Professor Anyang Nyong'o's poem,' Daughter Of The Lowland', sets out an important message to the portion of Africans that have blindly succumbed to Western assimilation and bigotry.

A Sunday sermon from a young charismatic Pastor that was supposed to be inspirational, instead caused bile to mount up my mouth, and my reflex was to quietly walk out in protest. What glued my eyes, however, was his stunningly energetic preaching style. Captivating and forceful were his words, eloquent, proverbial and gushing out in torrents, so much so that for a split second I was under his spell. In retrospect, I understood how other chronically deluded charismatic preachers have managed to brainwash their followers to the extreme of mass suicides. 

His preaching unashamedly chastised any traditions particular to African culture, right from names, naming ceremonies to marriage and funeral practices. What repulsed me most was when he overtly proceeded to share his family traditions about a covenant he and his extended family had made not to carry down any African traditional practices, and reject the use of African names and instead embrace Biblical names.  What caused my stomach to churn, was when he proceeded to urge the congregation to follow in on the covenant, his conviction being that African culture was without value and consisted of rituals that appeased and pleased demons as opposed to God. 

Coming from a tribe that embraced female genital mutilation, I can't help but look at colonialism as a blessing in a different light. However, while I don't deny my Christian faith, there are certain valuable and positive aspects of my culture that I still religiously embrace, does that make me a demon worshipper? 

As postulated in Prof. Nyong'o's , ‘ Daughter Of The Low land', what makes an individual judicious and honorable is the ability to incorporate positive foreign interventions with one's own culture, thus the line ‘...I brew with the enemy and drink with my people...' Indeed  society  does not exist in a vacuum and is therefore dynamic. The necessity to conform to this dynamism invites the diffusion of positive outside influences, which is a sharp contrast to assimilation where the transition in adopting outside influence is  revolutionary.  Without a doubt, the prerequisite for wearing the blinkers of assimilation is an ignorant mind. 

The insightful, talented hip-hop artist and lyrical poet, Wyclef Jean, in his song Wish You Were Here, his lyrics  ‘...did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts? ...Did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in the cage/game? ...'  brings to the light the concept of reverting and upholding our historical and cultural pride instead of blindly embracing foreign ideals. The precedent generation is falling short in imparting cultural pride to its offspring.

Sadly, legendry names like Sakawa, Mekatilili wa Menza, Lwanda Magere, Samori Toure, Menelik ...are meaningless subliming names to our budding generation.

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refreshing
written by Tim Norwood , January 31, 2007

Good article, I really prefer that black Africans use black African names and take black African pride in what they do. This sense of self plays a large part in a socieity's development, and its opposite robs a society of the confidence to take its own path, resulting instead in a perpetual hesistancy as it looks towards others for leadership.

Don't forget that Western society also borrowed heavily, while retaining its ethnic essence, and cultivating for itself a home-grown interpretation of the new philosophy, whether political, religious or social.

Did the Wyclef lyrics not go, 'lead role in the game?' Seemed that way to me.

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rabble rouser
written by kamau , January 31, 2007

Its funny thing that he is so caught up in his beliefs he fails to see that he is the opposite side of the same coin. What un subjective basis exists for comparing cultures?

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written by Sijui , January 31, 2007

In my opinion, Africans are being 'forced' to come full circle......now that they see other cultures triumphing by exploiting indigenous institutions to their advantage.

The greatest 'achievement' of the colonialists was the 'intellectual emasculation' of the African......once that was achieved, everything else was child's play. To this day, majority of Africans have an ingrained inferiority complex. Sad but true.

Personally, I think the rise of the East is a pyschological as well as economic tonic for Africans.......others are proving that 'their' value systems are just as superior. If we want to wallow in our own mediocrity/inferiority/low self esteem that is our shauri, misery no longer loves company!!!!

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written by pndiangui , January 31, 2007

Bosibori
Intresting article.
I am equally disturbed by the low esteem we have on our own culture and language. The fact that we present ourselves as people without a history greatly robs us the self-esteem that comes with being a believer in one self and what one represents.
As the story of Africa is starting to be 're-told' several great insights need to be entrenched in those who have kept thinking that only the west brough 'light' in Africa.
People need to go back some thousands of years back and rediscover the Nubian Kingdoms of the Nile who ruled Egypt in the time of great Archtectural innovations and when great Greek philosophers came there to study philosophy.
African also need to be told about the great academic excellence centres of Mali , where trade and commerce happening around the West African kingdoms in the 15th century was studied. Prof H. Gates has released various studies with PBL that can be found here.

On the re-telling the African story.
Its only through these that African people will re-gain their self-worth , that will make them value their culture and help them always see richness in their own self.
These are the first steps towards eliminating poverty. Its this sel-esteem that would make us devote to a pro-active behaviour of determining our destiny when we know our past wthout distortion from the western media 'poor Africa' reporting biases which only reflect on the post-colonial era.

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Battered Wife Syndrome
written by Bosibori , January 31, 2007

Speaking of inferiority and intellectaul emasculation Sijui ,i tend to think that the the portion of Africans who suffer the same have a psychological tendency synonymous to the 'Battered Wife Syndrome',where by one is constantly made to feel and think they are inferior,but instead of breaking away from their abuser they tend to believe them and keep going back for more !!!!

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written by a guest , February 01, 2007

Pastor just playing the game.

Try calling urself Mekatilili Wa Menza and watch the number of job interviews that will pass by you!

Man, I had to change my name to 'Kellie Johnson' from Matumbufiosu Wepukhulu to get a phone interview!

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written by Amir Ibrahim , February 01, 2007

Mekatilili wa Menza is a beautiful name. If my wife was more agreeable it would have been my first daughter's name!

Religion is usually the vessel by which we are most brain-washed, especially as the pedagogue can claim that it is not his wish but God's that we do as he says.

There is for example this teaching that the left hand is the one the devil uses for eating, and so no faithful people should eat with their left hand!!

The troubling thing is that we take ourselves to the abbatoir, there is little force used any more!

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written by Sijui , February 01, 2007

To Anonymous, that reasoning doesn't fly unless you limit yourself to living in the West where you become subservient to their cultural sensibilities. And even then, my husband has a very obvious WEST AFRICAN name and he has never had a problem.

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On names, being African and Al
written by Nekessa , February 01, 2007

Kenyans, more than West Africans, suffer a huge inferiority complex when it comes to other cultures, esp those from the northern hemisphere..,, mostly explained by Kenya's being a settler colony, much like Zimbabwe, as a result we were stripped of our culture. One needs not look further than our curriculum where we learned things like, "the first man to see what Mt. Kenya... hmm was it Livingstone and Ludwig Kraft?"

Now, in Kenya, I have a problem with having African names, only because of our tribal disease. Now, I am Nekessa, although I am not luhya-- throws a lot of tribalists off u see!

Let's have Swahili names.... .

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rabble rouser
written by Kamau , February 02, 2007

Let's have Swahili names.... .

what, replace one form of cultural imperialism with another?

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written by otieno omollo , September 07, 2009

the west and the east no difference, its personal dynamism that speaks volumes.

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