Foreign cultural centers in Africa: a new form of cultural colonization?

War as a product of harsh diplomacy is gradually becoming more outdated because humanity has realized that war is not an option for solving real problems, especially considering the fact that it normally reaps the world its treasures and very often brings incalculable difficulties. and a severe setback for any nation that has experienced it. Other than that, the neighbors of any war zone experience inherent threats of being affected in various ways. Hunger, economic backwardness, disease, loss of life, increased crime rate, etc., are all products of war. On the other hand, soft diplomacy is gaining ground day by day as international activities such as games and sports and other multicultural activities of a similar nature have helped to build bridges of understanding between peoples and cultures around the world. Another form of soft diplomacy that has really had a great impact on building human integration is the creation of cultural centers by countries to help educate people about the cultures and traditions of distant nations.

The establishment of cultural centers by nations such as Great Britain, Spain, and Germany, to name a few, has proven to be more effective in building peaceful relationships, as well as bridging differences between the peoples of other nations. In the past (and even today), a lack of understanding of one’s own culture offers limited opportunities for an individual to operate or penetrate the business environment of a particular region. The problem is much more different today, as different groups have opened organized cultural centers to help people overcome the main cultural barrier of linguistic difference. The Goethe-Institut, for example, offers students who take language courses with them on the African continent the opportunity to travel to Germany and complete their studies. This gives them (students from Africa) a huge opportunity to interact with the people of Germany and also experience the other side of German culture that they are new to.

The British Council, in the same way, plays a role similar to that of the United Kingdom (UK) government in exposing people from other nations to various aspects of European (English or British) culture. Alliance Francaise, on the other hand, has also been active in promoting French culture on the African continent and also on other continents. The good thing about these foreign cultural centers is that they have contributed in various ways to the patronage and promotion of indigenous artists in Africa. For example, the Goethe-Institut, Lagos, and Alliance Francaise in Kaduna sometimes engage artists through visual arts projects such as workshops, art exhibitions, and panel discussions on various topics that will help promote the growth and development of the arts sector. visual arts.

Above all, the activities carried out by these foreign cultural centers on the African continents have been beneficial to African artists; they also have their negative effect on the cultural environment of the respective nations where they are located. This is because they contribute to allowing foreign cultures to overshadow the home culture in some way. Could this be another form of cultural colonization? I honestly believe that this is not the case. However, the approach of African artists to the activities of these foreign cultural centers in African cities can do so.