Topic > Traditional African beliefs and customs - 738

In the African context, Nigeria has the largest concentration of everything that is traditionally African, from tourism, to traditions, customs and beliefs respectively. To make this point, Ghanaian-American writer Kwasi Sarkodie-Mensah points out: For example, it was believed that peeping at the eggs a chicken is sitting on would make one blind. A pregnant woman who ate pork could have a baby with a mouth like a pig's. Among a Nigerian Yoruba tribe, there were believed to be spirits hidden in the rivers and hills of various cities. Since these spirits were there to protect people, they were not to be disturbed on certain days of the week. In almost all Nigerian societies there is a strong belief that most illnesses and deaths are caused by supernatural causes, witchcraft, curses or spells. For a long time, the Ibos tribe believed that twins were an abomination and should be killed at birth. Among some members of the Hausa people, it was believed that marrying a Yoruba woman could entail mystical dangers such as serious illness or even death. In many Nigerian cultures, the elderly are supposed to be served first at a meal, but leave the food in the bowl for children to eat as leftovers. The proverb “the old man who consumes all his food will wash his dishes” attests to this belief. (Retrieved from http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Le-Pa/Nigerian-Americans.html on 1/20/2014). Such context is crucial when analyzing what makes the country rich in customs, beliefs and culture that extends to various countries in Africa. However, such a notion is non-existent as festivals and tourism have a large physical and environmental, political and economic impact. Most research tends to ignore or downplay the impact resulting from the environment… halfway through the article… that won't be creative. Therefore, our brain imposes meaning on sensory information, often presenting us with a coherent picture or best guess, when in reality there is always ambiguity (Snyder, 2002: 7). Context is important when analyzing human behavior, emotions and beliefs in relation to the festival. To clarify this point, Charles Darwin discovered why humans exist and even went further by asking the question “What is Life?” Emotional/motivational circuits are intrinsically connected to the brain through evolution and determine mediated functions that contribute to the survival and well-being of the organism (Le Doux, 2012: 2). Charles Darwin went further by describing those human emotions as follows: Happiness, Fear, Sadness, Disgust and Surprise etc. He further explains that these aspects of human emotions reflect our ancestral past.