IAAJAH - IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities
Vol. 9 No. 2, 2023
GEORGE EKWURU'S AFRI-RACIOGENESIS: NEGATIVE DISCOURSES, WESTERN RACIALIZATION AND AFRI-ZEALOTISM: A REVIEW
Izuchukwu Innocent Emeam, PhD

ABSTRACT

The givens of human existence are the same for all human beings in the world. The realities of birth, terminal sickness and death are immutable packages which are part and parcel of human existence. The realities of birth: choice of parents, choice of place of birth, choice of date of birth, choice of nationality, genotype (personality make-up) and phenotype (physical characteristics of personality) are givens that no human being was given any option of choice. The type of sickness which will lead a person to death is part of the package of each personality. Medical expertise can sustain life by prolonging death but not changing reality. From the inception of civilization, the West took up an aggressive position of ascribing negativity to the givens of birth and sickness to Africa. The given of death which is for all mortals has analogically been also ascribed to be African. The conception of death as black, as night, as evil, and attribution of deathdealing events as African are symbolic analogies to make death an African creation. The angel of death is painted in many Western pieces of literature as black and even in science fiction. The stigmatization of Africa via the givens of human existence is at the root of Afri-raciogenesis. The reaction of Africans is like the myth of Sisyphus. Can the stone ever be rolled over the hill? At most, the efforts of Africans at overcoming the negative labels of the West put Africans always thinking in terms of validating the past and not projective thinking in the present in order to reconstruct the future. Thus, Africa is like Prometheus in chains. Prometheus can be unbound through Afri-zealotism.

Keywords: Afri-raciogenesis, negative discourses, racialization, Afri-zealotism
VIEW FULL TEXT

Our Motto: "United in Research for Positive Change", summarizes the objectives of this great institution. IRI is an international organization that is registered (RC1621015) under the Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Contact Info

Events

© 2024 Igwebuike Research Institute