Sustainable development of Africa: a cultural communication perspective.

This paper analyzes the African development situation by evaluating the regions performance in the economic and political sectors paying considerable attention to the putative effects of communication in leveraging positive change. It is noted that a sustainable development discourse which reconciles the demands of environmentalists and developers is advocated in Africa. Unfortunately much of the reconciliation efforts toward sustainable development in the country do not focus on the relationship between communication and culture. Instead the efforts impose linear development strategies that often do not account for the traditional grassroots and ritualistic communication that exists in Africa. Hence the challenge for proponents of sustainable development is in utilizing the diversity of its communication cultures and traditions to facilitate positive social change. A recommended approach is cultural-communication which illustrates an understanding of the cultural values found in traditional and modern African societies. In view of this sustainable development efforts responding to the cultural values of African people rather than borrowing communication strategies that target change without due consideration for culture are advocated.