Colonial cultural attitudes presented European culture as superior and African cultures as primitive, backward, and requiring replacement through colonialism. These attitudes operated across multiple domains including religion, education, language, and social practices, creating frameworks through which European cultural dominance was justified and African cultural traditions were devalued.
The attitudes toward African languages reflected cultural hierarchies. English was established as the language of colonial administration and advanced education, positioning it as the language of progress and modernity. African languages were portrayed as unsuitable for modern administration or intellectual discourse. The restriction of African language education in colonial schools meant that Africans aspiring to advancement were forced to adopt English language proficiency, creating linguistic dependence on European languages.
Religious attitudes presented Christianity as necessary for cultural advancement. African traditional religions were portrayed as primitive superstition requiring replacement through Christian conversion. The support provided to Christian missions reflected colonial attitudes that Christianisation would facilitate cultural transformation toward European norms. The association of Christianity with European culture and civilisation created religious hierarchies.
Educational attitudes emphasised the necessity of inculcating European culture values in African students. Colonial education systems taught European history, literature, and ideas while excluding African intellectual traditions and accomplishments. The curriculum presented European civilisation as the apex of human development while portraying African societies as lacking significant intellectual or cultural achievements.
Attitudes toward African art and craftsmanship devalued African aesthetic traditions. Colonial discourse presented African art as primitive rather than sophisticated. The colonial administration and settlers engaged in the collection and appropriation of African artistic works, removing them from African communities and placing them in European museums and private collections. The appropriation was justified through attitudes presenting European protection and preservation as beneficial for African heritage.
The attitudes toward African kinship and family structures presented European nuclear family arrangements as normal and African extended family structures as backward. Colonial law restricted African inheritance and succession systems, imposing English legal frameworks for property transmission. The legal restrictions reflected attitudes presenting European family structures as superior and requiring adoption.
Dietary attitudes reflected cultural hierarchies. European food was presented as civilised and appropriate, while African dietary practices were portrayed as primitive. Colonial efforts to transform African dietary patterns toward European norms reflected assumptions that European culture was superior and should be adopted.
Musical and entertainment attitudes presented European music and cultural forms as sophisticated while portraying African music and cultural practices as unsophisticated entertainment. The restriction of African cultural expression through colonial regulations reflected attitudes that African cultural forms required suppression.
The attitudes toward African clothing reflected the presentation of European dress as civilised and African clothing as primitive or improper. Colonial missionaries and administrators pressured Africans to adopt European clothing styles. The adoption of European dress became associated with civilisation and education while African clothing styles became markers of backwardness.
The attitudes toward time and scheduling reflected European conceptions as superior to African temporal concepts. Colonial institutions imposed European work schedules and temporal regimes. The attitudes portrayed European temporal organisation as efficient and modern while portraying African temporal practices as undisciplined.
By the 1950s, African intellectuals and leaders increasingly rejected colonial cultural attitudes and asserted the value of African cultural traditions. The development of African nationalism involved cultural pride and assertion of African achievements and capabilities.
See Also
Colonial Attitudes Africans Colonial Racism Education and Colonial Kenya Missionisation and Colonialism African Intellectualism Cultural Resistance
Sources
- Ngugi wa Thiong'o. "Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature." Heinemann, 1986. https://www.heinemann.co.uk/
- Anderson, David M. "Histories of the Hanged: The Dirty War in Kenya and the End of Empire." WW Norton & Company, 2005. https://www.wwnorton.com/books/Histories-of-the-Hanged/
- Comaroff, John & Comaroff, Jean. "Ethnography and the Historical Imagination." Westview Press, 1992. https://www.westviewpress.com/