International Journal of Humanities and Social Science

ISSN 2220-8488 (Print), 2221-0989 (Online) 10.30845/ijhss

A Critique on the Consequences of Priority of the Individual over the Community in the Contemporary African Context
Gerishon Kuria Njuguna

Abstract
The African person has changed his way of looking at himself and the universe due to modernity. At the heart of life in the traditional African community was the collective and communal formation of the person. Emerging issues in the contemporary society have caused disintegration of the moral fabric of society giving rise to an individualistic society. This paper provides a detailed analysis of consequences of priority of the individual over the community in the contemporary African context. It is established that the community‟s involvement in the formation of the individual is ignored. Modern education caters for the development of individual despising responsible participation in community‟s activities and peaceful coexistence. The close link between elders and youth has been severed. This paper concludes that the community is important to the individual since from it a person draws personhood. The need to salvage and enrich some traditional African values is also underscored.

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