Projecting African culture in globalised setting

African cultures are varied and manifold and they consist of a mixture of countries with various tribes, with each having its own unique characteristic from the continent of Africa.

Culture, in a general sense, is defined as a collective mass of distinctive qualities belonging to a certain group of people, with qualities such as laws, morals, beliefs, knowledge, art, customs, and any other attributes belonging to a member of that society.

While touching on the relevance of African culture in terms of hairstyles, dress culture and fashion in contemporary times, it is important that all these fascinate non-African who will go out of their ways to embrace these ways of life of Africans.

Having said this, there is the need to pay proper attention to African hairstyles, dress culture and fashion for economic empowerment.

African hairstyles/braids, dress culture and fashion are some of the continent’s major creative ingenuities/products that have become predominant among Africans, especially women which are rooted in the African culture.

It is extremely essential for to give proper and adequate attention to the endeavours by deploying effective strategies to fully develop these creativities as small and medium enterprises for socio-economic development as African hairstyles, dress culture and fashion are sources of economic empowerment and instrument of cultural diplomacy.

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One good thing about the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) is that there is an education department which trains interested persons in tye and dye, braiding African hairstyles, pottery, among others.

Therefore, these creative endeavours have over the times undergone tremendous transformation from being day-to-day endeavours to major sources of empowerment.

In fact, there is increasing popularity of African creative and artistic products all over the globe with African braids and others birthing new trends and gaining prominence not only in Africa but the entire world, and this is a good time for African. The NCMM, therefore, has a huge role to play in all these.

• Adeyera is Chief Technical Officer (Conservation), National Museum, Ibadan, Oyo State.