Journal of African Studies and Sustainable Development

This article discusses and analyzes the negative impact of globalization which is primarily entrenched in cultural imperialism. The problem addressed is the high rate of cultural values of the developing countries that are rendered impotent in the homogenization of Western cultures based on the erroneous perception of Westernization or Americanization as the ideal in the globalized world. This article examines fundamental questions like; what is the relevance of culture in the globalized world? Can there be equality of cultures in a globalized world where certain cultures have higher advantages in terms of the dissemination of their values and ideas? If there is a possibility of cultural synergy, to what extent does such synergy encompass intercultural competence to establish equality of culture? In addressing these questions which dwells on a cultural synergistic approach as a panacea to cultural imperialism in the wake of globalization, dialogue is prioritized as the unavoidable prerequisite to cultural synergy. The importance and the benefit of the cultural synergistic approach lie in the emancipation of cultures of the developing countries and the recovery of the humanness of the oppressed. Hence, cultural synergy is preferred over cultural imperialism because the globalized world is meant for all cultures of the world as the basic tenet of cultural synergy. In all, the main argument is that cultural synergy remains the ideal approach to globalization in the midst of a multiplicity of cultures.

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