Symbol of politeness in Africa, genuflection is the act of bending the knee as a sign of allegiance in front of the elders. This specific practice of African culture seems to have lost all its meaning in the eyes of young people today.
Initially, it was an act of submission back in the history of empires and kingdoms. It was to show allegiance to the king and the emperor. Genuflection is then a sign of respect in traditional African societies. It reflects politeness, honesty and flexibility. It is then a very important tradition in African culture. However, this valuable habit is slowly dying with the new generation. Indeed, in the past, a man must bend his knee or at least bow his head to greet a member of his in-laws, which is disappearing from the daily life of young people today. Similarly, women are no more used to kneel down speaking with their husbands, in-laws, or to any other elder as a courtesy. Once considered as an obligation especially for women, this beautiful practice becomes rare in African culture. This situation raises curiosity and interrogations in a patriarchal society such as Africa’s. It does not leave anyone indifferent.
An all-out imitation of Western culture
The impact of the world culture on the African one is no more to be demonstrated. With the phenomena of globalization and the progress of new technologies of information where different cultures are mixed, young Africans tend to imitate Western societies and do not necessarily reflect the image of their continent. They are then exposed to other countries culture through TV movies and especially through social media, which are now the main means of information and communication. Moreover, the new genuflection observed among young Africans today is when men kneel to ask women to marry them. Which the images shown through our small screens.
The importance of parental responsibility
As a vital element of a well-defined and dynamic society with traditional values, culture has always indicated ways of acting and behaving. But as globalization and inter-cultural fusion take hold, black youth see their identity disoriented and distracted from the intrinsic realities of their lives. Which logically implies a problem of knowledge transmission. Parents must teach children this value and most importantly, practice using it to refer to. And once this transmission failed, we found ourselves losing our identity, far away from our values. So parents have a role to play in this phenomenon. This would require parents resetting the rules at home in order to avoid children becoming acculturated. Culture is a legacy to be shared, not replaced by others.
French translation of ” Génuflexion en Afrique noire: A-t-elle encore un sens aux yeux des jeunes? ”, Eliane FATCHINA by Salima ALAGBE
