UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE

NAME: WYCKCIF
SURNAME: MACHIDHA
REG NO: R224050N
DEGREE PROGRAM: SOCIAL INNOVATION AND COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
MODULE OUTLINE: CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT
MODULE CODE: BSCID 101
LECTURER: MRS B. CHIKUKUTU

ASSIGNMENT QUESTION: ”There is a possibility of development programs being

unsuccessful if development is not culture friendly” Using valid examples discuss to what extent
this is true

2022
The impact of culture on the success of development programs has previously been overlooked
by policymakers and development planners, yet very crucial in various contexts. According to
Mensah (2019), development is a multi-dimensional process involving changes in structures,
altitudes, and institutions as well as the acceleration of economic growth, reduction of inequality
and eradication of absolute poverty. Zautra et al. (2008) add that it involves programs, policies or
activities that seek to improve the economic well-being and quality of life of a community. On
the other hand, culture is defined as the whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material,
intellectual and emotional features that characterize a society or social group (Kovac, 2006).
According to UNESCO (2010) cited in Bandarin et al. (2011), it includes not only arts and
letters, but also modes of life, the fundamental rights of the human being, value systems,
traditions, and beliefs. Even though there is a huge difference between these two concepts, their
relationship is remarkably crucial. In this regard, this essay seeks to unveil the relationship
between the two concepts as well as bring to perspective how cultural considerations can impact
the success of development programs.

According to Akpomuvie (2010), culture, for a very long period, has been considered the main
obstacle to development in Africa. According to Modo (1998) cited in Akpomuvie (2010), this
was mainly because of the lack of understanding of the concept of culture and how it affected
development as it was, by then, believed that development was essentially an economic
phenomenon mainly concerned with per capita GNP improvements with the assumption that the
benefits of growth would trickle down to the general populace in the form of jobs as well as
other economic opportunities or result in the establishment of conditions necessary for broader
distribution both social and economic benefits. However, according to Akpomuvie (2010), this
was never the case and the opposite has remained the case as most people did not benefit from
these developments.

As previously mentioned, development seeks to enhance the economic well-being as well as the
quality of livelihoods of people within a community or country through the formulation and
implementation of various programs, policies and projects. Despite the intention to improve the
overall well-being of the people in the community in which development programs are being
implemented, Akpomuvie (2010) argues that “the cultural dimension of development is a long-
neglected aspect of development”. The author argues that in order to effectively and
successfully implement development projects, development planners need to consider culture,
both scientifically and practically. In addition, it is also argued that people in society do not
commit themselves to a development undertaking unless that undertaking corresponds to their
deeply felt needs, people should be able to derive the means and motivation for their
development, thus more emphasis is put on culture-friendly development.

From the above-inferred arguments, culture-friendly development can thus be viewed as

development that respects, protects, and promotes the culture of the community in which
development activities take place. While formulating development policies, policymakers must
consider the culture of the beneficiaries of development activities to guarantee that the
development is culture-friendly or does not hurt the local culture. If development is not culturally
sensitive, local culture will be destroyed. It will cause locals to lose self-respect. When people
lose their dignity, we cannot argue that they have achieved growth since self-respect is one of the
three parts that comprise the genuine meaning of development. This demonstrates that culture-
hostile development does not result in true development, while it does lead to a change in local
culture and some positive economic improvement. In addition, there is a chance that
development projects will fail if development is not culturally sensitive.

Thus, culture-friendly development is the process of bringing about positive improvements in the
life of the target population without damaging or destroying their indigenous culture. According
to Mpofu (2012), the proponents of the western influence paradigm of development tend to
disregard culture-sensitive development. They view the local culture of less developed nations as
an impediment to their progress. In order to pave the path for their progress, they prioritise the
annihilation of their culture. As a result, the modernising perspective on development, which is
not culturally sensitive, has contributed to the extinction of numerous indigenous civilizations.
Moreover, it has brought many cultures of less developed nations to the brink of extinction
(Hughes, 2004).

The scourge of development programs in the majority of developing nations, notably in Africa, is
a lack of awareness of the people's needs and ignorance of their historical, environmental, and
socio-cultural backgrounds. Thus, the anthropological definition of development is based on the
needs as well as aspirations of the community, which are fully expressed in their values and
norms. Since development is an adaptive institutional operation, the presented indicators should
not be modelled against any external influence but rather on factors pertinent to the society's
ambitions (Mawere, 2014).

Bendarin et al. (2011) have emphasised that the cultural context of civilisation is a significant
element in its growth. The whole of a society's values, conventions, characteristics, and beliefs
impact its social, economic, and political organisation and instil a general attitude toward
development and related challenges. According to Akpomuvie (2010), culture is considered the
totality of a society's values, beliefs, attitudes, rituals, and behavioural patterns as a crucial
foundation of economic and social transformation. The author citing studies in the 1990s alluded
to the fact that theories of development that disregard the significance of cultural elements have
been demonstrated to foster apathy, alienation, and social strife.

Considering the aforementioned arguments, it can be noted that the successful implementation of
development programs immensely requires cultural considerations. For example, most
development programs such as dam construction result in involuntary resettlements of people
living in the area in which the project is intended to be undertaken. According to Cernea (1991),
the number of people displaced by the construction of dams varies according to the density of the
population, ecological conditions as well as reservoir elevations. In many cases, the number of
people displaced is very high and tens or even hundreds of thousands of people are affected.
Even when the overall number of people to be relocated is small, the severity of the
consequences of the displacement inflicted at the level of the individual families affected is
essentially the same. Examples of these projects include the construction of the Dienjakou
reservoir in China in which 383 000 people were displaced, Sobradinho dams in Brazil where 65
000 people were involuntarily displaced. In Africa, the construction of the Masinga Lake in
Kenya resulted in the displacement of 4000-6000 people, Volta Lake in Ghana (80 000), Cabora
Bassa Lake in Mozambique (25 000), Masser in Egypt (120 000) and Kainji in Nigeria
approximately 50 000 people were displaced. Locally, the construction of the Kariba Dam
resulted in the involuntary displacement of approximately 86 000 people in Zimbabwe and
Zambia (Cenia, 1991). In all these cases, major disruptions to local culture and social lives were
inflicted on those relocated.

Even though these development projects are intended to result in national or regional
development, if not carefully planned as assessed, these can result in massive economic losses
well as socio-cultural disruptions thus not achieving the overall intention of the project (Amini,
2020). Taking for instance, the construction of the local Kariba dam was intended for
hydroelectricity generation which was earmarked at benefiting the whole nation. However,
because of the projects, farming systems were destroyed, arable lands and forests were lost, land
improvements disappeared and social networks were dismantled. Moreover, local people may
become worse off as their livelihoods are tempered. In addition, such development projects and
programs also result in family ties or social networks being destroyed through involuntary
displacement, loss of important heritage sites, arts letters, and spiritual, material, intellectual and
emotional features within society. It is also important to note that culture is not only about the
present, but also takes history into account. With such developments, historical and spiritual
cultural sites such as graveyards and ritual sites which might be of great importance in the lives
of local people are completely eliminated from their lives making them somehow feel as if they
do not have any history of their own (Cenia, 1991).

It is important to however note that although compulsory resettlements are not desirable and
extremely difficult to implement, most projects and programs that render relocation inevitable
are usually of critical importance for national and regional development (Komurcu, 2001). Cenia
(1991) argues that when long-term interest conflict with the immediate interests of local groups
affected by such projects, the former usually prevail. However, for these to be successful and
benefit all, preventative and mitigatory steps need to be taken early in the project in order to
minimise the adverse effects of forced resettlement and reconcile conflicting interests. Because
those who bear the consequences of the resettlement are rarely those who receive the greatest
benefits from national projects and programs, such as dam construction, it is incumbent upon
policymakers and project planners to provide resettled populations with opportunities to re-
establish and improve their previous productive potential and living standards as well as preserve
their cultural heritage and maintain social networks (Cenia, 1991).

In conclusion, development is very crucial as it results in improved welfare and economic

growth. However, for development programs to achieve these and obtain buy-in from all parties
and citizens, their success depends on how culturally friendly they are. It is crucial for
policymakers and development planners to consider the cultural values of people in areas they
intend to undertake projects. By so doing they can be in a better position to make decisions that
would result in greater for the community. Thus, for development projects to be successful, they
ought to be culturally friendly.
References

Akpomuvie, O.B., 2010. Culture and the Challenges of Development in Africa: Towards A
Hybridization of Traditional and Modern Values. African Research Review, 4(1).

Amini, K., 2020. Analysis of social and cultural challenges of dam construction in affected rural
areas; Case study: Darian Hawraman dam.

Bandarin, F., Hosagrahar, J. and Albernaz, F.S., 2011. Why development needs culture. Journal
of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development.

Cernea, M.M., 1991. Socio‐economic and cultural approaches to involuntary population

resettlement. Guidelines on lake management, 2, pp.177-188.

Hughes, T.P., 2004. Human-built world: How to think about technology and culture. University
of Chicago Press.

Komurcu, M., 2001. Cultural heritage endangered by large dams and its protection under
international law. Wis. Int'l LJ, 20, p.233.

Mawere, M., 2014. Culture, indigenous knowledge and development in Africa: Reviving
interconnections for sustainable development. Langaa Rpcig.

Mensah, J., 2019. Sustainable development: Meaning, history, principles, pillars, and
implications for human action: Literature review. Cogent social sciences, 5(1), p.1653531.

Mpofu, P., 2012. The dearth of culture in sustainable development: The impact of NGOs’ agenda
and conditionalities on cultural sustainability in Zimbabwe. Journal of Sustainable Development
in Africa, 14(4), pp.191-205.

Zautra, A., Hall, J. and Murray, K., 2008. Community development and community resilience:
An integrative approach. Community Development, 39(3), pp.130-147.