Abstract

This work is about cultural hegemony and Africa’s development process. It examines the backwardness associated with the truncation of African cultural modes of development and the unsuccessful adaptation to western systems introduced by colonial powers. Among the Africa’s lost cultural values, as stated in this work, include the African languages for thinking and planning development processes; sense of community life for effective community organization and development which also would have culminated in the evolution of an ideology for state development in Africa. The paper points out the challenges posed by the destruction of Africa’s cultural values especially language and conceptualization; traditional religion; sense of community life; social capital development; and, democratic system. The paper accentuates the point that Africa should desist from what could be regarded as the ‘colonial overstretch’ and finally, argues that because of the adjustment failures to western traditional systems by African states, the revival or equipment of African traditional values for development, constitute a way forward. 

Key words: Africa, culture, development, hegemony, values, trajectories.