# I find parts of Africa cultural practices annoying
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [October 15, 2014, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397 "2014-10-15T13:23:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2014, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397/1 "2014-10-15T13:23:26Z")
[http://online.wsj.com/articles/some-ebola-stricken-african-families-pay-bribes-for-fake-death-records-1413153854](http://online.wsj.com/articles/some-ebola-stricken-african-families-pay-bribes-for-fake-death-records-1413153854)
> [@](#):
>
> Some of the teams sent to retrieve bodies of suspected Ebola victims here are collecting cash instead, allegedly accepting bribes to issue death certificates to families saying their loved ones died of other causes and leaving the body, locals and health workers say.
>
> It is a troubling development for an outbreak in which dead bodies are a major source of contagion and one that suggests local corruption could help undermine the international effort to contain the virus.
>
> Liberian funerals typically include washing the body and keeping it for a wake that can last days as relatives and friends come by and kiss the corpse before it is buried, often in a family cemetery nearby. In addition, Ebola infection carries a stigma in the country and people sometimes don’t want to admit a family member died of the disease.
:smack: Look I don’t care if I grew up in a culture that says unless every family member including toddlers rubs up grandpas hemorrhaging corpse he won’t make it to heaven, I’m torching the old fucker. Say hi to to the devil for me gramps!
Not to mention the impossible to eradicate cultural practice of bush meat, blamed for TWO major viral diseases at this point. Not to mention the cultural practice of “dry sex” blamed for HIV transmission being mostly heterosexual.
I think I would quickly get angry and frustrated and burned out if I was a NGO focused on disease prevention in parts of Africa.:smack:
Cue cries of racism!
EDIT:Imagine if it was a cultural practice that to cure cholera you had to throw a cup of the infected person’s diarrhea into the source of drinking water for the community. And it was impossible to eradicate it.
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### Author:  [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2014, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397/2 "2014-10-15T14:00:30Z")
“The imbecility of some Liberians” does not equal “African cultural practices”. It doesn’t even equal “Liberian cultural practices”.
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### Author:  [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2014, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397/3 "2014-10-15T14:12:48Z")
You know you might want **to try** to be less condescending towards us readers. Poisoning the well in your OP just might derail an otherwise interesting thread and send it to the Pit. Few problems with your post.
1. Of course you wouldn’t have a problem breaking foreign cultural norms in times of crisis. But everyone always thinks that their case is special. Chances are that the families have spent their time caring for the deceased throughout their illness and thus, like the proverbial frog in the boiling pot, deluded oneself into thinking that “they can handle this” and/or when facing the desecration of a their child/father/sister/brother/etc would take steps to cling to spiritually reassuring burial norms. You can afford to be detached. It’s not your culture/religion/family member.
2. “Bush Meat” isn’t a “African cultural practice” its the same thing that you Americans, Europeans, Canadians, Aussies, etc do. It’s wild game. People who have families **sometimes need** to hunt game. It is normal. It is common. It is worldwide.
3.\*\* “dry sex”\*\* Putting aside that you’ve now jumped from Liberia to South Africa ([visual aid](https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Liberia/South+Africa/@-8.2573364,1.6780608,4z/data=!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0xf09f803d4a9fcc1:0x7fd3286b32d16373!2m2!1d-9.429499!2d6.428055!1m5!1m1!1s0x1c34a689d9ee1251:0xe85d630c1fa4e8a0!2m2!1d22.937506!2d-30.559482)) I have yet to see citations that this practice is currently prevalent in Southern Africa let alone found anywhere else in Africa.
You seem to very confused as the to size of Africa and its populations wherein.
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### Author:  [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2014, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397/4 "2014-10-15T14:17:05Z")
> [@orcenio](#):
>
> You know you might want **to try** to be less condescending towards us readers. Poisoning the well in your OP just might derail an otherwise interesting thread and send it to the Pit.
**Grude** doesn’t have to be less condescending, he/she already pre-empted any criticism anyone might have!
[QUOTE=Grude]
Cue cries of racism!
[/QUOTE]
Clever, see? Now if you point out all the ignorance in that post, you’re just being a politically correct asshole who won’t acknowledge real-world problems.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2014, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397/5 "2014-10-15T14:27:18Z")
> [@Nava](#):
>
> “The imbecility of some Liberians” does not equal “African cultural practices”. It doesn’t even equal “Liberian cultural practices”.
From what I’ve heard about the extent of corruption in Liberian government it does equate to “Liberian cultural practices”, though still not “African cultural practices”.
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### Author:  [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2014, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397/6 "2014-10-15T15:05:04Z")
> [@TriPolar](#):
>
> From what I’ve heard about the extent of corruption in Liberian government it does equate to “Liberian cultural practices”, though still not “African cultural practices”.
And from what I’ve read about Africa, it pretty much does. Bribery and corruption in government is a problem in many (not all) African countries, not just Liberia. [Cite](http://www.bbc.com/news/business-23231318).
Regards,
Shodan
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### Author:  [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2014, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397/7 "2014-10-15T15:26:29Z")
Please see “parts” of Africa, I thought I made clear these cultural practices are not all clumped together but spread apart and the only thing they have in common is the continent. It wasn’t “hurr all of Africa is teh stupid” it was argh why won’t people give up cultural practices that are proven to cause disease to spread?
The current issue in Liberia is one in a line of issues.
Will you accept cites from wikipedia?
> **[Bushmeat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushmeat)**
>
> Bushmeat is meat from wildlife species that are hunted for human consumption. Bushmeat represents a primary source of animal protein and a cash-earning commodity in poor and rural communities of humid tropical forest regions of the world.
> The numbers of animals killed and traded as bushmeat in the 1990s in West and Central Africa were thought to be unsustainable.
> By 2005, commercial harvesting and trading of bushmeat was considered a threat to biodiversity. As of 2016, 301 terrestrial mammals we...
> [@](#):
>
> Another way that people get infected is due to the fact that some portions of the meat may not be completely cooked. This often occurs due to the type of heating source employed: open fires over which the meat is simply hung.[16] Improper preparation of any infected animal is often fatal.[17]
If you’re not going to stop eating bush meat, how about not eating uncooked bush meat?
> **[Dry sex](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_sex)**
>
> Dry sex is the sexual practice of having sexual intercourse without vaginal lubrication. Vaginal lubrication can be removed by using herbal aphrodisiacs, household detergents, antiseptics, by wiping out the vagina, or by placing leaves in the vagina besides other methods. Dry sex is associated with increased health risks.
> Removing or preventing vaginal lubrication through practices associated with dry sex increases friction during intercourse, which may be perceived as increased vaginal tightnes...
Check out the references at the bottom of the page.
Anyway my point was why people won’t give up cultural practices to stop spreading disease, kinda frustrating.
EDIT:I think handshaking should have been abolished a long time ago, nothing but a goddamn disease vector!
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### Author:  [@The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Holdsworth_Effect)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2014, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397/8 "2014-10-15T15:59:41Z")
The entrenchment of cultural practices in this outbreak in Africa brings to mind historical (1300s) management of the Black Plague- killing cats and old women who might be witches instead of killers of rats and repositories of helpful supportive healthcare. Ignorance combined with a rapid killer sickness resulted in a serious reduction in population. Ignorance isn’t stupidity (I keep reminding myself that).
Bubonic and pneumonic plagues burned themselves out mostly, in eras when treatment was unavailable and travel was very slow- and it’s now too late, in our era of rapid transportation, to effect a thorough quarantine of Ebola.
The cultural practices that help spread Ebola are actually pretty understandable. The cultural practices of bribery and government corruption at all levels is certainly not limited to any continent.
That said (obligatory Libra) I find them fucking scary, not annoying.
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### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397/9 "2014-10-15T19:47:45Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#):
>
> Clever, see? Now if you point out all the ignorance in that post, you’re just being a politically correct asshole who won’t acknowledge real-world problems.
Please don’t call someone an asshole outside the Pit.
And I’m going to move this to GD, since **grude** seems to want to have a debate.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2014, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397/10 "2014-10-15T19:53:01Z")
> [@twickster](#):
>
> Please don’t call someone an asshole outside the Pit.
>
> And I’m going to move this to GD, since **grude** seems to want to have a debate.
Looks like you moved it to ELECTIONS by mistake.
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### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397/11 "2014-10-15T19:55:46Z")
Oops.
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### Author:  [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2014, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397/12 "2014-10-15T20:50:13Z")
> [@twickster](#):
>
> Please don’t call someone an asshole outside the Pit.
>
> And I’m going to move this to GD, since **grude** seems to want to have a debate.
Where’s the invitation to debate? It’s a silly screed that wouldn’t be out of place under the title “I want to pit Africa!!1!eleventyone”
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### Author:  [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2014, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397/13 "2014-10-15T22:02:21Z")
It’s rough, man. Sometimes sitting on your couch and reading about misery and death in far away places can take it’s toll on a man. You can burn out pretty damn quick. Nobody bothers to stop and think about all the suffering endured by the passive bystander.
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### Author:  [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2014, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397/14 "2014-10-15T22:14:13Z")
I find parts of every continents cultural practices annoying. Some everywhere are less than optimal. Some conflict with my values. Some simply are different than what feels right given my experience. Why should Africa be any different?
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### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2014, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397/15 "2014-10-15T22:21:19Z")
If we leave personal jabs aside, Grude has a valid point. Sometimes practicality has to be \*\*strongly \*\*emphasized over impractical “tradition.”
If there were ever a time to FIRMLY say, “No, your tradition of kissing the dead must stop because this corpse has Ebola,” this would be it.
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### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2014, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397/16 "2014-10-15T22:22:21Z")
> [@DinoR](#):
>
> I find parts of every continents cultural practices annoying. Some everywhere are less than optimal. Some conflict with my values. Some simply are different than what feels right given my experience. Why should Africa be any different?
Because most of those cultural practices probably don’t transmit lethal disease.
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### Author:  [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2014, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397/17 "2014-10-15T22:25:00Z")
There’s nothing remotely GD-worthy about this. It’s in the title of the thread: “I find … annoying”. It’s subjective, and not even asking for opinions. MPSIMS or the Pit would be more appropriate.
But yeah, it’s sad to see cultural practices that are so directly harmful still occurring, and it’s sad that people are so stupid that even a little progress can take decades.
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### Author:  [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2014, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397/18 "2014-10-16T03:02:52Z")
> [@grude](#):
>
> :smack: Look I don’t care if I grew up in a culture that says unless every family member including toddlers rubs up grandpas hemorrhaging corpse he won’t make it to heaven, I’m torching the old fucker. Say hi to to the devil for me gramps!
I was in fact raised in a culture where grandpa’s (and great aunt’s, and second cousin once removed’s) corpse was washed by family members and kept on display in his bedroom for a couple days so that all neighbours and remote relative would have a chance to pay a last visit.
Rural France during the 70s.
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### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2014, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397/19 "2014-10-16T03:08:33Z")
> [@clairobscur](#):
>
> I was in fact raised in a culture where grandpa’s (and great aunt’s, and second cousin once removed’s) corpse was washed by family members and kept on display in his bedroom for a couple days so that all neighbours and remote relative would have a chance to pay a last visit.
>
> Rural France during the 70s.
Yes, but Ebola wasn’t present, was it?
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### Author:  [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2014, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-find-parts-of-africa-cultural-practices-annoying/701397/20 "2014-10-16T03:24:38Z")
> [@orcenio](#):
>
> 3.\*\* “dry sex”\*\* Putting aside that you’ve now jumped from Liberia to South Africa ([visual aid](https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Liberia/South+Africa/@-8.2573364,1.6780608,4z/data=!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0xf09f803d4a9fcc1:0x7fd3286b32d16373!2m2!1d-9.429499!2d6.428055!1m5!1m1!1s0x1c34a689d9ee1251:0xe85d630c1fa4e8a0!2m2!1d22.937506!2d-30.559482)) I have yet to see citations that this practice is currently prevalent in Southern Africa let alone found anywhere else in Africa.
>
> You seem to very confused as the to size of Africa and its populations wherein.
> **["Dry sex" worsens AIDS numbers in southern Africa](https://www.salon.com/1999/12/10/drysex/)**
>
> Sub-Saharans' disdain for vaginal wetness accelerates the plague.
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