African Nationalism or Nationalist Movement

African nationalism or nationalist movement developed as a reaction to years of oppression by the whites in the name of white supremacy. Whether white supremacy existed or how brutal its effects had been is out of the scope of our discussion on this paper, however we shall examine the perceived effects of oppression and subjugation faced by Africans during colonial domination. Remaining objective on such an issue is not always possible, however for the sake of objectivity; we are using the term perceived. This is to show that while it is true that Africans remained in the shadows for centuries and were unable to make progress like white people did, still we are not fully aware of all the factors that played a part in their lack of progress. Blaming the whites alone may not be the right approach; however it is true that most African nationalists believed it was due to white people and their utter neglect and rejection of other races that caused Africans o lag far behind the rest of the world. Fanon Frantz was one such nationalist, who in his famous book, the Wretched of the Earth wrote:

"Let us try to create the whole man, whom Europe has been incapable of bringing to triumphant birth. Two centuries ago, a former European colony decided to catch up with Europe. It succeeded so well that the United States of America became a monster, in which the taints, the sickness and the inhumanity of Europe have grown to appalling dimensions ... It is a question of the Third World starting a new history of Man."

White supremacy has often been attacked for its role in destroying many cultures around the world including the Sub-continent, south-Asian, African, etc. However no where the destruction has been as brutal and as vehement as in Africa and it took decades to get rid of its deep rooted psychological effects. For centuries, Africa remained the most neglected part of the world and coupled with factors like poor education, low self-esteem and generally corrupted rulers, Africa found it extremely difficult to break through the shackles of colonialism. It was thus immensely important to instill in Africans a sense of self and a sense of nationalism so strong that it would completely wipe off the ill effects of white domination. Writers, nationalists, politicians and well respected celebrities all played a huge role in waking up a nation that had hitherto been unaware of its own power to do something about its lot in life.

Fanon believed like many other nationalists today that colonialism had damaging effect on the psyche of occupied natives. It did not enslave their bodies, it enslaves their minds and that was far more harmful than physical imprisonment. This was because through systematic introduction, influx and domination of foreign values and a more powerful culture, locals were made to believe in the inferiority of their own cultures. African people were not alone in suffering these ill effects of white domination, most other nations under occupation faced the same hardships but since Africa was largely backward and education took a very long time to enter this continent, it became far more difficult for Africans to come out of the dark shadows of their past.

For this reason, Fanon and other advocated development of a sense of nationalism which they called black or African nationalism. By nationalism they meant not only the cultivation of love for their land and nation but also the development of an identity -- A sense of who Africans were and what they stood for which would be based on nothing that white people had been teaching but on something that would be exclusive to Africa and African consciousness.

The new sense of self would then reflect in all the actions of African people including their writings. It was believed that oppressors so dominate the minds and souls of the conquered people, that the latter start believing in their inferiority and try to please their oppressor by producing work that would be more universal in its subject. However that had to change if Africans wanted to believe in themselves. They would need to address their own people, their own problems and their own cultures and write for their own audiences which would not only in giving voice to the frustrations and issues of African people but by and large would also educate them about their own condition.

Over the decades, many nations have successfully delved deeper into the issues of their lost identities and developed a more comprehensive new identities for themselves. This has helped them tremendously in breaking free of their past. One such example would that be of India where British had colonized people for around 300 years. However while in the occupation too, Indians were aware of themselves and their needs. Since they had once been a dominant nation, they still believed in themselves and kept getting education while being under occupation. This had a positive impact on their minds as they fought hard for their freedom and once independent, they were able to stand on their feet far more quickly than any African occupied nation. On top of that, they also addressed the issues and problems of their people in their writings. Even their English writers were basically interested in highlighting the social evils, problems, ills of their own society instead of turning to the west or writing for the west. This gave them immense sense of pride in their own identities; in who they were and what they believed in. today India is a force to reckon with.