While tribes provide an avenue to identify with our past, through the various cultural and traditional heritages passed down until the current generation, tribes can also have adverse negative consequences to the existence of the collective human race. In my opinion the negative effects that upholding your tribe has outweighs the positive outcome. Keep in mind that this article is purely made up of my own opinions and that I am not trying to offer a solution to this problem, but rather trying to expose the problems created by having tribes, that most people overlook. So some suggestions presented in this article to problems brought about by tribes need to be improved I must admit.
        Having tribes means subdividing into smaller units the human population. Each segment is independent in language, culture, belief system and way of life.
        I was brought up in Kenya and I shall use its tribal demographics for most examples that I shall use. Kenya has an area of approximately 600, 000 Km2 (225,000 miles2) with a total of 42 distinct tribes inhabiting this land.
       Given the various tribal conflicts that have plagued this land both in recent times and even in ancient times, I have good reason to suggest that the governing authorities should merge all these tribes into one tribe. Every tribe should document its entire history and leave it at that, in the past. They should then join hands with people from other tribes to form one community whose traditions and cultures will be defined within time by each individual. The government should provide a platform for this to happen by outlawing the many languages from the tribes and develop one language to be used by everyone. The naming system should also change and people should name their offspring according to the new language and no name should give a hint of association to any tribe except the newly formed one. The government should also encourage its citizens to settle on any part of the country so that no one particular geographical location is synonymous with any tribe.
        The abolishing of ethnic identity seems a far fetched idea, I know. The Maasai community of Kenya are particularly important to Kenya's tourism because they are the graphic icon used to represent indigenous peoples in the eyes of the tourist. To do away with them means redefining marketing of Kenyan tourism industry to tourists. As I said, their cultures, languages and traditions need to be clearly documented so that it stays in history forever. Everyone should be identifying with the new tribe that is as a result of merger of all tribes. If anyone wants to become a Maasai for benefit of making money in the tourism industry, they can do so.
        The challenges presented by having too many tribes are as follows:
--> The Tutsi and Hutu supremacy conflict that led to the Rwandan genocide of 1994.

--> Fights between nomadic communities over pastures and grazing land.

--> The ongoing hostility from non-Somali/Islam Africans towards the Somali and African Islams
--> The ethnic cleansing of the natives of the land now called America by the European immigrants to that land led by Christopher Columbus
--> Kenya's 2007 post election violence. among many others

      Other conflicts may not stem up from tribal lines but tribalism may be used or may be a vulnerability.
        There exist at least 3000 ethnic groups in the whole of Africa. Most that exist today were formed between 10th to 18th century. During this time, tribes would separate because of conflicts and over time their ways of life and languages would evolve along different paths. The Trans-Atlantic slave trade also did a lot to divide the African population into clusters and over time these clusters would  evolve to become a new tribe. Maybe the tribe that you hold so dear to you was as a result of the suffering your grandfathers had!
        The nonsense brought about by being loyal to only a section of a population rather than the whole is just that. No tribe is better than the other therefore this creates the illusion in peoples minds that theirs is the better tribe just because you belong to it. You end up substituting the human race for a tribe. Tribalism poses a challenge to youths when looking for someone to marry. Its usually uncommon for inter-tribal marriage yet for no good reason. Its possible for your heart to fall in love with anyone regardless of their ethnic background. To hold someone off from your heart because they are of a different tribe demonstrates low logical abilities. That goes to all parents who have refused to bless their children's wishes to marry just because of the ethnic diversity that these lands we reside on have. Then there is the employer who holds a public position in an organization but only hires on tribal basis. The list of prejudices from tribalism go on and on.
        Ultimately the human race is better off united under one government led by everyone and not the financial elites and morally decayed people. We should all have one tribe that is the human race.