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22 Albert Memmi on his part echoes Fanon and Césaire on how colonization works to depersonalize the colonized. He calls the stubborn effort to dehumanize the colonized the “mark of the plural”. He writes: “The colonized is never characterized in an individual manner; he is entitled only to drown in an anonymous collectivity (“They are this.” “They are all the same.”).” 11 In the long run, and by dint of repetition, the process becomes extraordinarily efficient: the colonized internalizes many of the labels invented by the colonizer. “Constant repetition carries conviction.” 12 People’s indolence in postcolonial societies in Africa results partly from decades of propaganda and disinformation. No wonder leaders and many people, including some intellectuals, are skeptical about their own ability to stand up for their rights and answers to development challenges without imitating Western models or getting their approval. An article in South Asian Voice Review is by far unambiguous about this malaise: Robbed of any measure of self-confidence, the colonized (and even post-colonial) intelligentsia looked upon its heritage with skepticism or disdain, or conversely, sought refuge in fundamentalism, obscurantism, or idealistic myth-making. When a native tradition had the stamp of approval from a ‘respected’ Western ‘authority’, it attracted excited and flattering attention. But rarely and only in relatively isolated cases, was it possible for the colonized cultural intelligentsia to rise above the cultural stereotypes, and critically explore and examine its cultural legacy for any intrinsic (or sustainable) merit. 13 Following the analysis above, one may wonder about the fate of freedom and independence in African postcolonial countries. Freedom many leaders of the liberation movements shed their blood in seeking becomes meaningless. Obviously, many impediments skillfully set by former colonial masters and approved by their puppets render independence futile or simply invalidate it. What shall we then characterize African countries? Are they independent or postcolonial dependent entities? Anyhow, history of colonization is repeating itself; wrapped up in its humanitarian garments, neocolonialism is so effective today that one would wonder if colonization ever ended. What a utopian idea to imagine the advent of a whole new world. Césaire, for instance, was dreaming at such a world with the overthrow of the old colonialist system. 14 Robin D. G. Kelley writes: “As the true radicals of postcolonial theory will tell you, we are hardly in a postcolonial moment. The official apparatus might have been removed, but the political, economic, and cultural links established by colonial domination still remain with some alterations.” 15 It’s sad to notice how the aggression of sovereign countries is carried out for fallacious or fabricated reasons with the help of the United Nations, which is supposed to stand guarantor for justice and equity, freedom and peace in the world. The West would like to flatten the world not so as to explain it, like Thomas Friedman does in his acclaimed book, but to dominate it. 16 And yet, the world is bigger and more diverse than their interests. Postcolonial citizens are improving their access to knowledge through education that helps them grow stronger and prepares them for genuine freedom. This reminds me of the famous poem, I too, Langston Hughes wrote to express his will and readiness for equality, despite the subjugation of his body in the days of racial segregation in America. The excerpt of the poem reads:
They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong. Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table When company comes. Nobody’ll dare Say to me, “Eat in the kitchen,” 17 Langston Hughes’s poem stands as a metaphor for struggling for freedom. Since the years of colonization, the world we live in has been very much controlled by the former colonial powers, with no respect to the sovereignty of the so-called independent, but weak countries. The poem speaks of hope of growing strength for equality in a changing world. To this end, we may say no matter the West’s efforts to reproduce the past in postcolonial societies, people’s awareness of lies is growing, for a lie cannot last ad vitam aeternam: “repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.” 18 Unless Europe turns to tolerance and understanding to undertake “a new policy founded on respect for people and cultures, it will have deprived itself of its last chance and, with its own hands, drawn up over itself the pall of mortal darkness,” Césaire concludes. 19 Cited References 1 Aimé Césaire. Discourse on Colonialism. (New York: Monthly Review Press, 2000) 42. 2 James Petras, “The US War against Iraq: The Destruction of a Civilization”. Web. 29 Aug. 2009. 3 “From Ivory Coast to Libya and Beyond: Africa Threatened with Western Military Subjugation.” Web. www. rickrozoff.wordpress.com 4 Nicolas Sarkozy. Web. Jan-Jun. 2011. 5 Ban Ki-moon. Web. Jan-Jun. 2011. 6 Peter Dryer is an online writer. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. 7 Césaire 43. 8 Césaire 45. 9 Dr. Gary K. Busch is the editor and publisher of the web-based news journal of international Relations. Web. 26 Nov. 2011. 10 Frantz Fanon. Black Skin, White Masks. (New York: Grove Press, 2008) 79. 11 Albert Memmi. The Colonizer and the Colonized. (Boston: Beacon Press) 85. 12 Robert Collier, American motivational author. Web. 13 “Colonization, “Westernization” and Social Culture in the Post-Colonial Societies” Online review: South Asian Voice: Politics and Culture in Modern Society. This online source has no contributor’s name. Web. March 2004. 14 Césaire 10. 15 Robin D. G. Kelley. “A Poetics of Anticolonialism” in Discourse on Colonialism. (New York: Monthly Review Press, 2000) 27. 16 Thomas Friedman. The World is Flat: a Brief History of the Twenty-First Century. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005. 17 Langston Hughes wrote his poem in 1932, a time racial discrimination in the United States of America was reinforced by racist laws. 18 nd The saying is attributed to Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32 US President. 19 Césaire 77-78. 23
Page 1: Djembe I N T E R C U L T U R A L A
Page 4 and 5: Acknowledgements The Djembe team wo
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Page 8 and 9: Kelly Pflaum 2 English writing & gl
Page 10 and 11: 4 Panic ensued. We had two hours to
Page 12 and 13: Aaliyah Mohamed Political science-2
Page 14 and 15: Dr. Dawn Duncan English Department
Page 16 and 17: 10 fighting to bring back hope and
Page 18 and 19: 12 Though there is much more that c
Page 20 and 21: Stephanie Brolsma Biology-2013 14 S
Page 22 and 23: 16 my team members and I accomplish
Page 24 and 25: photo credit for Retired Dictators:
Page 26 and 27: 20 Three major powers invoked the U
Page 30 and 31: Bryn Homuth English writing-2012 24
Page 32 and 33: 26 Where was the immersion? There w
Page 34 and 35: Dr. Edward Schmoll Classical Studie
Page 36 and 37: 30 My parents then gave us his bio
Page 38 and 39: Kelly Pflaum English writing & glob
Page 40 and 41: 34 Her instructors had some logisti
Page 42 and 43: 36 Vivid descriptions aid all stude
Page 44 and 45: 38 Likewise, making an effort to cl
Page 46 and 47: 40 see was that the Londoners press
Page 48 and 49: Production Coordinator Dana Sloneke
Page 50: Thank You -The Djembe Staff

Djembe - Concordia College

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