How is my culture?

How is my culture? Or more importantly how is your African culture?

We as South Africans are so easily manipulated by the western society, we follow their trends and make them our own, we listen to their music and conform to what they deem to be ‘cool’ we watch their movies and fall in love with their culture and we neglect our culture, but whenever we get the chance, we say “I’m proudly South African.” Are we really?

I was watching the news last year and I saw a lot of people encouraging their kids to go trick or treating, and I thought to myself “we do that in South Africa?” my whole entire existence I have never gone trick or treating with both my black and white friends in the suburbs or in the locations. So I’m wondering when this became our tradition.

We as South Africans respect women, mothers especially. We consider them to be a national treasure in many different cultures in South Africa. I know in the Zulu culture more specifically, back in the day when a father was disciplining his child and the hiding got too much for the child, he or she could run to the women’s side of the hut and the man was not allowed to cross over to the women side, thus the walloping would cease. Another example; if two men were fighting and one of them was getting a serious beating, he could run to any women and hide, and the fight would stop instantly. Yes perhaps they didn’t rule, but they had a significant influence in the way things were done. The women who marched on August 19 were never touched by any man, the white ladies who called themselves the Black Sash, they were never touched when the marched on the streets of South African. (If you don’t know them Google it)

My point is why are young kids calling young girls bitches? Just because some famous rapper in America calls his girlfriend a bitch, why do we have to do the same? We respect women we don’t call them bitches.

All I’m asking is how is your culture? 

(PS the picture is not mine it belongs to http://www.gettyimages.com )