CULTURE, ART AND TECHNOLOGY: AN INTEGRAL CONNECTION

Résumé

This paper dealt with culture, art and technology as integrally connected and a major impetus for the emergence of modern civilisations. The paper posited that every human group, no matter where they are located, have cultural traits that mark them out; imbedded in that culture is the art which is the physical manifestation of concepts of that culture. The paper went on to show that Africa as represented by the Igbo of Nigeria have a very rich cultural and artistic heritage. The same way the Japanese and other Asian and Western societies have. However, the problem is that, while these Asian and Western societies have built civilisations thriving on this rich cultural heritage, African societies still lag behind. Adopting approaches that are historical and contextual, the paper concludes that modernity as an unending progress toward the fulfillment of human needs through technological advancement. The West have made enormous technical advances on the basis of this understanding of reality. Africa, particularly the Igbo of Nigeria must strive to push themselves up on the ladder of development leveraging on their very rich cultural and artistic heritage.