Africa: Colonial Mentality vs. Postcolonial Reality

The article explores colonial mentality, a phenomenon that is equally inherent in and influences the contemporary sociocultural development of both former colonies and former metropoles. Colonial mentality (or colomentality, as musician Fela Anikulapo Kuti called it in one of his compositions) represents a particular model of perception, status, and behavior based on a system of hierarchies and subordinations, which, in turn, presupposes the (co)existence of dominant and subordinate societies and the cultures produced by them. Colonial mentality, which determines the format of the relationship between the notional “us” and “them” (in reality, pseudo-us and pseudo-them), acts as an integral element in the systemic and overt manifestation of internalized racism. It gives rise, on the one hand, to targeted protest among educated Africans and, on the other, to intentions of integration (up to assimilation) into white society. The authors focus on the interaction of colonial mentality with the problem of identity in a postcolonial reality. Particular emphasis is placed on the genesis and development of intellectual history within Africa and the diaspora, both African and African American. Drawing on the experience of several generations, from William Du Bois and Leopold Senghor to Chigozie Obioma and Chika Esiobu, the authors trace different signs of colonial mentality, ranging from inferiority complexes to the desire to meticulously imitate Eurocentric standards. The authors further examine the manifestations of colonial mentality in creative and intellectual circles. Their focus is on scholars, writers, and artists—those who have managed to grasp the phenomenon of colonial mentality, transforming it into a tool for combating stereotypes about Africa and Africans, and who have recognized the importance of transcultural dialogue and a return to traditions.