Reclaiming Our Heritage: Inferiority complex is the root of Africa’s perpetual dependency
Dear Nyaaba,
As Ghana embarks on yet another ‘brand new start’, I could not resist drawing our collective attention to certain thoughts that should occur to all well-meaning Ghanaians.
The troubling lack of progress of the African people has had many thinking for many years. In my readings to date, no one captures it better that Ali Mazrui. He aptly calls it the African Paradox.
; Key Aspects of the African Paradox
1. Rich Continent, Poor People
• Africa possesses vast reserves of minerals, oil, and fertile land. However, its people often live in poverty due to exploitation, mismanagement, and weak economic structures.
2. Cultural Resilience vs. Political Instability
• African cultures have survived colonization, slavery, and globalization, yet political instability continues to undermine governance and economic progress.
3. Intellectual Talent vs. Brain Drain
• Africa has produced brilliant minds, yet many of its scholars, doctors, and engineers leave for opportunities abroad, weakening domestic capacity.
4. Traditional Values vs. Modernization Struggles
• African societies value community, oral traditions, and spirituality, but these sometimes clash with the demands of modern nation-states and global economies.
5. Independence without True Sovereignty
• Despite political independence, many African nations remain economically dependent on former colonial powers and global financial institutions.
What he achieves is capturing our condition aptly, what lies at the root of this condition is what I postulate next.
For centuries, Africa has been cast in the shadows of its own history, its people conditioned to look elsewhere for validation, innovation, and progress. This mindset—deeply rooted in colonialism, cultural imperialism, and historical miseducation—has left generations believing that civilization, intelligence, and greatness are external gifts rather than inherent qualities. Until Africans recognize themselves as the originators of civilization and stop measuring their worth against a Eurocentric paradigm, our collective struggle for true liberation will remain incomplete.
Long before Europe emerged from its medieval slumber, Africa was home to some of the most advanced civilizations known to humanity. The grandeur of Egypt (Kemet), the intellectual centers of Timbuktu, the architectural wonders of Great Zimbabwe, and the vast empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai were all testaments to African ingenuity, governance, and scholarship. These societies developed writing systems, complex mathematics, astronomy, medicine, philosophy, and governance structures that shaped the world.
Yet, these contributions have been systematically erased or downplayed. Western historiography has reduced Africa to the narrative of slavery and colonial dependence, omitting the fact that the very foundations of Western civilization—Greek philosophy, Roman law, and Renaissance science—owe much to African knowledge systems. The theft of African artifacts, the suppression of indigenous knowledge, and the misrepresentation of Africa in media and education have all contributed to an identity crisis that persists today.
Colonial education ingrained in Africans the belief that the white race represents the pinnacle of human achievement. Western standards became the benchmark for beauty, intelligence, governance, and development. To be “civilized” meant to speak English or French fluently, to adopt European mannerisms, to reject indigenous traditions, and to seek foreign approval. Even today, many African leaders and elites measure progress not by how well their nations serve their people, but by how they are perceived in Western capitals.
This inferiority complex is the root of Africa’s perpetual dependency. It explains why African economies remain extractive rather than innovative, why our institutions mirror those of our former colonizers instead of reflecting indigenous systems, and why we often seek Western solutions to African problems. It also fuels a dangerous cycle where African youth believe that success lies in migration rather than transformation of their own societies.
Liberation begins with education—not the colonial kind, but one that reclaims African history, philosophy, and knowledge systems. African schools must teach children that their ancestors built pyramids, navigated vast oceans, and pioneered medicine long before Europe had universities. We must celebrate African intellectuals, inventors, and artists with the same reverence given to Western thinkers.
Economic independence is another pillar of true liberation. Africa must control its resources, develop its industries, and set its own terms of trade. A continent that supplies the world with gold, diamonds, oil, and rare minerals should not beg for aid. Self-reliance must replace dependency.
Finally, Africa must redefine its standards of governance and progress. Democracy, as preached by the West, has often been a tool of division rather than empowerment. African societies had governance structures that ensured accountability long before colonialism. We must fuse indigenous knowledge with modern realities to create systems that work for us.
Until Africans recognize that they are the architects of civilization, we will continue to operate within a framework that undermines our potential. True progress will come when we stop seeking approval from external forces and instead draw from our own rich heritage to build a future that is authentically African. The struggle for liberation is not just political or economic, it is psychological and cultural. When we reclaim our history, we reclaim our destiny.
Your descendant
The Honourrebel Siriguboy
PS
If you wish to know more about this vexing matter, consult the following:
Africa has a rich tradition of philosophy, dating back to ancient times and continuing into the modern era. Below are some of the most influential African philosophers across history.
Ancient African Philosophers
1. Ptahhotep (c. 2400 BCE, Kemet/Egypt)
• One of the earliest known philosophers, Ptahhotep wrote The Maxims of Ptahhotep, a collection of wisdom literature on ethics, leadership, and morality.
2. Amenemope (c. 1100 BCE, Kemet/Egypt)
• Author of The Instructions of Amenemope, a philosophical text that influenced later biblical wisdom literature, emphasizing justice, humility, and personal integrity.
3. Zera Yacob (1599–1692, Ethiopia)
• A rationalist philosopher who wrote Hatata (The Inquiry), arguing for reason, personal faith, and moral responsibility outside rigid religious dogma.
4. Walatta Petros (1592–1642, Ethiopia)
• A philosophical and religious thinker who challenged Portuguese colonial and religious influence, advocating for Ethiopian Orthodox Christian identity and resistance.
Modern African Philosophers (20th & 21st Century)
5. Anténor Firmin (1850–1911, Haiti, African descent)
• A key figure in African philosophy and early Pan-Africanism, he challenged racist pseudo-science in his book The Equality of the Human Races (1885).
6. Cheikh Anta Diop (1923–1986, Senegal)
• Historian, linguist, and philosopher who argued that ancient Egypt (Kemet) was a Black civilization and that African philosophy and science predate Greek thought.
7. Kwame Nkrumah (1909–1972, Ghana)
• A philosopher and statesman who developed Consciencism, a philosophy blending traditional African values, socialism, and modern scientific thought for African liberation.
8. Frantz Fanon (1925–1961, Martinique/Algeria)
• A radical philosopher and psychiatrist whose works, Black Skin, White Masks and The Wretched of the Earth, analyze colonial oppression and the psychology of liberation.
9. Julius Nyerere (1922–1999, Tanzania)
• A political philosopher who promoted Ujamaa, an African socialist system rooted in communal living and economic self-reliance.
10. Ifeyani Menkiti (1940–2019, Nigeria)
• A philosopher of African ethics, emphasizing communal personhood, where identity is defined by community rather than individualism.
11. Paulin Hountondji (b. 1942, Benin)
• A critic of ethnophilosophy, arguing that African philosophy should be rigorous, analytical, and not just a collection of traditional beliefs.
12. Molefi Kete Asante (b. 1942, USA, African descent)
• Founder of Afrocentricity, a philosophical framework that centers African identity, agency, and historical contributions.
13. Kwasi Wiredu (1931–2022, Ghana)
• Known for conceptual decolonization, advocating for the use of indigenous African languages in philosophy to avoid Eurocentric distortions.
14. Henry Odera Oruka (1944–1995, Kenya)
• Developed Sage Philosophy, documenting the wisdom of African elders and proving that African philosophy is both written and oral.
These philosophers have shaped African intellectual history, from ancient wisdom traditions to contemporary debates on decolonization, identity, and social justice. Their works challenge Eurocentric narratives and affirm Africa’s place in global philosophical discourse.
HAPPY SOUL-SEARCHING
@KASISE