cherishing it more. I feel some youths in Nigeria are taking it for granted in Nigeria, if they know how black diasporians are treated in the western world and stripped of their identity, wishing they had a portion of what they had they would appreciate it more.

I guess we are very late to this thread but what really is Nigerian Culture?