Our president’s call for a return to African values is hampered by the pressing demands of a changing world. Symbolic actions are one thing: slaughtering a cow on one’s doorstep is messy, but can be done quickly, allowing one to proceed with the business of modern living right away. When it comes down to it, traditions are inevitably associated with conservatism and being stuck in the past.

My engagement with African tradition has led me to believe otherwise. Indigenous traditions of pre-industrial cultures were brimming with technologies for working with change. The reason is simple: these cultures lived close to the land.