ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF CULTURE PRESERVATION FOR THE FAMILY IN IGBO LAND, NIGERIA

Abstract

Culture gives people a sense of unity and belonging within a group and allows them to better understand previous generations and the history of where they come from. The indispensable role of family in culture preservation was explained in this study because it is said that whatever a child did not learn in the family, he can never learn it again; or he will learn it negatively outside the family. This is because it is the family that makes us what we are or what we are going to be in the future. Hence, this study looks at the economic benefits of culture preservation in Igbo land since no society, no nation can survive without taking into consideration the stratum of the children who will learn from their parents, their culture and how to preserve it, the values, duties and aspirations of the nation with which they are identified and where they will eventually develop their potentials. The study viewed parents as the primary agents of family and culture preservation and thus concludes by explaining the potential economic benefits of culture preservation such as: investment opportunities/strengthening of neighborhoods, tourism development and job diversification, local economic development/business growth, regional development, spatial attractiveness and higher property values, conserving resources and waste reduction. Therefore, understanding the past enhances competitiveness, incubates local traditions and values, and strengthens community inclusion and intergenerational equity and sustainable development.