Page 143 - A People Called Afrika

Afrika’s Indigenous Knowledge Systems

ties such as family members and in-laws, exchanges of goods
would take place for items not produced and the locations for
exchange became ‘market places’, which were also locations
where spiritual rituals would take place. In short, Afrikan tradi-
tional economies were interwoven into the socio-cultural fab-
ric of their societies and it was not possible to separate one ac-
tivity from another i.e. political, social, agricultural, education,
health etc. They were simply integrative and that aspects of this
do find their way into ‘modern’ economic practices in Afrika.

His examples focused on the Nigeria context; however,
these trends were found in most communities across Afrika
and influenced adaptation to ‘modern’ lifestyles substantial-
ly. The question many ask when they contemplate the past
against the future is; do these practices really have room in
a more contemporary Afrika? The answer is quite subjec-
tive as regards the various cultural and traditional practices of
the various parts of Afrika. Our own question would be, is
there a place and a need for compassion, family, communi-
ty, love, unity, equity and justice on the continent of Afrika
in today’s world? Yes and yes again. For to lose that heart
would render the whole Afrikan continent redundant, hav-
ing nothing new, fresh or life-giving to offer anyone in the
world. What would be our place then, except to remain
a source of raw materials to the globe, until such a time as
Capitalism simply ran its course or we die off altogether?

Consider the approach of Libya, during the days of Muam-
mar Gaddafi. The oil rich country had the following things
going for it: No external debt; free education and medical;
really cheap fuel; on track to have achieved the UN Millenni-
um Development Goals by 2015; was privatizing oil to every

118