Cultural Change

The shift in social, economic and general cultural life in order to cope with better condition for people is termed cultural change.

There are some factors which are responsible for cultural change in Ghana. These factors are:

i. Education:

This is the process of acquiring knowledge. Knowledge can be acquired through reading, training, learning, watching the way something is done among others. Education has brought modernization to the way things are done and this has led to cultural change. Most Ghanaians have changed the way they do things. They have changed the way they dress, the kind of food they eat, they listen to foreign music etc. Acquiring knowledge is mostly done in the English Language and this has led to most Ghanaians forgetting how to speak their local languages. Most Ghanaians see their cultures as outmoded and this makes them practice foreign cultures.

ii. Migration:

This is the movement from a particular place to another. Ghanaians who travel to other countries learn cultures from these places. They practice these cultures when they come to Ghana. They sometimes forget their culture when they come back to Ghana.

iii. Technology:

This is the application of scientific knowledge for practical use. The knowledge acquired from science are used to manufacture gadgets such as televisions, mobile phones etc. These gadgets are means through which people get information of culture in other countries. In Ghana, most people watch foreign movies, listen to foreign music among others.

iv. Trade

This is the buying and selling of goods and services. This has made it possible for foreign goods to enter the Ghanaian markets. Most Ghanaians patronize these foreign goods and this has made most traders to stop trading local goods. Most Ghanaians prefer foreign clothes to local clothes. They mostly wear locally manufactured clothes only on Fridays and have tagged them Friday wears. They eat foreign food such as pizza, shawarma etc., instead of fufu, banku, kenkey among others. This is because most traders in our markets sell exotic foods.

Changes that occur due to the actions and attitudes of the people within the community is referred to as the internal factors of change in culture.

Changes that occur due to foreign or external influence on culture is refered to as external factors of cultural change.

Civil war, new ways of doing things, research among others are some internal factors which have brought change in the life of Ghanaians.

Colonization, trade, influence of foreign religion and Western education are some of the external factors influencing change in the life of Ghanaians.

The way societies adopt or absorbs certain aspects of other country’s culture is termed Cultural assimilation.

In Ghana, foreign languages, clothing, foreign music, foods, foreign types of marriage ceremonies are some foreign cultural aspects that have been assimilated by Ghanaians.

Culture is a way of life of a group of people. These are their beliefs, values, behaviours among others. Some of these cultures are outmoded and must be changed. The development of a society can be shown when their cultures are outmoded and are static.