This archive report was first published on 13 September 2019.
Published on September 13, 2019, by Tee Ngugi, a Nairobi-based political commentator, this article reflects on the concept of alienation in Africa and its impact on the continent's development.
Ngugi begins by referencing Abiola Irele's essay 'In Praise of Alienation,' which challenges the notion of alienation advanced by scholars like Frantz Fanon. According to Fanon, the African elite, educated in colonial institutions, becomes hostile to their culture and traditional society.
Ngugi argues that this formulation oversimplifies the complex situation in Africa. He cites the example of Okot P'Bitek's 'Song of Lawino,' where the character Ocol criticizes Acholi traditional culture in a way that mirrors the terms and imagery of the 'civilising mission.'
Ngugi contrasts Lawino's character, who celebrates superstition as science and defends oppressive practices, with her husband's alienation from his culture. He argues that Lawino's views mirror the cultural nationalist and pan-Africanist arguments of the post-Independence period, which emphasize the importance of traditional culture in Africa's development.
However, Ngugi problematizes this view, arguing that it is a simplification of a complex situation. He urges Africa to embrace modern ideas and practices, not just science, but the scientific spirit, not just education, but the educational spirit of constant hunger for knowledge, and not just capitalism, but the entrepreneurial spirit.
Ngugi's article is a reflection on the state of Africa today, where he sees a lack of values of fairness and reasonableness, and a lack of the spirit to do truly great deeds that would wow the world. He argues that Africa needs to move beyond its myths and images of the traditional past and embrace modern ideas and practices to progress.
