Page 142 - A People Called Afrika

A PEOPLE CALLED AFRIKA

from those unfortunate enough to need their support; busi-
nesses take every possible opportunity to make profit off their
products and services, regardless of the financial cost to and
economic state and safety of their consumers; government of-
fices have become dens of darkness where the lives and inher-
itances of the citizens are traded for a pittance to local and for-
eign interests, so that someone can make off with a load of loot
to consume by themselves or with their families. Talk is made of
common interest in policy making and trade negotiations, but
the actions of so many clearly demonstrate that their primary
pursuit is personal profit not the welfare of the people. This is
the reality in Afrika and the rest of the world. None is exempt.

Abiodun J. Oluwabamide, in a paper titled “An Appraisal of
African Traditional Economy as an Heritage”, explains that
modern Afrikan economic practices are something of a hybrid
between traditional Afrikan economy and Western practices.
He asserts that “African traditional economies cannot be stud-
ied or understood without knowledge of their social structures
especially institutions such as kinship and religion”, adding that
kinship is the basis of Afrikan traditional economic systems.

He further explains that Afrikan traditional economic systems
are prevalent in rural areas where cultural heritages are pres-
ent, the characteristics of these systems being small production
units, ‘simple’, pervasive technology, skills are learnt in the
process of growing up as the family unit is the one involved in
production, kinship (families and clans) are the bonds of orga-
nized economic activities, wages are not calculated as families
are involved in production therefore the head of the family
unit simply looks after them in the course of their daily affairs,
prices for sale of goods are adjusted to favor those with close

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