Taking African Agency Seriously

On the global stage Africa has often been overshadowed by Euro-centric interpretations of its history and role in an increasingly modernized world. Efforts to decolonize Africa have shifted beyond an economic or political level, to indiscriminate application in the fields of literature, language, philosophy, medicine, etc. which Dr. Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò argues as responsible for denying African agency and “suffocating” African thought. Dr. Táíwò questions whether this blanket utilization of ‘decolonization’ serves African empowerment, as well as how the history of Africa has been erased, bi-furcated, and contorted to fit the preferred narrative of the continent as a backwards place in need of saving.
Join us on February 23rd at 6:00pm for this virtual discussion, where audience members will learn the often overlooked legacy of African intellectuals, their contributions to global modernity, and the current culture of decolonization.