The appropriation of African cultural values and practices as a strategy in true nation Building in post-apartheid South-Africa: Model and lessons from Lawino and Ochol

Abstract

South Africa is a country brimming with potential yet held to ransom by socio-political and morally related challenges. Obviously, a successful response to these challenges that frustrates the socio-cultural transformation processes requires a comprehensive strategy. Then, the aim of this essay is to identify and analyse a few of progressive African idioms, specifically from Sotho languages, that refer to true nation building efforts and equity conscious relations. The main task is to reinforce the notion that prior to an encounter with European cultural imperialism and domination, African indigenous communities had their own cultural values, traditions and institutions, which provided them with “…a confident sense of possessing and exercising a real control over their lives” (Davidson 1994).

Key words: transformation, culture, nation building, idioms, strategy