Culture Is Not Static
When I knew I was moving to a village in Africa several years ago, many images popped into my head about what lay ahead. One such image was a grass hut church. Well, for the first time since I have been on the continent, I attended one today. Dirt floor, palm branch roof, no walls, the whole nine yards. I mean I experienced what many people first think of when they imagine a village in Africa. But why has it taken so long for me to sit in such a church? I mean, seriously, I have been in the country for over 1 year and attended at least 7 different churches. What happened to my stereotype image of what I was supposed to experience? Didn’t they know I was coming?
I think the simple answer, one that the title of my post testifies to, is that culture is not static. It is in constant flux and evolution. We have seen Western influences cropping up everywhere around Cameroon: the music and format at churches, the style of dress on the street and the technology in use. As globalization marches on, I believe there is going to be a melding of cultures around the world and much of the, ‘pure culture’ that one may have found before will now be a product of the old and the intruding.
But things have been changing for centuries. Someone was telling me how the local mindset towards white people has been developing for the last 6 generations. Whenever people groups and cultures intersect, there you will always find a shift on every side. I guess I should just be on the lookout for how my own culture may change from being here.
