Artificial Reproductive Technology: Cultural considerations through an African lens

Abstract

Artificial Reproductive Technology (ART) as a variant of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming popular among Africans as an alternative to infertility among married couples. With the prioritization of fertility as an indispensable ingredient for sustaining family lineages, ART stands as a potential alternative for couples to shun the negative societal labels as a result of infertility after their marriage. Yet, issues about fertility are not just a couple’s affair but rather a societal affair in a typical African society. That notwithstanding, the processes in ART are acceptable to the traditional African cultural ideology of fertility and childbirth. This paper scholarly discusses the potential drivers and resistance to decisions of acceptance of ART in typical traditional African societies. It contends that due to the evolvement of culture, which is not a static phenomenon of societies, coupled with the pressure mounted on married couples by African families, the acceptance of ART holds promising grounds in Africa in the not-too-distant future.