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178 THE WRETCHED OF THE EARTHON NATIONAL CULTURE179national liberation, grasped the new forms of expression and theflight of the imagination.There now remains one fundamental question. What is therelationship between the struggle, the political or armed conflict,and culture? During the conflict is culture put on hold? Is thenational struggle a cultural manifestation? Must we concludethat the liberation struggle, though beneficial for culture a posteriori,is in itself a negation of culture? In other words, is theliberation struggle a cultural phenomenon?We believe the conscious, organized struggle undertaken bya colonized people in order to restore national sovereignty constitutesthe greatest cultural manifestation that exists. It is notsolely the success of the struggle that consequently validates andenergizes culture; culture does not go into hibernation duringthe conflict. The development and internal progression of theactual struggle expand the number of directions in which culturecan go and hint at new possibilities. The liberation struggledoes not restore to national culture its former values and configurations.This struggle, which aims at a fundamental redistributionof relations between men, cannot leave intact either theform or substance of the people's culture. Mter the struggle isover, there is not only the demise of colonialism, but also thedemise of the colonized.This new humanity, for itself and for others, inevitably definesa new humanism. This new humanism is written into the objectivesand methods ofthe struggle. A struggle, which mobilizesevery level of society, which expresses the intentions and expectationsof the people, and which is not afraid to rely on theirsupport almost entirely, will invariably triumph. The merit ofthistype of struggle is that it achieves the optimal conditions forcultural development and innovation. Once national liberationhas been accomplished under these conditions, there is none ofthat tiresome cultural indecisiveness we find in certain newlyindependent countries, because the way a nation is born andfunctions exerts a fundamental influence on culture. A nationborn of the concerted action of the people, which embodies theactual aspirations ofthe people and transforms the state, dependson exceptionally inventive cultural manifestations for its veryexistence.The colonized who are concerned for their country's cultureand wish to give it a universal dimension should not place theirtrust in a single principle-that independence is inevitable andautomatically inscribed in the people's consciousness-in orderto achieve this aim. National liberation as objective is one thing,the methods and popular components ofthe struggle are another.We believe that the future of culture and the richness of a nationalculture are also based on the values that inspired thestruggle for freedom.And now the moment has come to denounce certain pharisees.Humanity, some say, has got past the stage of nationalistclaims. The time has come to build larger political unions, andconsequently the old-fashioned nationalists should correct theirmistakes. We believe on the contrary that the mistake, heavy withconsequences, would be to miss out on the national stage. Ifcultureis the expression of the national consciousness, I shall haveno hesitation in saying, in the case in point, that national consciousnessis the highest form of culture.Self-awareness does not mean closing the door on communication.Philosophy teaches us on the contrary that it is its guarantee.National consciousness, which is not nationalism, is alonecapable of giving us an international dimension. This questionof national consciousness and national culture takes on a specialdimension in Mrica. The birth of national consciousness inMrica strictly correlates with an Mrican consciousness. The responsibilityof the Mrican toward his national culture is also a responsibilitytoward "Negro-Mrican" culture. This joint responsibilitydoes not rest upon a metaphysical principle but mindfulness of a