By Kulture Queen
Published May 14, 2023
Something Torn and New: African Renaissance by Ngugi wa Thiong’o, a four-chapter book addresses the process the European colonizer used to ensure that colonization was a success and that neo-colonization in conjunction with capitalism thrives. The main message is about the decolonization of modernity and giving way to Afro-modernity.
The first chapter, Dismembering Practices. Planting European Memory in Africa, explores Linguicide as the method of systematic erasure of the memory of Africa. Linguicide is genocide for language. The colonizer was so intentional when they renamed all our geographical features with names belonging to their tongue as well as forced Africans to have European names. In a place like Ireland, the Brits forced them to drop their surnames that had Oes and Macs for suffixes. This act dismembers one from their identity, body and land. The act of branding slaves too dismembered Africans from themselves and in the process, they forget who they are and all other psychological tactics become easy to accomplish.
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Chapter two, Remembering Visions, explores movements that inspired an Afro-centric worldview and in a way, kick-starting the process of re-membering Africa. These are the movements that triggered a change of fundamental importance in the colonized psycho-effective equilibrium. This was inspired by several artists, poets and writers who were inspired by Garveysm and some who also inspired the Harlem Renaissance. Language is still explored here. We see that languages like Patois, Creole and Ebonics are created out of fragments of re-membering African speech and grammar among the slaves. In as much as African languages are not all dead, we find that our languages are not part of the expression of national life but rather an expression of the peasant.
The third chapter, Memory, Restoration and African Renaissance, dives into what needs to be done to make the Renaissance a success. Re-membering Africa is the only way of ensuring Africa’s full rebirth from the dark ages into which it was plunged by the European Renaissance, enlightenment and modernity. Another thing Ngugi suggests is a return to our languages and an established system of translation be put in place to allow for sharing of information and the discovery of similar heritages.
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The final chapter, From colour to social consciousness – South Africa in the Black Imagination, explores the thought process of individuals like Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko and Robert Sobukwe when it came to their vision for Africa during the time South Africa has still not gotten independence. South Africa in this chapter is seen as a mirror reflecting the colonized and the struggle for their independence.
This book, that is available for purchase online, is a must-read for every Afrikan. It should be studied by students of political science, public policy, economics and various other humanities and social studies. It is a relevant book for our times. It’s the one book that I’d recommend to someone who does not understand colonization and its implications because it also quotes other books one can read. It is an easy read as well with no complicated theories and concepts.
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