Experts call for preservation of Africa’s traditional care systems
Experts at a two-day international conference on care have raised the alarm over the gradual erosion of Africa’s traditional systems of caregiving, warning of serious consequences for the aged and other vulnerable groups in society.
They expressed disquiet over the growing dominance of care institutions and other foreign cultural influences replacing the communal support systems once devoted to caring for children, the sick and the elderly, largely driven by rapid social and economic changes.
Highlighting the importance of the traditional caregiving system, they made a strong case for the urgent reversal of the current trend, calling for deliberate efforts to reimagine and preserve communal care practices.
The conference was organised by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in partnership with the Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship (CAS) of the University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Held on the theme: “Reimagining care: Relationships, Responsibilities and Care in Africa,” the conference brought together scholars from across Africa under a broader five-year research project dubbed “Reimagining Reproduction,” funded by the Wellcome Trust.
Already, similar conferences have been held in South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, and Zimbabwe as part of efforts to correct the system.
The two-day conference is expected to generate recommendations to guide policy, academic research and social practices on caregiving across the continent.
Prof Georgina Yaa Oduro, the Head of Department of Sociology and Anthropology, UCC, stressed the need to preserve cultural values on care, describing it as an integral part of society that had long been taken for granted.
She emphasised that caregiving remained largely undervalued because it was often unpaid and seen as an obligation of women rather than meaningful labour.
She was particularly worried about the gradual erosion of Ghana’s extended family structure and the rise of nuclear family structure which she indicated weakened the foundation for caregiving and intergenerational bonds.
She attributed the aberration largely to social changes and economic pressures, with technology filling the gaps created by the situation.
Citing the concept of Sankofa, a principle derived from the Akan people of Ghana that one should remember the past to make positive progress in the future, Prof Oduro called for a return to communal living and shared responsibility.
She was of the view that care homes could not replace the emotional connection and dignity that came with living among one’s family.
Prof Rofela Combey, the Provost of the College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, standing in the stead of the Vice Chancellor of the UCC, stressed the need to preserve communal care at all costs, citing her own experience of caring for her late parents.
She said although it was challenging particularly as career woman, she said it was profoundly fulfilling and meaningful.
“Reimagining care means recognising the weight and true worth of care. When we distribute care equitably and invest in infrastructure, it becomes one of Africa’s greatest engines for human development,” she noted.
Representing Prof Daniel Agyepong, the Provost of the College of Humanities and Legal Studies, Professor Simon Mariwah, the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, UCC, observed that African societies were losing an important “healing process” traditionally embedded in family and community support systems.
“We used to have a situation where we cared for children, and the child did not necessarily have to be your own child. The entire family would rally around when somebody was sick, but now everybody is busy and engaged in different forms of work,” he said.
He reiterated the caution against drifting towards Western-style institutional care homes where elderly people were left in the hands of strangers because relatives lacked time to care for them.
“When you are sick and family members come around to support you, it is even part of the healing process. If we lose that, people may die earlier than they are supposed to because they do not have the emotional and social support they need,” he stated.
Prof Nolwazi Mkhwanazi, Professor of Anthropology and Director of CAS, University of Pretoria, highlighted the importance of holding such academic discussions in Africa to enable local scholars to contribute to knowledge founded on African realities and experiences.
She called for greater appreciation of everyday caregiving roles in African societies, noting that many acts of care were often overlooked despite their importance to families and communities.
Dr Saibu Mutaru, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, UCC and Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, said the conference sought to place care at the centre of conversations on reproduction, family and social development.
He said Africa must consciously preserve and adapt its communal caregiving traditions instead of allowing them to disappear under modern pressures.
“In many parts of the Western world, the dynamics of care have shifted towards institutional care homes. We do not want that to become the norm in Africa, and so there is the need to promote conversations around care within our families, communities and institutions,” he noted.
Source: GNA