Introduction
It is important to note that the African Renaissance can be a significant transformative milestone in restoring the African identity. The given summative analysis will focus on the African struggle to take its rightful place in the world not as a victim of the colonial past and its representations but as a unique part of humanity. The key concepts and ideas from the course materials include the development of indigenous languages, plastic expression, cultural unity, and patriarchy versus matriarchy. The central notion is that the African Renaissance must encompass the entirety of the African continent devoid of negritude, essentialism, and textualism.
Representation and Africanism
Firstly, one should be aware that the majority of the representation of the African culture and people was propagated and constructed by non-Africans, particularly by the colonialists. For example, Ahluwalia (2002) states that “Western academia is responsible for the creation of the ‘Other,’” which applies to both Asians and Africans (p. 266). In other words, it is evident that Western imperialism essentially did not study or learn about different cultures on their own merits but instead focused on them from the perspective of a mere colony. This point of view entails that any observation and finding is skewed because it lacks truthful appreciation of the ‘others’ since they are considered inferior, including culture.
The applicable example and concept from the course materials is the patriarchy versus matriarchy paradigm. When confronted with a different system, the Eurocentric approach would immediately view it as inferior to the European one, dismissing its value and worth. The main reason is that “patriarchy and matriarchy, therefore, correspond to two conceptions, opposed family of ideals both as irreconcilable as climates and material conditions” (Diop, 1996, p. 133). Thus, Africans were and continue to be represented by the judgments and biased observations made by the colonizers.
Textualism
Secondly, Orientalist Studies is a product of textualism, which assumes that the West is the core and center of civilization and humanity. The term refers to the notions of positioning and authority, where the ‘other’ is a product of textual construct rather than non-ethnocentric observation (Ahluwalia, 2002). Ahluwalia (2002) states that “this produces the West as a locality of power and a center distinctly demarcated from the Other as the subject of knowledge and inevitably subordination” (p. 267).
The same pattern of flawed representation can be traced in Africanism as well. Since it was the Europeans who textually created or constructed the dominant representation of Africa, Africanism has an inherent bias to represent African people as a lesser helpful race only as slaves (Ahluwalia, 2002). The key driver of such a notion was the transformation of European self-perception and self-image as a superior race due to the rapid changes it was experiencing. Since Africa did not experience this quick shift in technology and science, the Europeans concluded Africa had no history worth learning about or appreciating.
Negritude
Thirdly, negritude poses a problem for the true African Renaissance because it was propagated by Africans who embodied the ideals of the colonizers and romanticized Africa. The given movement emerged in France as the first attempt to unify all Blacks worldwide. It voiced their main concerns and urged them to return to African authenticity (Ahluwalia, 2002). The primary problem with negritude is that it is developed as an opposition to the Western view of Africa, emphasizing the conservation of traditional values established by the African bourgeois (Ahluwalia, 2002).
In other words, instead of transforming Africa on its own merits and innovations, it merely engages in racial essentialism. Ahluwalia (2002) claims that “cultural renewal and revival is no longer possible, for a new culture has emerged, and a longing to return to the past is ineffectual” (p. 272). In essence, negritude lacks a pragmatic approach toward the existing issues, the most important of which is dismantling the colonial project. Negritude’s core problem is that it is reactive to the Western hegemony, making it dependent on the latter’s viewpoint, whereas the real African Renaissance should be focused solely on Africans.
A highly relevant concept to both the negritude of Africans and the textualism of the Europeans is a plastic expression of culture. It is stated that “culture does not consist of literary expression only” (Diop, 1996, p. 40). In other words, the term is used to highlight that the existing expression of African culture is not uniquely African by nature but rather a poor adoption of Western cultural elements. The textualism of Africa made the Africans forget their own culture, and their emergence of movements, such as negritude, made them the opposites of the Europeans. In both cases, there is no pursuit of independent development and transformation of African culture but rather a mere imitation or counter-imitation of Europeans.
African Renaissance and Pan-Africanism
Fourthly, restoring African identity lies at the heart of the African Renaissance since it concerns Africa’s political, social, economic, and cultural transformation. Pan-Africanism “has a fundamental tendency towards essentialism,” which must be avoided to achieve a true African Renaissance (Ahluwalia, 2002, p. 273). It should be noted that Thabo Mbeki’s conception of the African Renaissance contains three aspects requiring evaluation.
The first one suggests that the African Renaissance is a mere political tool used by Mbeki to consolidate his power (Ahluwalia, 2002). The second aspect is about the modernization of Africa to ensure its competitiveness in the modern world. The third and final element is that Mbeki’s African Renaissance is a revised continuation of Pan-Africanism (Ahluwalia, 2002). Irrespective of whether or not it was developed as a political instrument, the framework set by Mbeki is a proper one. Africa must unite and reach its full potential on the world stage, which cannot be achieved by romanticizing the past as negritude or becoming essentialists like early Pan-Africanists.
Highly relevant concepts from the course materials include indigenous languages’ cultural unity and development. When it comes to languages, they are not mere communication methods, but they also carry historical, intellectual, and cultural significance. Africans are set to fail from the start by adhering to European languages. It is stated that “the African is forced to make double efforts: to assimilate the meaning of words and then, through a second intellectual effort, to capture the reality expressed by the words” (Diop, 1996). For example, an African child learning mathematics must overcome two barriers. He or she needs to unlock the meaning behind the symbolism of math itself but to do so, he or she needs to understand the European language. Throughout this process, his or her mother tongue offers only a hindrance to these pursuits, which is why the African language receives no development and gradually becomes forgotten.
In the case of cultural unity, the African Renaissance necessitates that diverse African cultures merge into one Pan-African culture without losing their unique aspects and elements. Such a change will entail a significant African transformation in language development and unique plastic expression in music, art, and architecture. It is stated that “but all this will only be possible the day Africa rediscovers herself. That is to say, the day she stops feeding on all these sordid beliefs that have been methodically dished out to her” (Diop, 1996, p. 44). In other words, African cultural unity must stop ascribing to textualism, essentialism, or negritude. The latter three are mere reactions to the European conceptions of Africa, whereas the true African Renaissance requires independent development and transformation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the core idea is that the African Renaissance must encompass the whole African continent, free from negritude, essentialism, and textualism. The central notions and insights from the course materials involved advancing native languages, artistic expression, cultural unity, and the contrast between patriarchy and matriarchy. It is important to emphasize that the provided comprehensive analysis concentrated on the African effort to claim its rightful position in the world, not as a casualty of its colonial history and portrayals, but as a unique part of humanity. The African Renaissance could be a significant transformational turning point in reestablishing the African identity. Still, it must happen independently and naturally without adopting or reacting to external elements.
References
Ahluwalia, P. (2002). The struggle for African identity: Thabo Mbeki’s African Renaissance. African and Asian Studies, 1(4), 265-278. Web.
Diop, C. A. (1996). Towards the African Renaissance. Kamak House.