Against Decolonisation: Taking African Agency Seriously - review by Graeme Kemp

Something called ‘decolonisation’ now occupies an often central place in discussions about how political and cultural ideas can advance or hold back the cause of human equality. 

In this view, racial and ethnic identities can be protected by a process of ‘decolonisation’ – a rejection of not just overtly racist arguments - but also the allegedly suffocating effect of Western culture and language on non-Western cultures. 

Indeed, although European empires may have withdrawn politically from the African continent, for example, the oppressive ideological influence of Europe somehow continues to control the minds, rather than just the bodies, of the colonised. For those advocating ‘decolonisation’, Africa must continue its struggle for freedom in the domain of culture and language.

So, what could possibly be wrong with that? 

Well, in his book ‘Against Decolonisation: Taking African Agency Seriously’ Olufemi Taiwo raises some pretty serious objections to what he sees as the often vague or badly-thought out theories described as ‘decolonisation’. In the book, Taiwo argues that viewing Africa and African people’s experiences through the lens of ‘decolonisation’ can itself be limited and limiting:

“…putting colonisation at the centre of ex-colonised lives is historically suspect

and has the unintended consequence of making less legible, if not rendering

completely invisible, the autonomous lives…led by the colonised even while

colonialism lasted. It eviscerates the lives they led before colonialism was

imposed on them, and the lives they have crafted since they threw off the

colonial yoke.” (Page 183).

In short: those who advocate ‘decolonisation’ of culture can often minimise the roles, re-actions and activity of Africans themselves - during or after the age of empires. And the so-called de-colonisation of African culture today underestimates how complex this issue can be. Africans have chosen to both reject (and/or) accept outside languages, theories, institutions and practices, according to Olufemi. In short, Africans have agency; they are not simply acted upon by others. This is a key part of the experience of Africans.

In no way does Olufemi minimise or excuse the “violence and plunder” (Page 17) of European colonial regimes. The extraction of raw materials by European empires in Africa involved the dehumanisation of black people and the promotion of white supremacy. The desire of African peoples to be free of this oppression, through political independence, was entirely justified. Olufemi Taiwo rightly points out the awful nature of European empires – and how they actually held back modernity. He highlights the vicious nature of white racist ideas. But he also rejects a de-colonisation that still puts European empires (ironically) at the centre of African history. We should refuse “to define the colonised strictly by the colonial experience” (page 183) claims Olufemi.  African countries are bigger – and just more complex- than that.

This debate is something that Olufemi Taiwo cares deeply about. Writing ‘Against Decolonisation’ enabled him to “pound my frustrations out on the blank page” (Page xi).  Ultimately, what we are discussing is the production of knowledge about the world and human cultures. This is a process that must involve not only respect for the views of others, but disagreements and debates. We need better scholarship, says Olufemi.

In explaining the problems with ‘decolonisation’ theory Olufemi focuses on the ideas of such writers as Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Kwasi Wiredu. Most decolonisation literature reflects these two academics and their ideas on decolonising African culture.  Yet their ideas on language and philosophical decolonisation are often seen by Olufemi as too simplistic or lacking in nuance. Olufemi deconstructs their ideas and proposes alternatives – indeed he regards much decolonisation rhetoric as unhelpful to the cause of genuine African freedom today. 

Olufemi explains that it is wrong to extend terms like decolonisation beyond the original meaning it had – freeing a colony by turning it into a self-governing entity able to direct its own economic and political future. This is what he terms “Decolonisation 1” (Page 3).  The new decolonisation or “Decolonisation 2” (Page 3), however……

“…has come to mean something entirely different: forcing

an ex-colony to forswear, on pain of being forever under

the yoke of colonisation, any and every cultural, political, intellectual, social

and linguistic artefact, idea, process, institution and practice that retains

even the slightest whiff of the colonial past” (Page 3).

As Olufemi points out – many of those who wish to ‘decolonise’ African societies fail to appreciate how cultures (including African ones) may inevitably be hybrid or complex. “Decolonisation 2” aims for a purity that is hard to achieve, realistically. He points out that even talking about African music as a single thing fails to express the diversity of the continent. 

Indeed, colonialism itself was far from being a single, monolithic thing, 

It is refreshing to see how open-minded Olufemi is when it comes to the role of the Enlightenment thinking and its relevance to African societies today. In this and a previous book….

“I am one of the few scholars from the continent who still argues in favour of the

so-called ‘Enlightenment Project’ to the advancement of Africa and the progress

of its peoples…a no-holds-barred, full-throated defence of ‘modernity’ and why it

offers Africa the most promising path for getting out of the ‘misery corner’ of the

globe.” (Page XV).

It’s a brave person these days that actually uses terms like enlightenment, progress or modernity in a positive way. These have become dirty words in today’s political vocabulary. They clash with postmodern relativism and critical theory. As Olufemi points out - modernity is not the same as white, Western or European. And concepts of liberal democracy should not be seen as something ‘European’, anyway. 

Indeed:

“I would like to point out that this refusal to shun anything human and which

promotes human progress and well-being, regardless of its origin, is a quality

all great thinkers share wherever in the world they happen to come from. 

The greatest African minds are no exception to this rule…” (page 14).

Historically for Olufemi, political and economic decolonisation was the main thing – because political independence should have allowed African agency to flourish. Olufemi often sees claims about decolonising African cultures, language and philosophy as failing to fully appreciate or stress this notion of agency and choice. Many decolonisation thinkers don’t highlight the ability of African people to direct their own futures enough.

However, in recent years, Olufemi sees people in Africa often arguing for a better political future – trying to seize a democratic, modern future where the consent of the governed and the rule of law really matters. Kenya, Ghana, Zambia and Malawi have all seen recent examples of this. And such struggles offer real hope for the continent:

“African countries are striving to create modern polities, in the same way that

several other countries across the globe are. African countries are not different

from others in recent history….fighting to create and install…an ideal type:

the modern state.” (Page 220).

All too often, ‘decolonisation 2’ theories seem irrelevant or obscure to all this everyday, political reality.

Sometimes, Olufemi’s book ‘Against Colonisation’ could have been a little more precise – he refers to how “Ordinary people” from the time of the colonial period until today “never relented in their commitment to the fundaments of modernity” (page 207), in contrast to the intellectuals. This is a bit sweeping as a generalisation. And I’m never quite sure what an ‘ordinary’ person really is. However, this is a minor criticism. In an otherwise great book.

Olufemi has written a thoughtful book that deserves to be more widely known, not least because it proposes an alternative to much contemporary discourse about imperialism and the influence of empire. It is a clear response to pessimistic postmodern ideas - and the negative influence of critical theory. It should be welcomed and discussed widely.

You can buy Against Decolonisation: Taking African Agency Seriously (2022) by Olufemi Taiwo here.