In the old days family used to be defined as a people in a house together, this was definition used to explain about past societies and its perspective. Recently family is group of people who are important to each other love and support, especially in times of crisis. (colson, 1958), in order to be sensitive to the wide variety of styles in life ,living arrangement, and culture variation that exist today the family can no longer be limited to just parent child relationships, but also must involve mothers,fathers,sisters,brothers,grandparents,neighbors and all people who have important roles in life of peoples living in difficulties.
Also a family is a set of people who were related to each other by blood, marriage or adoption, Family membership is determined by a combination of biological and cultures factors that varies among societies.(Maryland 1990),The interested thing is that family have good communication, and there is more strengthen and family support.
In the other hand Religion is the communally held system of beliefs and practices that are associated with transcendent supernatural reality. A religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden—beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a Church, all those who adhere to them."(Emile Durkheim)
When we are looking on Global change we are referring to all changes or new ideas that used to take place in the world day after day due to advance in technology, in highly industrialized countries where by Africans are there only to adapt from western industrialized countries and not to practice their family culture or religion culture.
Mostly of changes taking place in most of east African countries include marriage systems where changes are now from polygamy to monogamy, some people do not prefer to get in to marriage but they decide to own their children without having married. In religion the system of religion had now changed especially in Christianity religion people are now praying by shouting with lager voices and microphones rather than staying quietly and pray with the lower voices as it was in the previous ten years.
The selected society of discussion as a case study will be Chagga society which is founding in the northern part of Tanzanian country. In this society most of changes taking place are due to the following reasons which are Globalization, Social interaction, Migration and Formal education of which different ideas are exchanged between peoples in the community.
Globolisation is described as the process in which the word is increasingly defined by common activity. Refer to the extent to which wars, cultures, and many other aspects of life are becoming more globally interrelated in a way that what happens in one side of the world affect the other side of the world both socially, culturally and economically through adoption and practices in the whole world.
Interaction, this is the act from one society as it have a positive or negative effect to the other side of the society (Morison, 1986). Under the influence of free trade people had been moving from different part of the country for employment and business activities. This interaction led the adoption of different ideas and actions from one group of people to the other group. Example people can now interact with peoples from central region like Dodoma region and one part among the two part can adopt from the other group.
Migration, This is the movement of people from one society to the other society in looking of social services like education, It can also be in looking of employment opportunity or some societies can migrate to other areas in looking of pastures for their cattle or animals, examples of these societies includes maasai of east Africa. Some people from chagga land are now adopting Massai’s dressing styles and the ways leading the family.
Formal education, the big influences for changes in family life and religions practices is now a highly influenced by systems of education being produced in our schools. As the most of schools have a freedom of worshiping it is easy for any student to shift from his original religion to the modern one. Formal education is the one used by colonialist to change many of chaggas people from believing on tradition religion to modern ones. It is the education which changed the ways peoples to marry from polygamy families to present monogamy families in most of Christian’s believers.
In this approach the trend on different changes taking place in African societies especially in chagga society ranges in the following areas which are socially, culturally, and economically, both of them interns of Religious changes and Family changes in our daily life.
In previous time both of African families used to work together in a mutual cooperation, it was also the duty of parents to sit together with Children in all the time speaking and exchanging different information from both parts. Parents used this time to give advice and canceling to their sons and daughter on how to live peacefully. This has nowadays has changed where most of time parents are out looking for the income to feed their families, and their children are in schools for the whole time, on which they are now been cared by teachers and other children.
During the time of marriage the family father and mother were responsible to choose a fiancé to their boy or lady, Children were not allowed to look for their own loves. Due to the improvement in science and technology, globalization, and education children are now free to choose for their own. Now marriage is planned by lovers themselves and not parent who plan for their children again.
Most of religions practices was traditionally that includes worshiping in the big trees, worshiping in the big stones and in the big forests. By doing this it helped them in the time of crisis like shortage of rainfall and hunger, where by doing this it helped them as they were in a good position to get enough rainfall for them to produce enough food.
As the time goes people had changed from tradition religion to modern ones which is Islamic and Christianity in majority, where by worshiping it is not being done in the big trees and forest but it is done in the churches and in mosques by people using to call the name of God to redeem them from catastrophe, and forgiving them from their sins. It is the god who is believed to be more powerful and can make each and everything possible.
In the other side’s the issue of sacrifices in the religions is not yet practiced as in previous time. People used to give sacrifices in the big forest and stones as they believe that their god lives there. Within the same society people now giving money to the church leaders as a sign of giving back to God. Today the church leaders they are standing to present God in this world.
Authority in a family .Most of the African families used to be leaded by father as a head of the family. Due to the changes of education and policies women empowerment they are now the leaders of the families and they can now make decision without the presence of a man. In the families with a rich women than her husband the key decision is being done by women and man stay as the implementer of what is being said by his wife. It is something which is common in Machame societies as an influence from women empowerment policy.
Family cultures and practices, it is now a history for the culture of a family to stay together in the evening and children of the family listening the oral tradition from their Grandparents. Most of Chaldeans in Chagga society are now using most of their time to looks different channels on their TVs, some time they use the same time to chart with different friends by using mobile phones or internet. All of these are the result from the advancement of changing in science and technology.
Family structures, In the previous society most of families in Tanzania was being under the different ranks starting by father in the top and followed by mother and Chaldeans. Currently due to changes in cultures , Globalization, income and break of marriages there are some families living by Mother as a head of family, here we are finding single parent families, blended families, and unmarried couple with Chaldeans. In other areas like Iringa region there are family structure leaded by Chaldeans known as child headed families as their parents has died by HIV/AIDS.
In the same reason the role of parents had changed towards the development of their family and Chaldeans. Parents are now using much of their time in working than staying with their Chaldeans. Income generation activities is now the main part of daily activities on which the work of treating the children’s is been now done by teachers in schools and colleges.
As there are many and rapid changes in most of African families and religions and Tanzania in particular, these changes must go hand in hand with the ways on which social and economic improvement will be favored by this new changes in African religions and families. it is the time of which Tanzanians can mix with some good religion practices and family practices from other countries.
REFERENCES:
- E.Evance and Pritchard (1963),Witchcraft and survry in Africa:Wetherby woolpress_London.
- Colson E (1958),Marriage and the family among the plateau tonga of Northern Rhodesia-UK.
- George Ritcher (2001) Classical sociological Theory, 5th edition;Mcgrahill publishers.ltd-New York.
- Murray Morison (1986) Method in sociology; Longman Publishing press-New York.ISBN-0-58235507-9
- Maryland University (1990) Sociology Annual edition; Durkin Publishing group- Virginia.
No comments:
Post a Comment