Holding On While Moving forward

Culture for me goes lot beyond the clothing, the greetings, and the food on a plate. It is the rhythm of life passed on through time. How our parents raised us, the origin of our names, sitting around a pot of soup, and sharing some laughter. Is culture something fixed, or is it something that grows? I would say it should be able to grow. But as it grows, we must be careful not all the way into dilution whereby it will just vanish in thin air. Growth does not mean forgetting where we came from.

When culture is spoken of around my area, it's described through the food, the tales, and the ceremonies. Intricate meals such as Banga soup and Afang soup are more than just eating. They belong to us; they arise in the midst of celebrations, family get togethers, and key rites of passage. Food in one way or another is how we remember our roots. To lose that means to lose a big part of us. I'd say that's how food might become the easiest and most useful mode to nurture culture in the world today.

I still feel that some facets of our cultural behaviors require doses of introspection. For instance, matrimonial rites can become unnecessarily stressful. The expenses involved in living up to the expectations of a traditional type wedding can be burdensome to young couples and their families. What is meant to be a joyful beginning of a union becomes a financial dilemma. The occasions of naming ceremonies and funerals have turned heavier and costlier with time, making those instances of reflection or celebration into pure distress and hollowness. I just think we should be able to respect the traditions while making room for simpler ways to celebrate our culture. Marriage must be celebrated on the grounds of love and unity and not on the number of guests or items on a bride price list.

The urgency of holding onto the pieces that really define us in such a swift changing world is felt. It is not for me to say something derogatory about other cultures I respect things such as the respectful bows in Japan or the serene lifestyle inherent in Nordic traditions but rather to keep our very own alive as we intermingle with the world. For me, culture is not just what we practice it is what we live and with what we shall pass on.

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