The struggle of the peoples of South Africa against direct and indirect bondage of apartheid allied with the might of Western economic hegemony provides ample testimony of the agonies of Africa in its determination to overcome the inhumanities of colonialism and neo-colonialism. In that historical context, African countries are at present going through a necessary phase of consolidating the fabric of national identity and unity of all their peoples, free from the destructive afflictions of tribalism which have already created massive losses of life in several countries. These historical factors are crucial in seeking to place into perspective the question of the human rights of indigenous and distinctive cultural communities in Africa. However, in common with other regions of the world, Africa is not composed of a monolithic human cultural population. This holds equally true in the case of the different countries of our continent.
Most African countries have peoples of diverse cultural roots.
What is more, almost a century of colonialism has left a legacy of very unequal access to education which has in turn created wide disparities in participation in the apparatus of the state and the national economy. Yet there is hardly any African state that has a charter of rights that gives recognition to the existing cultural diversity. Preoccupation with the promotion of the rights of the majority and the vital need to consolidate national identity and unity are beyond doubt necessary undertakings. But these concerns should never be pursued to the exclusion of the protection of the legitimate rights of vulnerable minorities. To do that undermines the very objective of national unity and places a primary component of human rights to cultural diversity outside the agenda of national ethics, integrity and freedom to development options.