Cultural Conflicts behind 2014 Outbreak in West Africa

Abstract

The global society has been astonished by the 2014 outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in the western African countries. While the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency, local residents were uneasy about the government`s `uarantine measures and scenes of resident-government conflictswere fre`uent in the West Africa. Funeral practices, among other traditional practices of culture, are condemned for increasing the spread of Ebola virus. In view of the cultural conflicts behind the 2014 outbreak, the present essay argues that traditions are not necessarily to be considered as obstacles. They need only to be adjusted. It will be all human beings` loss to transform different cultures into a single universal culture. To create a suitable environment for development accordingly does not have to be singularly based on liberal and neo-liberal theories.