Members of Lol State Assembly recently passed a bill to allow local youth to practice traditional dances during weekends in all counties and payams. State Minister of Information Michael Mathok Wal confirmed the passage of the bill. With the law in place, the youth are allowed to practice their cultural traditions every weekend in order to help preserve the culture for the future generation. Culture is one way we express ourselves as a people and so we must preserve it at all costs. It is important to note that during the olden days, our forefathers used our cultures to communicate and express their traditional practices. They also used the cultural traditions to showcase their communal activities and prowess. Today, modernity continues to threaten some our rich cultural traditions to the extent that some African languages are almost becoming extinct. The youth of this generation have been morally corrupted, which must be addressed. Cultural traditions are important because they convey shared values, stories and goals from one generation to the next. Traditions encourage groups of people to create and share a collective identity which in turn serves to shape individual identities. We should never lose our traditions and culture at the expense of foreign influence. Most conservative societies use their cultures to mark significant occasions or life changes eg circumcision, joining different age sets including adulthood or becoming an elder on the community. It is a common practice in many cultures to celebrate the transition between childhood and adulthood. Cultural traditions also help strengthen a sense of community. When different communities participate in a cross cultural event, other people learn a lot about how to co-exist with one another. Culture can also be used as a way of preaching peace and unity amongst different communities. Each participating community gets to appreciate what its neighbors do to keep their identity. Some cultures and traditions celebrate a girl’s transition into womanhood,” he stated.
