Many societies seek to live better lives as they see development to be the means to an end. At the same time it has been seen that primitive cultures have less development as compared to advanced cultures. There seems to be a relationship between culture and development. So now the task for this paper presentation is to critically analyze the relationship between culture and development.
According to Richard (2002), culture is simply all the ways in which human beings overcome their original barbarism through artifice and become fully human.
Culture refers to the way of life of a given people which includes among others their language, taboos, festivals, values, beliefs and traditions. ‘Culture differentiates animals from humans’, curriculum development center, (2010:57). It is something learned through generations. It comprises skills, knowledge and beliefs of a people.
Development refers to all efforts meant to raise the standard of living of the people through increased incomes as well as bettering their social services. These include health and education facilities, sanitation, food, social security and good roads, Curriculum development center (2010). Other scholars like Osagie are of the view that development is the qualitative and quantities positive transformation of the lives of a people that does not only enhance their material well being, including the restoration of human dignity, Osagie (1985). Here the implication is that development is a warm gradual and considerate process attempting to alleviate man’s existing social, cultural and political values.
Together with this, we see that instruments and materials are needed specifically aimed at the practice in relation to culture and development, so that they can be used as tools. Culture is about creativity, heritage, knowledge and diversity. These values are intrinsically connected to human development and freedom. Through the world commission of culture and development of 1995 report, culture was acknowledged to play an instrumental role in promoting economic progress since it was a desirable end in itself. The goodness with culture is that it is an important aspect of sustainable development as it makes communities understand and appreciate natural resources. Development and culture have been connected in many international policy documents and conventions. civil society, cultural organizations and the NGOs, amongst others, have all identified the need to examine further the role of culture in development processes, both on the theoretical level and in its practical application through development activities and projects: starting with the cultural comprehension of the very concept of development, and then clarifying what is understood by culture in development co-operation, in order to generate tools which favor the application of the theory and the mainstreaming of culture in development practice.
We could also point out that there is still plenty of work left to be done in this area. This presentation seeks to join the numerous current initiatives on culture and development, providing an instrument of rapprochement for those interested in finding out what is behind this binomial. It was UNESCO which in 1966 indicated in an international document the unavoidable need to consider culture within international cooperation.
An example can be taken from the countries called the Asian tigers such as Malaysia, china south, Japan and India among others who have managed and adopted what is referred to as the critical culture renaissance. Many countries in Africa have not made it in their development agenda owing to their inability to combine their indigenous values with the colonial legacies as the Asians have done it. Prof Mazurui, a pan African scholar has also intimated over the same issue about culture. He says one strategy for poor African countries is to follow a policy of indigenization. This process includes the identification and development of the greater civilization of indigenous techniques, personnel and approaches to purposeful change, (David, 2012).
Placing culture at the center of development policy constitutes an essential investment in world’s future and a pre condition to globalization process taking into account the principle of cultural diversity. Biodiversity, indigenous knowledge and sustainable development are very closely linked. If culture is looked as a whole of beliefs, habits, and customs of a society, then it is the foundation upon which development of a society is built. Economic development without roots can never result in culture and consequently can never result in sustainable development, Curriculum Development Center (2010). Since culture is part of everyday life, it is therefore essential for development of all. Actually the status of people has evolved since the adoption of article 27 of the universal declaration of human rights, which affirmed the right of every human species to freely participate in the cultural life of the community and enjoy the arts in this case ku-o-mboka or ukusefa pa ng’wena festival. It could be the culture of riding elephants like the Philippines. Another example is the hospitality in rural Zambia where life is a gamble but still practiced. Biodiversity, indigenous knowledge and sustainable development are very closely linked. Dabaghian views argues that ‘the pride of any society lies in its culture since no society in the world could be considered great without reference to its tradition and culture’, Dabaghian (1970:103).
In the last two decades (LDCs) least developed countries have embarked on approaches that are cultural in nature. For example here in Zambia the government has a learning program called primary literacy program (PLP) where indigenous languages (previously called L1) will be used as a medium of instruction at lower primary. After all language is part of culture. The Asian education systems among others have considerably yielded good results after indigenization of their development policies. In like manner Zambia and other LDCs are destined for such results. The reason for an academician to say culture is related to development with confidence. Development initiatives and approaches that take into consideration local conditions and cultures are likely to result into more context-sensitive and equitable outcomes whilst also enhancing ownership by target beneficiaries. Since culture is in every fiber of society it implies that every form of development affects society’s culture. Therefore integrating culture in to development policies and programs, therefore contributes to effective sustainability. For the reason that biological and cultural diversity are inextricably linked and together the two hold the key to sustainable development. Gorodninchenko and Roland (2010) have a similar view and say that cultural dimension has an important and robust causal effect on innovation and long run growth. Actually the point is culture defines how people behave towards nature because in globalised village with communities with communities made of transnational humans.
Any local policy aimed at protecting the natural environment and achieve sustainable development will necessary also have to take into consideration and act upon the culture of the concerned communities. That’s why culture is so important for the development of millennium development goals. Therefore consideration of culture effectively enables development when projects acknowledge and respond to the local context and the particularities of the place and community through the careful use of cultural resources as well as emphasis on local knowledge, skills and materials.
Respecting and promoting culture diversity within human rights approach facilitates inter-cultural dialogue which in turn prevents conflicts and protects the rights of
Marginalized groups within and between nations thereby creating optimal conditions for attaining development goals since culture in itself is a driver of development. Actually experience has shown that cultural resources can be converted into useful products which communities can use in their livelihoods. For instance some soils can be used for making pots while some types can be used for making glass cups. In other regions cow dung is useless while in other areas it used for building walls of houses and also for natural fertilizers in fact they are best fertilizers recommended by conservationists.
These values are being recognized as the cultural dimension (or the fourth pillar apart from the others include political, social and economical) of sustainable development at local, national and in previous obstacles and limitations. On the other hand, acknowledging diversity should not be understood as raising barriers between communities, but on the contrary promoting the capability of individuals, men and women, to live and to be what they choose, within an increasingly complex world, by guaranteeing their access to a wide range of cultural assets and expressions. Poverty, it should be stressed, is not just a question of material conditions and income, but also of lack of capabilities and opportunities, including in cultural terms.
The truth is that development rooted in culture and sensitive to local context is in fact the only one which is likely to be sustainable. As Nobel Prize winner Amartya has argued that cultural matters are integral parts of the lives we lead. If development can be seen as enhancement of our living standards, then efforts geared to development can hardly ignore the world of culture, Amartya (2001).
Last but not the least all efforts of development should be culture oriented if development is to be meaningful to the locals and the Diaspora. After all culture is creative development. From culture comes tourism which in turn brings forex which in turn improves the economy for the benefit of all. Without roots a people cannot have direction hence no development as earlier highlighted. The above is the critical analysis of the relationship between culture and development.
REFERENCES
Amartya Sen (2001) Culture and development on world bank conference. Tokyo.
Curriculum Development Center (2010) Civic Education 12. Lusaka, Zambia Education Publishing House.
Curriculum Development Center (2010) Civic Education 10. Lusaka, Zambia Education Publishing House.
Dabaghian J (1970) Mirror of man: reading in sociology and literature. Toronto, Brown and company.
David Owusu-Amoah (2012) the importance of culture for national development. Issue no: 18. Accessed at http//:www.modernghana.com @ 10:36 hours CAT on 07.04.14
Gorodninchenko Y and Roland G (2010) culture, institutions and the wealth of nations. CEPR discussion paper no: 8031.
Osagie. S (1985) the concept of material culture and contemporary issues in Nigeria. Ogun. Ogun State University Press.
