AI age could radically change African cultures and politics

Plato’s allegory

As historical records of the period show, the establishment of missionaries in rural enclaves transformed religious and cultural practices that were integral to the identity of mountain communities. Although traditionalists tried to resist foreign influences, their efforts proved futile when graduates of missionary education understood the science of how snow forms at high altitudes.

Since religion is an integral part of the culture of an African community, demystification of the snow-capped mountain resulted in communities abandoning associated rituals and traditions. Just as the man in Plato’s famous allegory never returned to his cave once he discovered the wonders of the outside world, graduates of missionary education did not revert to traditional culture after they grasped the basic science of the water cycle.

Looking back to a century of modernisation, it is clear that advances in technology and information will continue to bring about cultural changes in Africa. As Karl Marx observed, the culture of a society at any given moment is a synthesis of the forces operating in that community in time and space. Going by the logic of this Marxist theory, it stands to reason that the age of data science will inexorably transform the cultures of African communities whether we like it or not just like in the past.

Indeed, despite advances in technology, there are still many Kenyan cultures that are based on old pre-scientific myths and beliefs. Kenyan newspapers for instance still carry stories of witchcraft and traditional practices that indicate our communities are still living in pre-scientific age. Going by past experience, cultures that are based on myths rather than objective evidence will not be sustainable in the age of reason and data science.

A point of interest is whether the age of data science will transform a Kenyan political culture that is anchored in non-scientific myth of ethnic origins. For although traditional gods have been replaced by God of the Bible, many Kenyans still believe their ethnicity is passed down through their bloodline. This view becomes a political problem because if our differences are by God’s design, then the best we can hope is an ethnically fragmented nation where communities compete for scarce national resources.

According contemporary scientific view however, the idea that our ethnicity is inherited and somehow passed down genetically is not supported by any evidence. The contemporary scientific view is that ethnic identities are constructed in our minds by our parents and the community we live in. This view suggests Kenyans can construct a shared identity by constantly promoting a national as opposed to ethnic identity.

Of the many cultural changes the age of data science will bring, the question that begs is whether this will extend to our political culture. Will the dawn of the age of data science create shared experiences strong enough to fashion a common identity that transcends individual ethnic identities. More importantly, will the onset of the age of data science shift our conceptual framework from myths and traditional beliefs to a culture that is founded on hard evidence.