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Abstract
While the coloniality of power underpins the continuity of colonial situations in postcolonial Africa, (neo)liberal thinking attempts to dismiss its place in Africa’s contemporary challenges, blaming instead anti-colonial struggles and the quest for complete decolonisation as the cause of these challenges. A focus on this neoliberal cum pro-colonial perspectives, at the expense of a corpus of post-, anti- and de-colonial writings that expose and challenge coloniality, however, inhibits our understanding of the consolidation, problematic place and impact of the coloniality of power in postcolonial Africa. Analysing the presence of colonial situations in policy choices and governance patterns, which link Africa’s postcolonial present to their colonial past, this paper claims that the coloniality of power retains its salience in postcolonial Africa. Illustrating with experiences from Nigeria, I show how this continues to structure the state of affairs in Africa even after formal colonialism has ended. This article contributes to the discourse on the legacies of colonialism in Africa.
Acknowledgements
I am grateful to Swati Parashar and Michael Schulz for initiating a special issue on the legacies of colonialism in Africa, and for their comments on the earlier drafts of the article. Swati is much appreciated for her patience and commitment in bringing the work to fruition. I thank Shahid Qadir, Editor-in-Chief of TWQ, for his patience. I thank the anonymous reviewers for their comments. Lastly, I thank Iwebunor Okwechime and Tosin Akinjobi for reading and commenting on the draft of the paper.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 See Gueye, “Colonialism in Africa,” 113; Arowosegbe, “Social Sciences and Knowledge Production in Africa.”
2 See Spivak cited in Abrahamsen, “African Studies”, 195.
3 Ndlovu-Gatsheni, “The Cognitive Empire.”
4 Grosfoguel, “Decolonizing Post-Colonial Studies.”
5 See Obi, “Oil Extraction.”
6 Gilley, “Case for Colonialism.”
7 Grosfoguel, “Decolonizing Post-Colonial Studies”; Omeje, “Debating Postcoloniality in Africa.”
8 Hall cited in Bilgin, “Securing the Postcolonial,” 49.
9 See Quijano, “Coloniality of Power.”
10 Grosfoguel, “Decolonizing Post-Colonial Studies,” 14–5.
11 Maldonado-Torres in Ndlovu-Gatsheni, Coloniality of Power.
12 Achebe, Image of Africa, 3.
13 Quijano, “Coloniality and Modernity/Rationality.”
14 Escobar, “Beyond the Third World,” 217.
15 Quijano, “Coloniality and Modernity/Rationality,” 7.
16 See Jabri, Postcolonial Subject.
17 Spivak, Can the Subaltern Speak?
18 Grosfoguel cited in Ndlovu-Gatsheni, The Coloniality of Power, 8; see also Quijano, “Coloniality and Modernity/Rationality.”
19 Grosfoguel, “Decolonizing Post-Colonial Studies.”
20 Ndlovu-Gatsheni, “Decoloniality as the Future of Africa,” 486.
21 Foucault in Abrahamsen, “African Studies and the Postcolonial Challenge,” 198.
22 Onyango, “Postcolonial Politics in Kenya.”
23 Abrahamsen, “African Studies and the Postcolonial Challenge,” 202.
24 Ibid.; see also Abrahamsen, Disciplining Democracy. cf. Gilley, “Case for Colonialism.”
25 Lisimba and Parashar, “The ‘State’ of Postcolonial Development,” 3.
26 Comaroff and Comaroff, ““Law and Disorder in the Postcolony.”
27 Quijano, “Coloniality and Modernity/Rationality,” 168–78.
28 Escobar, “Worlds and Knowledges Otherwise,” 185.
29 Ndlovu-Gatsheni, “Decoloniality as the Future of Africa,” 489.
30 Mbembe, On the Postcolony; Fanon, Wretched of the Earth.
31 Mbembe, Postcolony, 1.
32 Fanon, Wretched of the Earth, 5.
33 Ndlovu-Gatsheni, “Decoloniality as the Future of Africa,” 486.
34 Ndlovu-Gatsheni, Coloniality of Power.
35 Ibid.
36 Grosfoguel, “Decolonizing Post-Colonial Studies,” 7.
37 Ibid. 13.
38 Ndlovu-Gatsheni, Coloniality of Power, 3.
39 Ibid, 12.
40 Fanon, Wretched of the Earth, 2 (Emphasis in original).
41 Arowosegbe, “Social Sciences and Knowledge Production in Africa,” 338.
42 See Lisimba and Parashar, “The ‘State’ of Postcolonial Development”; See also BBC, “Russia in Africa.”
43 Byekwaso, “Politics of Modernization,” 301.
44 Cockcroft, Andre, and Dale cited in Okwechime, Yange, and Aduloju, “Africa and the Global Economic and Financial Crisis,” 209.
45 Ndlovu-Gatsheni, Coloniality of Power, 5.
46 Moore-Sieray, “Bretton Woods Institutions.”
47 Osoba, “Corruption in Nigeria,” 373.
48 Englebert, “Contemporary African State,” 767.
49 Ake, Political Economy of Africa, 142.
50 See Onyango, “Postcolonial Politics in Kenya.”
51 Ndlovu-Gatsheni, Coloniality of Power, xi, 30–1.
52 Byekwaso, “Politics of Modernization,” 305.
53 OECD, Development Aid at a Glance, 7.
54 Fela Kuti used the term colonial mentality in his song to depict ruling elite behaviour that smacks of colonial behaviour.
55 Ihonvbere, “How to Make.”
56 Amuwo, “Towards a New Political Economy.”
57 Ndlovu-Gatsheni, Coloniality of Power, 21.
58 Adebanwi and Obadare, “Abrogation of the Electorate.”
59 Obi, “Taking Back Our Democracy,” 367.
60 Ake, “Devaluing of Democracy.”
61 Ake, Democracy and Development in Africa.”
62 Adejumobi, “Elections in Africa.”
63 cf. Ndlovu-Gatsheni, Coloniality of Power, 18.
64 See Osoba, “Corruption in Nigeria,” 374; Amuwo, “Towards a New Political Economy.”
65 World Bank, Governance and Economic Management Assistance Programme.
66 Transparency International, “Overview of Corruption and Anti-Corruption in Nigeria,” 1, 5.
67 Adebajo, Curse of Berlin, 17–8.
68 Iraonusi, “Nigeria Confirms Plans to Sell.”
69 Donnan and Fick, “Nigeria Asks for $3.5bn Emergency Loans.”
70 Iyatse, “Nigeria’s Debt Profile Hits 31 Trillion.”
71 See Moyo, Dead Aid.
72 BBC, “Russia in Africa.”
73 See Rukundwa and van Aarde, “Formation of Postcolonial Theory,” 1173.
74 Mbembe, On the Postcolony, 40.
75 Ndlovu-Gatsheni, “Decoloniality as the Future of Africa,” 486.
76 Englebert, “Contemporary African State,” 768.
77 Achebe, Image of Africa, 23.
78 Okonjo-Iweala, Reforming the Unreformable.
79 Meagher, “Reforming the Unreformable,” 511.
80 Premium Times, “Why Buhari Removed Subsidy.”
81 Obadare and Adebanwi, “Introduction,” 11.
82 Fela Kuti, “International Thief Thief (I.T.T.).”
83 Osoba, “Corruption in Nigeria,” 378.
84 Obadare, “Playing Politics with the Mobile Phone.”
85 Dike, Trade and Politics in the Niger Delta.
86 For a fuller analysis of the neoliberal agenda in Africa, see Byekwaso, “Politics of Modernization.”
87 Olorode, “Privatisation Is a Looting Agenda.”
88 Meagher, “Reforming the Unreformable.”
89 Pre-inauguration address by M. K. O. Abiola, available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAQxm8-F1bg
90 Human Rights’ Lawyer, Femi Falana, Interview on TVC Programme, Your View.
91 Kuti featuring M1, “IMF.”
92 Ibid.
93 BudgiT, “Reviewing Nigeria’s Debt Status.”
94 See Interview by Babangida with Kadari on Straight Talk, available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-vWxrspj8U
95 Apple Jr, “Jailed Nigerian Died during Envoy’s Visit.”
96 Howard-Hassmann, “Reparations to Africa,” 82–5.
97 Premium Times, “Why Buhari Removed Subsidy.”
98 Ndujihe, “Fuel Subsidy Crisis.”
99 Gilley, “Case for Colonialism,” 1.
100 Ndlovu-Gatsheni, Coloniality of Power, 16.
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Akinbode Fasakin
Akinbode Fasakin is a PhD candidate at the Department of Political Science, Swedish Defence University and Department of Economic History and International Relations, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden. His research interests cover democracy, security and politics in Africa. He was a Laureate of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) Gender Institute in 2013 and a Peace and Security Fellow of the African Leadership Centre, King’s College London from 2013 to 2015. He was recognised as an emerging scholar of the Carnegie Corporation of New York at the 58th Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association (ASA) in San Diego, California, USA.