Religion, the African Concept of the Individual, and Human Rights Discourse: An Analysis

Abstract

Notions of right, wrong, and moral are difficult to comprehend since these notions differ throughout the world, given the different cultures in which they are found. This difficulty is further complicated by inevitable social changes that characterize modern societies; changes that have sometimes challenged these notions as a consequence of secularization and pluralism, with some stemming from religious influences. Given this fact, one who chooses to live by cultural prescription may often find oneself in conflict with notions of social justice in another cultural setting. The need to understand cultural norms of a given society, community, or ethnic group is therefore necessary in order to interrogate notions of right, wrong, and moral in a given context. In this article I examine the tension between the African concept of the individual and the notion of the human rights to highlight possibilities in reconciling human rights values to the African social cultural context in effort to promote the common good that is embedded in social justice.