INTRODUCTION

A people stolen from their heritage, subjugated, enslaved and belabored cry out as a woman in

her pangs for freedom from the physical but yet mental chains and fetters. To fully understand

the concept of decolonization, it would be appropriate to understand some fundamental concepts

that gave rise to the concept of decolonization or the need to decolonize in the first place. In the

course of this work, we shall delve into the concepts that gave rise to decolonization, the concept

of decolonization, Pan-Africanism, and Ngugi wa Thiongo’s concept of decolonization. The little

foreword statement serves as an apodictic. Thus, the aim of this work is to expose the reasons for

decolonization and why it is important to decolonize Africa.

What is Colonization?

The most general definition on we will mostly encounter is that colonization is an invasion

or seizure of land. Colonization on the contrary goes far beyond that, in fact, there could be

colonization without colonies. Basically, colonization involves expansion but a subtype of

expansion, so that the expansion here is as a result of permanent mobility of many ordinary

people as opposed to expansion involving temporal mobility of armies and few

administrative staff.1

What is Colonialism?
1
Cf. Michael Sommer, “Colonies-Colonization-Colonialism: A typological reappraisal”, AWE, Vol 10, 2011, 183-193.
 Colonialism is primarily the domination of people from another culture and this definition

embraces all forms of imperialism, colonial or not which by definition include cultural

differences between the ruler and the ruled.2 Colonialism implies that one society completely

deprives the other of its potentials for autonomous development, which an entire society is

remotely controlled and reconfigured in accordance to the colonial rulers. Secondly, that the

ruling and the ruled are permanently divided by a cultural gap, thirdly the intellectual yoke

of an ideology whose purpose it is to legitimate colonial expansion. Colonialism is the rule

of one collectively over another, with the life of the ruled being determined for the sake of

external interests by a minority of colonial masters. 3 Colonialism goes beyond just physical

subjugation but psychological, intellectual and to an extent spiritual. And this lingers on

even in the absence of the colonizers.

What is Coloniality?

This can be said to be the unintended consequences of the narratives of modernity. It is the

continuity of colonial form of domination after the end of colonial administration, produced

by colonial culture and structure. Coloniality can also be referred to as a structuring process

in the modern world system that articulates what is called peripheral locations i.e. states that

still live under strong colonial influence, in the international division of labor that is marked

with ethnic and racial classifications.4

For Walter D., it is the narrative given to justify the colonial activities that have the most

influence, the use of knowledge and epistemologies to convince the world that it was for the

larger good and the general happiness of the whole of human race, that is coloniality in

2
Cf. Michael Sommer, “Colonies-Colonization-Colonialism: A typological reappraisal”, 183-193.
3
Cf. Michael Sommer, “Colonies-Colonization-Colonialism: A typological reappraisal”, 183-193.
4
Cf. Luciana Ballestrin, “Coloniality and Democracy”, Revista Estudos Politicos, Vol.5, No.1, (December 2016),211-
228.
 definition. Thus, coloniality is more compelling because they give reasons for their action.

For instance, slave trade, it cannot be said that they were trampling upon the dignity of

fellow humans because according them, Africans were less humans, hence Hegel opines

with other philosophers against the rationality and equal humanness of Africans.5

What is Neo-Colonialism?

Neo-colonialism is an important and essential concept in the discussion of colonialism.

While it may seem like most previously colonized territories are [physically or politically

independent on the periphery but more profoundly, are they free?

Kwame Nkrumah explained that Neo-colonialism represents the final stage of imperialism and as

well as the worst form of imperialism. The term Neo-colonialism differs from colonized

territories for instance, Africa and Asia. However, it has been defined as the control of less-

developed countries by those already developed through indirect means and these indirect means

are seen in the economic and political structures of these underdeveloped countries.6

He further explains that the idea of Neo-colonialism is more dangerous than the first form of

subjugation thrown by imperialism and that the essence of Neo-colonialism is that the state

which it is subjecting, in theory is independent but in reality, its core, which are its economic and

political systems are controlled from without. The struggle against neo-colonialism is not aimed

at excluding the capital of the developed countries or world from operating in less developed

countries. It is aimed at preventing the financial power of the developed countries being used in

such a way as to impoverish the less developed countries.7

5
Cf. Walter D. Mignolo and Catherine E. Walsh, On Decoloniality: concepts, analytics and praxis, 135-153.
6
Cf. Md. Shafiqur Rahaman, Md. Rawshan Yeadani, Rashed Mahmud, “The Untold history of Neo-colonialism in
Africa, History Research journal, Vol.5, No.1, 2017, 9-16.
7
Cf. Kwame Nkrumah, Neo-Colonialism, the last stage of imperialism, (London: Thomas Nelson &sons), 1996, 1-4.
All the menace and nuisance the developed world has caused to the ‘third-world countries’ or

underdeveloped territories in the past years have given rise to the clamor of and the intellectual

and radical movements of decolonization and decoloniality, one on the one hand for the radical

and the other for the intellectual respectively.

What is Decoloniality?

Before defining what decoloniality is, it is important to note that decoloniality has been a

component part of the trans(local) struggle or movement, the act of resisting and refusing the

legacies and ongoing relations and patterns established by external and internal colonialism.

This birthed that initiation, substance and form to the coloniality power of today and fostered

the classification based on the idea of conquerors and conquered. This with time developed

into absolute control of labor and subjectivity, the policies of genocide and enslavement, the

pillage of land, exploitation of natural resources, the denials and destruction of knowledge,

humanity, spirituality and Cosmo-existence became the modus operandi of this new model

and pattern of power that then later travelled around the world.8

Decoloniality can be defined as a form of struggle and survival, an epistemic and existence-

based response and practice most especially by colonized and racialized subjects against the

colonial matrix of power in all its dimensions and specifically for an otherwise.9

It denotes ways of thinking knowing, being and doing that began with but precede, the

colonial invasion. It can further be understood as the recognition and undoing of the

hierarchical structures of race, gender heteropatriarchy and class that continues to control

life, knowledge, spirituality, thoughts and structure that intertwines with especially western

8
Cf. Walter D. Mignolo and Catherine E. Walsh, On Decoloniality: concepts, analytics and praxis
9
Cf. Walter D. Mignolo and Catherine E. Walsh, On Decoloniality: concepts, analytics and praxis
 modernity.10 Decoloniality is not static nor a one-way enterprise, rather, it seeks to advance

radical and distinct perspectives and positions that displaces western rationality as the only

way or frame work of existence.11

What is Decolonization?

Decolonization is a global phenomenon, from which the various clarifications made we can infer

that one of the basic marks of decolonization enterprise is that it is a reaction to colonization,

colonialism and especially, westernization. Defining decolonization has proven to be problematic

and getting an objective definition has been problematic.12

Again, decolonization can be seen as a process by which legally dependent territories obtain their

constitutional independence and enter a world stage of international relations as sovereign states.

But decolonization goes beyond just being a sovereign state. Another school of thought opines

that decolonization is a reversal of process of European imperial expansion with all its political,

economic, socio-cultural and linguistic consequences.13

Although decolonization means different things to different people, giving the political,

economic, cultural and social settings that constitutes the colonized lands. Aside from these sides

of decolonization, it encompasses a struggle against hegemony on epistemology, ideology,

methodology narrative and so on. However, the political level it takes a different mode.

Situating the entire idea of decolonization into the African context, we see that decolonization

exceeds just becoming politically independent from our colonizers, we are talking about how our

government is structured, the economic structure and how the former colonized subject have

10
Cf. Walter D. Mignolo and Catherine E. Walsh, On Decoloniality: concepts, analytics and praxis
11
Cf. Walter D. Mignolo and Catherine E. Walsh, On Decoloniality: concepts, analytics and praxis
12
Cf. Helen Von Bismarck, “Defining Decolonization”, Essay for the British Scholar Society, December 2012.
13
Cf. Helen Von Bismarck, “Defining Decolonization”, Essay for the British Scholar Society, December 2012.
been conditioned to think and reason such that even in the absence of the colonizers physically

they still have a mental leverage over us and this trend has been passed on to generations. 14 Little

wonder Bob Marley in his classic ‘Redemption Song’ said, “ emancipate yourself from mental

slavery, non but ourselves can free our minds……”.

The ideas of the causes for the promptings for decolonization and decolonization has been

emphasized as well as decolonization and decoloniality. But all these would remain theories and

hidden away in the ambiance of the pages of the books where they must have been written if no

practical steps are taken. One of such practical steps is Pan-Africanism, others are African

philosophy and epistemicide.

Pan-Africanism

According to Ogba Sylvester and Okpanachi Idoko, Pan-Africanism can be defined as a set

of shared assumptions expressing the desire for the unity of all whether on the continent or in

diaspora.15 The movement views all Africans and descendants of Africans as belonging to a

single race and sharing a common cultural unity.

For Wa Thiong’o, the idea of Pan-Africanism is a reaction to the partitioning of Africa at the

Berlin Conference which officially kickstarted colonialism creating a pseudo-nation-state out

of what was initially seen as an undivided continent. 16 It also promotes a consciousness of

Africa as the ancestral home for black people who desire to work for its liberation. At the

core of this is the understanding that the people of Africa had similar experiences regardless

of their location in the world. Among such experiences are colonialism, racial oppression and
14
Cf. Rianna Oelofsen, Decolonization of the African mind and intellectual landscape, (South Africa: Unisa press),
2015, 131.
15
Cf. Ogba Sylvester and Okpanachi Idoko, “Decolonisation in Africa and Pan-Africanism” Yonetim Bilimleri Dergesi,
Vol 12, No. 23, (2014), 7-31.
16
Cf. Mark Malisa and Phillipa Nherigeze, “Pan-Africanism: A quest for liberation and the pursuit of a united
Africa”, Vol 2, No 28, (2018).
 slavery.17 Decolonization is not peculiar to the African nation but Pan-Africanism is more

focused on Africa as it is an African movement.

Colonialism and its events together with slavery distorted our identity as Africans, alienating

us from our language and culture, thus imposing a culture and set of values foreign to us as

Africans, consequently, distorting our identity and to a large extent our cognitive processing

unit as Africans.18 Pan-Africanism is seen as a reaction to colonialism or as a decolonization

process because it hinges primarily on the shared affliction of the African people and uses it

first to unite Africans and they seek to rediscover and unearthed our identity, to counter the

past detrimental and inhumane tags placed on us contrasting them to the global sphere. Pan

Africanism as a decolonization process could be seen as an agency of restoration of Africa’s

subjectivity and cultural uniqueness. This could also be seen in the works of Leopold

Senghor, Kwame Nkrumah, David Diop and so on.19 To truly decolonize Africa, it is proper

to let Pan-Africanism take the lead because it represents the historical, cultural, spiritual,

scientific and philosophical legacies of Africans from the past to present.

African Philosophy as a decolonization process.

After Pan-Africanism, African philosophy follows as the next step towards decolonization. To

facilitate the decolonization project in Africa, it is pertinent that we have a philosophical frame

work or philosophies which respect diversity, cultural particularities, acknowledge lived

experiences and challenges the hegemony of western forms of universal knowledge.

17
Cf. Michael Onyebuchi Eze, “Pan-Africanism: A brief intellectual History”, History Compass, Vol 10, No.3, (2013)
663-674.
18
Cf. Michael Onyebuchi Eze, “Pan-Africanism: A brief intellectual History”, History Compass, 663-674.
19
Cf. Michael Onyebuchi Eze, “Pan-Africanism: A brief intellectual History”, History Compass, 663-674.
Wiredu opines that to argue that there is no African philosophy is merely out of ignorance or just

a refusal to accept that it exists so for him, the idea of African philosophy exists.20

However, to define African philosophy has been problematic over the years and there are

different schools of thoughts as to this, while the first believes that the act of restricting

philosophy to a cultural or traditional setting counters the main ideal of philosophy as it is

originally a universal concept. Another school believes that traditional and cultural world views

still constitutes an authentic philosophy. But scholars like Mbiti Mabogo and Anyanwu

unanimously posits that the definition of philosophy be broad enough to accommodate these

world views.21

One major reason why African philosophy has been relegated and may not be seen as important

is due to the imposition of western philosophies through formal education on Africans and the

feeling of accomplishment they labeled on them so that anyone who is able excel in expounding

the thoughts of ancient Greek philosophers like Plato Thales, Aristotle Socrates and so on, is said

to be accomplished in the philosophical world. Hence one of the reasons it is not at the forefront

of the social process of decolonization.22

Limiting philosophies of Africans to their culture is a colonial mentality, Africans should engage

every aspect of philosophy introducing African inputs wherever feasible. No African should wait

for designated courses in African philosophy before he or she can or should bring up African

conceptual resources into lime light. For Wiredu, when philosophies can be viewed from an

African perspective, then the idea of decolonization is achieving its aim. It is also note worthy to
20
Cf. Phillips Higgs, “African philosophy and the decolonization of education in Africa: Some critical reflections”,
Educational philosophy and theory, Vol 10, No 10, (2011), 4.
21
Cf. Phillips Higgs, “African philosophy and the decolonization of education in Africa: Some critical reflections”,
Educational philosophy and theory, 4.
22
Cf. Barry Hellen, “Sonya Osha, Kwasi Wiredu and beyond: The text, writing and thought in Africa”, African studies
review, Vol 49, No 3, (December 2006), 175-176.
know that he did not totally reject Western philosophies. 23 It is pertinent to say that since

decolonization is an intellectual liberation which surpasses the confines of one’s culture, thus, it

is aimed at creating a global community where ideas are exchange and not imposed. 24

Epistemic decolonization as a decolonization process

We cannot discuss epistemic decolonization without explaining what epistemicide is, especially

in relation to African knowledge system.

The monopoly of knowledge by the West and their dismissal of all other forms of knowledge

that do not align with especially modernist ideology has le to the death of many alternatives to

knowledge and this is called epistemicide.25

Epistemicide by definition means the killing of a knowledge system or systems. The conquest on

the world by the west was not just brute force but ideological and epistemological. Along with

this raid was the burning and destruction of libraries and books of the conquered states, then

formation of narratives that made especially African looks like they were incapable of reason an

act of dehumanization and racialization of the African people. It thus fostered and perfected the

plan by alienating the indigenous people from their own culture which in turn made them leave

their indigenous system of beliefs and knowledge. In some cases, making them see their native

system of knowledge as evil and having nothing positive, creating the belief that the best

alternative was to align to what the West has given us.26

23
Cf. Kwasi Wiredu, Towards decolonizing African Philosophy and Religion”, African studies quarterly, Vol 1, No 4,
18-44.
24
Cf. Kwasi Wiredu, “Conceptual decolonization as an imperative in contemporary African philosophy: some
personal reflection” journal of CAIRN.Info, Vol 2, No 36 (2002), 53-64
25
Cf. Hall, B.L and Tandon .R, “Decolonization of knowledge, epistemicide, participatory research and higher
education”, Research for all, Vol. 1, No. 1, (2017). 6-17.
26
Cf. Hall, B.L and Tandon. R, “Decolonization of knowledge, epistemicide, participatory research and higher
education”, Research for all, 6-17.
Decolonization of the mind

The Universal Language Struggle

Wa Thiong’o’s approach to decolonization especially on the mind, hinges on some

fundamental facts which revolve around the psych of the African people, and his approach is

geared towards Language and literature because these two phenomena creates the mental

worldview of a people that is then reflected in the physical. For him, the African reality is

affected by two basic struggles which are in a tug of war. At the one hand is the imperialist

tradition and on the other, resistant tradition. While the imperialist tradition is being carried

out by the ruling class in Africa, he resistant tradition is being carried out by the working

class, aided by patriotic students, intellectuals and middle-class citizens. 27

The resistance is seen basically in their patriotic defense of their national culture, their

defense in the democratic struggle both physically, economically and intellectually. The idea

of imperialism is not just a mere concept but a reality that consumes them especially the

financial dependence they have on the imperialist; freedom from western finances and

dependence is important because the level of exploitation going on in the guise of capital

help rendered to African nations is alarming. 28 The fight against imperialism has even

become tougher especially because of the neo-colonial stage we find ourselves in together

with the language struggles which affects our literature and narratives. The aim therefore is

to join our voice of struggles as one speaking one language which thus makes us a bigger

threat to the imperialists instead of speaking discordantly.29

27
Cf. Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Decolonising the mind: the politics of Language in African Literature, Zimbabwe:
Zimbabwe publishing house, 1994, 4.
28
Cf. Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Decolonising the mind: the politics of Language in African Literature, 5.
29
Cf. Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Decolonising the mind: the politics of Language in African Literature, 5.
 In speaking on the importance of language, he opines that language has a dual character, first

is that of communication and second is that it is a carrier of culture. Language as

communication has three aspects, the first is what Karl Marx called the language of the real

life, this is seen in the relationship with each other. The second is language as

communication, this is the speech that imitates the language of real life which is

communication in production. The third is language as written signs, since the written signs

imitates the spoken, the representation of sounds and visual symbols can thus be preserved

for eternity.

The second character, language as a carrier of culture.

Just as language carries culture, culture carries particularities through orature and literature,

the entire body of values by which we come to perceive ourselves and our place in the world.

So, how people perceive themselves affect their culture, politics, social relationships and so

on. this makes language a core part of our existence and understanding of our reality.30

The Impact of language as a Colonial Tool.

Ngugi pointed out that the colonialist’s aim was to control the people’s wealth, what they

produced and how they produced and distributed it. In other words, they sought to control

their very tools of self-definition in relationship to others. Thus, colonialism is a deliberate

act of destruction and the undervaluing of a people’s culture, art, history, orature, literature

and language and an imposition of their language was crucial to the domination of the mental

universe of the colonized.31

30
Cf. Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Decolonising the mind: the politics of Language in African Literature, 14.
31
Cf. Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Decolonising the mind: the politics of Language in African Literature, 16.
 The entire process of alienation may look subtle but it is very potent especially to the colonial

child. When a child is exposed to foreign books and other foreign materials written in

colonial language, it affects his/her conceptualization of ideas. Thus, he begins to mirror

himself in the light of another culture, seeing reality through that microcosm, causing him to

want to dress like them, learn their language, adopt most of their cultures and adopt almost

everything do. This then causes them to lose interest in their culture and language and thus

their reality. For Ngugi, this is the most dangerous part or aspect of colonialism, the

subjugation of the mind; from does every other form of subjugation take root from and

stem.32

The infestation of our language and culture Ngugi says was highly promoted by the

intellectual elites who were schooled by the colonizers, gained mastery of their language and

promoted it. Inferring from Makerere conference, where precedence was given to either

French or English as the acceptable literatures, Ngugi opines that he cannot support for the

use of foreign languages to the detriment of our indigenous languages.33

The Language of African Literature

The language of African literature cannot be understood outside the contexts of what made it

become an issue in the first place. The entire idea of imperialism and colonialism has

affected almost every sphere of the African people. The African people are now left to

liberate themselves from the stranglehold of the colonialists into a new era of self-regulation

and self -determination. At the Makerere conference, African indigenous writers who wrote

in foreign languages were invited and those who wrote in indigenous languages were

32
Cf. Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Decolonising the mind: the politics of Language in African Literature, 18.
33
Cf. Cecilia A. Eme and Davidson U. Mbagwu, “African languages and African Literature”, UJAH: Unizik Journal of
Arts and Humanities, Vol.2, No.1, 2011, 114-128.
excluded, the dilemma faced here was that all African writers, poets and literati were to be

invited, and thus, those who were left out, what they were practicing was the main subject

matter. What language should African literature be written in? Irrespective of the reasons

given to back the writing of African literature in western languages, Ngugi opines that

Africans should have their literature in their indigenous languages.

If Immanuel Kant could write in German, Jean Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Merleau-

Ponty in French, Giovanni Gentile and Benedetto Croce in Italian, Jose Ortega y Gasset, in

Spanish, why then can we Africans not write in our indigenous languages that we also be

sought out and translated into other languages.

Conclusion

Although the colonial language has been so indoctrinated into our lives, that we speak and

live out their languages to an extent, especially in formal education and professional spheres.

To clamor for a return to our indigenous language for some Africans remains a myth, not

practicable nor feasible. The rise of colonialism and consequently imperialism have caused

more harm than good to the African culture but that notwithstanding, we must find the spark

of hope even among the ruins of the great nation. While I agree with Ngugi that we should go

back to our indigenous ways especially in terms of language to aid decolonization, I will also

have recourse to the work of Abiola which is titled “In praise of alienation” where he says

that a total return to the way we were before colonization would be foolish as there is no

future, but using the tools we have gathered during and after colonialism, we should march

onwards breaking frontiers and advancing ourselves. Writing in our indigenous languages

should be encouraged so that we are not only a people vast in our own languages but also in
theirs. Consequently, we must prioritize our language and cultures over theirs to bring us

back to the aura of our reality and not forget ourselves basking in the reality of other cultures.