Self enchancment in contrast to globalization shouldn’t be a brand new idea in Africa. It has been practiced by Conventional African Societies for very a few years. The one distinction between self enchancment as seen in the west and as practiced in Africa is that individuals in the west have devoted many books on the subject. Africans then again have primarily dwelt on preserving their self enchancment ideas via myths, taboos and cultural practices.
An instance of self enchancment methods practiced by African communities is the “evening runners” phenomenon. This can be a apply that was as soon as noticed in the Kissii group of Kenya. Members of the group would collect after sundown at a typical assembly place. They’d then embark on what can now be seen as a cross nation run throughout the land. The intention of the run was to appease the spirits and their ancestors. Nevertheless this was not the one profit that the members of this group obtained. The Kissii are stated to have been quick warriors whose tempo helped conquer many neighboring communities.
One other instance of a cultural apply that helped enhance the person is the circumcision ceremony among the many Maasai group of Kenya. Younger initiates “Moran’s” had been put via a cumbersome routine that included being despatched off to kill a lion, and being locked up in a Manyatta (Mud Hut) infested with termites for days. The Massai due to this fact had courageous warriors who conquered many communities and in the occasion that one of them was captured and held captive, yielding was not an possibility.
A charcoal burner positioned in a room that isn’t properly ventilated could cause demise to a person in the identical room as a result of of the carbon monoxide it. In my group this was defined in less complicated phrases. The charcoal burner was stated to “drain somebody’s blood at shut vary” and this principally saved individuals at bay. Some may argue that this isn’t a self enchancment technique but it surely did assist save lives.
The self enchancment methods talked about above weren’t solely aimed toward bettering the person however the group as an entire. Most conventional African communities had been into the notion that what was good for the group was good for the person as properly. In gentle of this the group at all times got here first.