The Legacy of Cultural Imperialism in Africa.
The other day a friend asked me to help him in preparing a PowerPoint presentation on Female Circumcision otherwise known as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). I readily accepted the task owing to my interest on such issues and my curiosity to learn more about African culture. Even before I could begin my research on that topic, the murder of LGBTQ activist, Edwin Kiptoo alias Chiloba, was reported. Well, I understand these two have little or no relations but they will help me drive at my argument on cultural imperialism in Africa by the western powers.
Background
In pre-colonial Africa life was heavily influenced by religion, this is against the popular Western view of Africa. Almost every aspect of life was seen and interpreted in the supernatural sense. Another fact is that in African traditional belief, God is the explanation of all things. Therefore, as a people prior to the advent of Christianity and colonialism we believed and still believe that the environment is knitted to the presence of God.
However, the advent of colonialism saw the unleashing of deadly blow on African culture with the immediate consequence of introduction of values like individualism, capitalism, corruption and oppression that were alien to the peoples of Africa. It is the imposition of these cultures that we are referring to as Cultural imperialism. The colonial rule dismantled traditional machinery of moral practice and homogeneity in Africa.
The abandonment of African cultures and values were done through systematic depersonalization of the Africa and paganization of its traditional norms and values. Instead of cherished communalism which defined life Africans, a burgeoning societal construct emerged which alienated and destroyed the organic fabric of the spirit of we-feeling.
Additionally, the colonialists expressed the ethnocentric belief that their morals and values were superior to those of Africans. The belief was pragmatically entrenched and domesticated in the African continent through the establishment of schools whose curriculum were tailored to advance the “good” moral values and norms of the Western powers and call for the shunning of the “archaic”, “barbaric” and “retrogressive” African cultures.
There are people who believed that with gaining of independence, some of these western cultures would be relinquished but that has remained a mirage 66 years since the first country in Africa gained its independence from the Western imperialists, actually the Westernization of the African content has moved even a notch higher in the past three decades.
Cultural Imperialism in Contemporary Africa
There are certain critics who have been quick to remind us that we cannot be apportioning every blame to colonial legacy 60 years after independence. However, what these critics fail to acknowledge or rather assume is that the same colonial powers still hold some influence in their former colonies. That is why, the French government readily deploys its forces for “peacekeeping” missions in their former territories in Africa.
Africa has been labelled as one of hostile places for LGBTQ persons and a haven for “retrogressive” cultures. However, that is a depiction of Africa by the Western powers that have desperately sought to entrench all their cultures on Africa. While practices like female circumcision have been demonized by the West and given a subtext of barbaric African and Muslim cultures, such practices have cultural connotations.
It is for this reason why the practice is still prevalent in Africa and some parts of Middle East. The Western opposition to African culture stems from Judeo-Christian argument that African sexual and family practices like dry sex, levirate marriage, polygamy, bride price payment are retrogressive and should be corrected to reflect the “realties” of the time.
Cultural Imperialism in the wake of LGBTQ
The West is not done with Africa and its cultural values. The imperialists are fighting the very things that makes us unique from other people. Why am saying this The West has elusively try to entrench the culture of LGBTQ in Africa but so far so good, the heads of states in Africa have not ceded their position on the same.
A good example is Kenya, the retired regime through emeritus President Uhuru Kenyatta unequivocally made it clear that despite respecting the beliefs of other nations, we have our beliefs which should be respected by those nations. The current president in his interview with CNN’s Amanpour emphasized the same.
However, the murder of LGBTQ activist, Edwin Chiloba has exposed the soft underbelly of the Western suspicion about our position as a country on LGBTQ. The Western world through its media outlets were quick to label the murder (most-foul) of Mr. Chiloba as a homophobic attack. International Organizations being bank rolled by the Western powers were quick call it an exposure of the rise in sexual violence in Kenya.
The US Department of State through its spokesperson Ned Price released a statement yesterday terming the murder as violence against members of “targeted” community.
Yet preliminary investigations have put Chiloba’s roommate (Jactone Odhiambo) at the center of the murder, the same roommate alleged to have been in romantic relationship with the murder activist. This then begs the question, how does the murder amount to a violent attack agains members of the LGBTQ community. Why is the Western world and human rights organization quick to categorize Kenya as a haven for homophobia? But, we are not going to rescind our position on the matter soon, someone tell the west that we have our own beliefs and values, but murdering of citizens who have come out as members of LGBTQ is not one of them.
Before lecturing Africans on respect for universal human rights and morality, let them also learn to respect cultural norms and values that are sacrosanct to us. Let them learn and understand that we have our own beliefs as a people and as a continent that makes us unique from them. Until then, let their morality compass point elsewhere but not Africa.
Conclusion
The westernization of the African content continues 60 years after independence of the continent. Cultural colonialism has been premised on the idea of superiority of the Western culture and barbarism and archaic nature of the western culture. Of course these are far from truth. Additionally, while Africa continues to maintain a firm ground on issues like LGBTQ, the West does not spare a chance to label Africa as a haven for homophobia and other retrogressive culture, a dominion of human rights. But for Africans, our position remains, our cultural norms and beliefs must be respected.
