Westernization and Its Impact on South African Families

1376 Words3 Pages

The effects of colonization have additional influences on the structure of the South African’s personal lifestyle. Scholars note that colonization has had an effects on the gradual breakdown of traditional family values (8). The reason being that the Western idea of social organization has been brought into the African countries, resulting in the gradual loss of the traditional ancestral honor. Arowolo’s account on the situation stated: “there is no more respect for age; no more respect for values that we held sacrosanct in Africa; younger ones now find it very difficult to greet elderly ones (8). The Western values have also promoted the ideas of individualism rather than communism in the family’s structure. There is a larger incidence rate of children belonging to single parents before colonization—a phenomenon that is identifiable with America, has clearly influenced the South African families (8). In addition, Emma Guest, a researcher that has visited Africa, believes that westernization, along with disease, and other extraneous factors that negatively impact family structure, ultimately threatens to “destroy entire cultures [in South Africa, and other parts of …show more content…

The European colonization has forcibly attempted to Westernize the country in which they settled in. As mentioned, one of the major negative impacts are the violations of human rights that came upon with colonialism. The many violations that were emplaced by apartheid determined to undermine the self-identity of the South African people. Additionally, the language that was enforced by the European-ruled South Africa. The children are forced to leave behind the native languages that were taught by their families, in exchange for the colonists’ languages. The language barrier results in the deterioration of the academic grades that were received by the South African

More about Westernization and Its Impact on South African Families

Open Document