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 THE EFFECT OF GLOBALIZATION ON NIGERIA CULTURE

Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationship of culture, people and economic activity. While culture on the other hand, is the recognition of good literature, enjoyment of good music, food and arts. According to Anthropologist Edward B. Taylor in his book, Primitive Culture, published in 1871.  Taylor said that culture is "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society"(Taylor).

              Globalization has brought positive and negative effect. As an African I would say that globalization has more negative effect than positive on our culture. It has affected our language, the way we dress, the younger once respect for their elders and ultimately our environment. In all these we also have some positive effect of globalization such as well-developed cities, sophisticated machineries and technologies

              According to World Council of churches “no culture is possible without a language. It is an important perquisites and therefore to kill the language is to kill culture”(World Council of Churches). Using Nigeria as an example globalization is gradually killing our language as the younger generation find it hard to relate in their native dialect or see it as “old school” to speak their own native language. They perceive English language as ultimate.

              I remember my mother would tell us of how rude we were. She would tell us of how when she was a child she’d ask her parent virtually everything and anything before she does them because of the fear and respect she has for her parent. Unlike, what we see with children/youth today. Because of Globalization children no longer sit around fireplace at night to listen to stories, as my mother would say. Stories, that promotes integrity, peace, unity, love, and values of respect. Rather they prefer watching late night movies or playing video game

              According to World council of churches “the youth prefer the western beats to the local artist and hair styles, shoes clothing keep to the trends of the western fashion scene”(World council of churches). Africans generally respect their bodies and believes that a woman who does otherwise has lost her self-respect or has no elderly person at home to caution her. We can see that because of globalization women walk almost naked and call it “fashion” in our today’s world.

              Globalization has brought about great technologies, sophisticated machineries that make life easy for humans. But with this advancement comes problems. People are forced to live from hand to mouth because they use their salaries to buy these so called new invented machineries or items. The reason they do this is because nobody wants to be left behind. Everyone wants to go with “the flow”. Nobody wants to feel or be seen as outdated.

              The advancement in technology has not only damaged the physical environment with the emission a high percentage of carbon dioxide but it has also changed the temperature thereby causing Global Warming. Pollution is another product of globalization. With globalization our soil, water and air have been polluted and this causes genetic impact on individuals. That is when a gene is altered it alters the physiology of that individual hence producing altered enzyme which ends up causing destructive diseases such as Alzheimer’s, brain dysfunction. Polluted water on the other hand is very harmful either by causing typhoid or cholera. Even when globalization has been seen as good because it has prompted growth in developing countries, which has made humans life easier, but its effect out weights the gain.

              It can be seen that Globalization has brought a great impact to human lives. I would than conclude that culture is one strong tool for human survival even though in our todays world It is said to be constantly changing and easily lost because it exists only in our minds.