What Happens When Cultural Practices Become Oppressive? Should We Still Hold on to Them?

 Photo credit: Pinterest

Olumurewa Damilola 

Culture is the shared way of life of a group of people. It includes the beliefs, values, customs, traditions, language, art, and behaviours that people learn and pass down from one generation to another. In simpler terms, culture is how people live, think and interact in a society.

In essence, a group of people share a similar lifestyle by observing some shared customs like festivals, dance, community development just to mention a few. This fosters unity, community growth, diversity and shared heritage.

But when exactly do cultural practices become oppressive?

For context, we have to understand what the word "oppression” connotes. According to Cambridge Dictionary, oppression is a situation in which people are governed in an unfair and cruel way and prevented from having opportunities and freedom. Now, in Nigeria, there are different cultures and traditions that are peculiar to certain people and tribes. But when we look deeply, some tribes have questionable cultural practices that make one doubt the extent at which they promote an individual's dignity. One of them is female genital mutilation.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a practice where part or all of the external female genitalia is cut, removed, or injured for non-medical reasons. It is usually done to girls from infancy up to their teenage years and is often carried out as part of a cultural or traditional rite. This practice is common in the south West and south East of Nigeria. 

Also, there are different ideologies behind this practice. Some believe that removing or damaging parts of the female genitalia reduces a woman's sexual desire. So if the girl’s sexual desire is controlled, she is more likely to remain a virgin before marriage and be faithful after marriage. This is seen as a way to protect family honour and ensure social respectability. While it is construed as a way to protect family honour and ensure social respectability, the pain that comes from FGM is deemed torturous and oppressive. 

Let's observe the women who are forced to drink water from their husband's corpse just to prove their innocence in his death. It is common among the middle belt and Eastern part of Nigeria. Most times, the ideology behind it is to prove the innocence of a wife's involvement in her husband's death. The logic is based on the spiritual belief that if she has killed her husband, the corpse or ancestral spirits will harm or kill her after drinking it but if she is innocent, nothing will happen. 

Therefore, culturally, the act functions as a ritual ordeal meant to reveal truth. But does the woman have to prove anything to start with? This act is oppressive to women because no amount of justification can erase the disgust that comes with drinking a corpse's water. It is as illogical as it is demeaning. As much as this cultural practice is gradually eradicating, some women still fall victim till today.

Moreover, there is a traditional ceremony where young men are publicly flogged while they must remain calm and show no sign of pain. The ritual is known as the Sharo festival. It is mainly practiced in parts of Northern Nigeria, particularly among Fulani communities. It occurs when a  young man stands in front of the community and another man, usually from the same age group, lashes him with a whip or cane. 

However, the young man must not cry, run, or show fear. If he remains calm and composed, he earns honour and respect. Sometimes the flogging can leave visible wounds or scars and is usually a proof of bravery and masculinity. The idea is that a real man must be courageous and able to endure pain. Is that not punishment, if we may ask? Why go through that just to prove courage? 

Another is the Oro Festival. It is a traditional religious festival practiced among the Yoruba people in southwestern Nigeria. It is connected to the worship of the Oro deity, which in Yoruba traditional religion represents justice, ancestral authority, and social purification.

The Oro cult is traditionally considered a male secret society. Women are forbidden from witnessing the ritual, as it is believed that the mysteries of Oro must remain hidden. Allowing women to witness it is often considered a violation of sacred tradition. While this reflects long-held cultural beliefs, it also raises important questions: When does a cultural or religious tradition become a restriction on the rights of others? Why does it affect women's freedom of movement in particular? These are questions worth thoughtful consideration.

Similar to the Oro festival is the Ozoro festival. It is a long-standing traditional celebration known locally as the Uruamudhu Aluejo Festival, a yearly cultural observance in the Oruamudhu community of Ozoro, Delta State.

Traditionally, the festival is centred on honouring ancestors, seeking communal wellbeing, and observing ritual practices tied to the community's beliefs. However, part of the festival has historically included restrictions on women being outdoors during certain hours, usually from dawn to sunset. This too, invites for reflections. Why are these limitations placed specifically on women and not men? Or rather no one. Could such practices be re-examined in ways that are more inclusive while still preserving cultural meaning?

Ultimately, respecting culture should not mean accepting every tradition without reflection. It should also mean preserving the values that affirm human dignity while thoughtfully engaging with those that undermine it.  In this way, culture does not disappear, it evolves.