Americans tend to glorify the future, devalue the past and be unconscious of the present. We are good at planning and executing long term future projects, bad at preserving tradition and honoring our elderly. A new model is better than the former one. Change is usually seen as good. In the 1992 presidential campaign, Clinton ran as the candidate for change.
African cultures strive to maintain tradition and continuity.
They value the customs of the ancestors, and revere their elders, recognizing their contributions in providing continuity and a stable society. Americans often put a priority on work in contrast to the priority Africans put on human relationships. Similar to valuing change for change's sake, we value work and action for their own sakes. They gain identity from family, tribal and religious activities as well as from work. Before living in Cameroon and Zimbabwe, my career gave me identity.