philosophical relevance of tangible African heritage as tool for development

Abstract

Every historical epoch ushers in a new development method to solve the existential needs of the people. These needs are recognized through the cultural circumstances prevailing at each stage. This is because it is the continuing situation of any people. However, it is observed that in recent years, these cultural heritage have been neglected, by not including them as part of the tools for development plans. Rather, development has over the years been tied to institutional structures only. This approach, according to research, has failed severally in both African and western states. With this regular failure, which has become worrisome, it is instructive and necessary to initiate a sustainable approach to development to save our future generation. Our argument is that development and the conservation of cultural heritage are not mutually exclusive, but that rather, development and the valuation of cultural heritage are mutually beneficial. These heritages exist in tangible and intangible forms. These forms are part of the indigenous populations of Africa, and not external to Africa as erroneously perceived by some opinions. The argument here is that these heritage which are found also in Nigeria should be considered for use as tools for development because research has shown undoubtedly that, cultural dimensions of development processes are related to historical environment, in particular, historic sites, buildings, related artifacts, and cultural events regarded by people of every nation, as their cultural heritage.