Reshaping Africa's Identity

 THE ILLUSIONS OF TRIBE

 (A Quest for a Border-less Culture)

   Africa has in ages past been a passive continent that could not define or rather ascertain its own identity in a systematic and methodological manner. Consequently, eminent Philosophers such as Kant, Hegel and Lucien Levy Bruhl took it upon themselves to state in crude and sarcastic terms the essence of African Culture and Identity. Hegel stated that, “... African life is not a manifestation of the dialectical reason but of a succession of contingent happenings and surprises.” In other words, there is no purpose and there is no legitimate state whose development could be tracked.[1]

Importance

   The fact that Identity and its articulation carry supreme importance is a fact that needs no footnote to justify. The responsibility of every people is to know, maintain and develop their identity. Because, the loss of identity is simultaneously the loss of a distinctively human character. “This is suicide.” ^[2]  Certainly, the reflections in this paper will help to refocus our attention on what truly matters.

The Essence of Culture

1.      Country

   When one critically questions the essence of cultural identity, one is tempted to respond by saying that country is the core and fundamental feature of culture. But merely belonging to a certain sovereign state does not seem to suffice. Kwame Appiah poignantly asserted that a “people is a group of individuals that are united by a common ancestry whether real or imagined, whether they share a State or not .” [3] This would suggest that a geographical location or map are not a sufficient measure of being a cultural entity. This pushes us to a further dispute about what necessarily makes a country to be a legitimate characteristic of “belonging.” 

   It might be further argued that it is the sharing of a common ancestry and common origin. But this too would not be sufficient criteria because it is indubitable that the whole human species shares a common origin whether perceived from a biblical/ religious perspective or from the evolutionary perspective. A family shares common ancestry and origin. It is in fact clear evidence to see certain groups that share a common ancestry and land but live like complete strangers to one another. As an example, certain African States such as South Sudan, Central African Republic, Kenya and the Congo in which war and in-fighting are the order of the day. Apparently, to such a mindset, the notion of country and common ancestral origin is unimportant or paradoxically too important yet narrow.

   The third option in this regard would be what Plato suggested in the Republic. It is a matter of fact that national identity does not require that we should be the same or identical. It could be a rational possibility that “national conscious-ness” is merely a creative invention of our nationalist philosopher founder-fathers and that their role was merely to entice, seduce and coax us into adopting a sense of belonging to this great society. It might be the case that founding fathers are merely creative inventors of states. One way of creating culture is as Kwame Appiah has argued, through education and inculcating a single language[4] for example Mwl. Julius Nyerere’s insistence on Swahili as the official language of Tanzania. The logical consequence of this phenomena is that one also creates a national forum of conversation and dialogue.

COLOUR SENSITIVE POST

  2.      Colour

   The notion of colour consciousness has been greatly controversial. Certainly, the colour of one’s skin affects how one is perceived and more so how one perceives the world. But I believe this should not be the case. Philosophers such as John Locke and Immanuel Kant have argued strongly that colour is not a quality of the substance or the thing in itself but rather a secondary quality or as Immanuel Kant would put it in the Critique of Pure Reason, that colour is a ‘form of sensibility” that I impose upon the world.

   It is an imperative I believe that we should fly from colour consciousness to retreat to a place where people are not defined by skin. It is imperative that we free ourselves from all forms of racial fixations where colour is accepted as a natural given, a fact but not fate.[5] With the development of science and genetics, it is absolutely clear that there is no underlying “thing” that explained why Africans are Africans and Asians are Asians. That the very idea of a racial or ‘colour essence was a terrible mistake. It has been argued that, “trying to do away with race is like trying to do away with gravitational force.” 

   Colour is only a genetic coincident or genetic accident. I am convinced that the root and source of the racial significance is the idea of alienating certain people away from a society (or group) to define them in a negative way. If we persist with this idea of “I am African because I am black”, we shall end up with the same idea of racial inferiority complex or racial superiority complex and thus enslave one another. Race carries with it nothing at all that finds expression in either morals, aesthetics, musical test, emotional intelligence or religion.

Culture

   Out of the various features that one might depend on to argue a case for something intrinsic to Africa and “Africans”, the last but not the least phenomena would be Culture. Culture is a moral and aesthetic ideal, a complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, law, customs and other capabilities acquired by man as a member of a society. A culture is a shared soul, a shared spirit that is embodied in the moral and political practices of a people. For many people, culture is their source of identity.

   In the first place, we saw language and country, custom, ancestry and geography making the effort to be a kind of essence.  Culture I believe is the most competent and satisfactory criteria for the essence of any social community due to its richness. However, one might notice from the definition that culture and its various compartments such as morals, law, knowledge and customs are acquired not innate, not essential, not intrinsic nor inherent to any people.

   An additional idea is that culture is not a fate but rather a project.^[6] This merely implies that we can shape culture and we can shape our identity as well. All that this paper is suggesting is that one ought not to lock oneself into any identity; not to take it to be a determinism, a fate, but to think of it as something to use as a resource to build a human life, and a human life among humans – that is a life which we share in our town, our village, our country and the planet.[7] It is clear to me that cultures are invented and created by the choice and commitment of a people to a moral and political ideal.

Conclusion

   Having had made the substantial point that African identity is not necessarily a fixed and unchanging entity, it is right and just that I mention certain features which ‘Africans’ share. Among the most essential features is a metaphysical characteristic that Africans are “beings- with” an idea which Kwame might call Cosmopolitanism.[8]  

   Without any doubt, I find nothing in the notions of culture, colour and country which suggest even implicitly the notions of tribalism, racism and exclusion of those ‘who are different.’ The essence of identity is simply communion and unity. If at all culture, country and colour have any impact on human relations, it ought only to be cohesion, harmony and unity.

Recommendations for the future

   What have I been suggesting then for the contemporary politics of Africa and African nationalism and identity in general?

 It is here suggested that we must count ourselves as members of something bigger than our small languages, tribes and countries.  We must break borders because we are citizens of everywhere and citizens of the world. I am human and that is final. To be human is to be other-centred. The aim of this paper has not been to negate that such a reality as ‘Zambia’, ‘Tanzania’ or ‘Africa’ are a reality but rather to advocate a certain transcendence and a widening of gates. Indeed, human beings are instinctually tribal, nationalistic with a deep affinity for belonging to a group. Nevertheless, the question and challenge which is here posed is whether there is a possibility of widening our tribes to embrace a nation, a continent or the planet.

   The challenge is to create a system of justice which is blindfolded towards political affiliation, tribes, religion, colour, creed etc. It is indeed a shame that we have built strong groups of tribal injustice, war and oppression against others rather than form groups that stand and fight for the rights of others, for their right to education, for their right to work, for their right to the basics of a dignified human life.

   Indeed, the founder fathers of our states brought us together in order to fight for what makes all of us truly human – freedom. It is a call that the spirit of openness to others, for collective justice and social building will preoccupy our politics rather than tribal wars and violence. We need to invest in a culture of integration by stressing and emphasising that which builds us and brings us together as HUMAN BEINGS rather than the trivialities that divide and fragment us.

   The boundaries of our countries and tribes and continents are in our hands, it is up to us to define, limit or even enlarge them. The United States is a good example of a country that is widely diverse yet unified. In Africa we have the East African Community which is opening borders to outsiders. The challenge is whether the 21^st century Zambia or Africa will be defined by tribal violence, and exclusion of minority groups or defined by globalisation, diversity and cosmopolitanism.

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[1] D.A Masolo, 5 From Hegel G.W.F  Von Lectures on the philosophy of World History 1975, Revised Edition, 1989. P177.

[2] Masolo, Suicide , p. 12

[3] Appiah (Mistaken Identities- Countries) – BBC Reith lectures 2016, p 2.

[4] ibid

[5] Appiah (Mistaken Identities- Colour) – BBC Reith lectures 2016, p 2.

[6] Ibid

[7] Appiah (Mistaken Identities- Culture ) – BBC Reith lectures 2016, p 17.

[8] Appiah, Kwame Anthony (2007). _Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers_. W.W. Norton & Co.

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