Journal of African Studies and Sustainable Development

Attention has been drown to the difficulties that urbanization, globalization, and shifting social practices presents to ancestor veneration in Igboland of Nigeria. The loss of cultural memory due to modern digital innovation threatens traditional practices and rituals, diminishing the complexity and richness of collective identity. Ancestral veneration serves as a vital link between the past and present, fostering a sense of connection, rootedness, and cultural identity among people.This study recognizes the unexplored scholarly discourse on the danger that rapid urbanization possess to culture and tradition of Igboland. The paper studied the consequences of urbanizationand investigated how the intergenerational transfer of ancestral knowledge and rites has been undermined by the movement of younger generations to urban areas, which has further reduced the role of ancestral veneration in modern Igbo culture. The paper employs Cultural Sustainability Theory to determine howArtificial intelligence(AI) can contribute to the sustainability of cultural practices such as ancestral veneration by digitizing and preserving traditional knowledge, artifacts, and rituals and how AI can facilitate intergenerational knowledge transfer by creating digital platforms for sharing oral histories and cultural ceremonies, thus safeguarding and revitalizing ancestral veneration practices for future generations. The data was collected through oral histories and secondary sources, while qualitative were used in the analysis of data. The study reveals that traditional ancestral venerations in Igboland are declining due to globalization and digital advancements. Younger generations are less involved in these sacred practices due to urbanization and Western cultural influences. Moreover, the rise of digital platforms has shifted attention away from traditional community rituals towards virtual spaces, further undermining the legitimacy of ancestral veneration. The survival of these customs is seriously threatened by the growing digital divide between the younger and elder generations. The paper proposes the utilization ofAI because it has the potential to save ancestral practices by integrating them into the digital age, including the next generation, and raise public consciousness through educational initiatives.

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