Culture is Wealth: Afro-Caribbean Chamber's Pan-African Vision
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On JustGospel's Just Business with Lindi Tshabangu, Honorable Quadri Adukanni, President of the Afro-Caribbean Chamber of Culture and Tourism, shared how cultural preservation drives economic empowerment across Africa and the Caribbean diaspora.
The Fusion Connection
"When we talk about Afro-Caribbean, we're looking at fusion, connectivity between Africans and our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean," Quadri explained. "When you go to Barbados, Jamaica, many Caribbean countries—our culture, our way of life, even some of our food. That's why we thought there's need to create this environment between two regions. Once an African, always an African, no matter where you're moving from."
Culture as Economic Engine
"When you talk of culture, you're talking about entertainment, the place you live, your views, politics. This is very beautiful. Most young Africans, if they follow culture, they will not look for jobs—they provide employment. When you look at countries thriving in GDP—look at Nollywood, they're doing well. Media, they're doing well. That's why we ask African leaders: push this way. It will be beneficial to the African continent as a whole."
The Nollywood Example
"Look at Nollywood—it's making Nigeria proud. Nigeria will very soon cover the whole world because it's giving young Nigerians jobs, modernization. People know who they are. Culture can create a lot of opportunities. It's embedded in that culture."
Culture: Our Way of Life
"Culture in Africa—every family has their own. In Nigeria today, there's families that if you want to get married, they have certain cultural requirements you must indulge in. If you don't do it, you cannot marry. Whether you're Christian or Muslim, you have to do this. Culture has been part of our life—it's our way of life. We can't push it aside."
What the West Took
"When Western colonizers came to Africa, they brought religion and took our culture away. Mind you, they're using our culture to develop many things. They benefited with our culture. Culture is our wealth. Culture is the engine. Our politics may be problematic, but culture will tell you: you should not indulge in anything negative. You should not be corrupt. But tradition is different from culture. Whether we bring Western influence here, we should not throw culture away. What makes us African is our culture—so unique. Every young African, every boy in the world, needs to not joke with our culture."
The Fusion Connection
"When we talk about Afro-Caribbean, we're looking at fusion, connectivity between Africans and our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean," Quadri explained. "When you go to Barbados, Jamaica, many Caribbean countries—our culture, our way of life, even some of our food. That's why we thought there's need to create this environment between two regions. Once an African, always an African, no matter where you're moving from."
Culture as Economic Engine
"When you talk of culture, you're talking about entertainment, the place you live, your views, politics. This is very beautiful. Most young Africans, if they follow culture, they will not look for jobs—they provide employment. When you look at countries thriving in GDP—look at Nollywood, they're doing well. Media, they're doing well. That's why we ask African leaders: push this way. It will be beneficial to the African continent as a whole."
The Nollywood Example
"Look at Nollywood—it's making Nigeria proud. Nigeria will very soon cover the whole world because it's giving young Nigerians jobs, modernization. People know who they are. Culture can create a lot of opportunities. It's embedded in that culture."
Culture: Our Way of Life
"Culture in Africa—every family has their own. In Nigeria today, there's families that if you want to get married, they have certain cultural requirements you must indulge in. If you don't do it, you cannot marry. Whether you're Christian or Muslim, you have to do this. Culture has been part of our life—it's our way of life. We can't push it aside."
What the West Took
"When Western colonizers came to Africa, they brought religion and took our culture away. Mind you, they're using our culture to develop many things. They benefited with our culture. Culture is our wealth. Culture is the engine. Our politics may be problematic, but culture will tell you: you should not indulge in anything negative. You should not be corrupt. But tradition is different from culture. Whether we bring Western influence here, we should not throw culture away. What makes us African is our culture—so unique. Every young African, every boy in the world, needs to not joke with our culture."
