Saturday, November 28, 2009

What is the colonized mindset?

The colonised mindset: The enemy within the African communities. SendMeYourNews



Jul 23, 2006 07:12 PDT



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----- Original Message -----



From: Cheryl Sanchez mailto:sanchez-@hotmail.com



To: sendmey-@earthlink.net



Sent: Sunday, July 23, 2006 8:48 AM



The colonised mindset: The enemy within the African communities.



The writer is going to put forward an argument that unless the



slave/colonial mindset is recognised as the active enemy, within the African



communities world-wide, attempts to understand the social and economic



problems will be useless. This mindset has been affecting the



individual/family /organisations/community and nations alike. From an early



age, adults have been referring to people as having "being colonial or slave



minded" in a most benign way. It as if having this mindset is like having a



flue. You treat the symptoms and eventually, it should go away, if the



immune system is acute and alert. In reality, it is the most virulent



psychological condition prevalent amongst African communities. The damage is



too enormous to consider in this essay. It has and is still destroying from



individuals to revolutions to states eg Patrice Lumumba-Congo, Thomas



Sankara-Bukina Faso, Walter Rodney-Guyana, Cabral, Malcolm X and Bantu S



Biko to name a few. When foreign money, the lust for power and the colonial



mindset met-destruction is sure to follow. Mineral rich DRC remains the most



tragic example today. Also Angola before the timely death of Savimbi, "



Washington's kept man". Failure to confront and systematically deal with



this enemy is equivalent to failure to live and or thrive.



HISTORY



The disastrous effects of slavery and colonialism on the physical aspect of



the Africans in the Americas, the Caribbean and on mainland Africa have been



well documented by a host of European and African-American historians



including Basil D Davidson, Walter Rodney and Professor Jeffries. Few



writers have focused on the debilitating effects of the mindset on the



emotions and the psychology as Carter G Woodson( 1875-1950)was probably a



pioneer when he addressed this condition in his book - The Mis-Education of



the *****. Later, Dr Na'im Akbar painstakingly outlined the psychological



effects in his book- Chains and Images of psychological slavery. Professor



Joy Leary recently attempted to put the psychological trauma concept in the



public domain during a recent lecture tour in London but, few Africans



wanted to even contemplate this concept as an explanation for some of their



behaviour towards each other.



It is of paramount importance to understand the disastrous reality of the



sate accurately described by Woodson and take action to treat it.



"When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his



actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand there or go yonder. He or



she will find his "proper place" and will stay in it. You do not need to



send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there



is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His education



makes it necessary". Woodson showed a lot of foresight in his early



detection of the destructive side of the slave/colonial mindset. It is a



pity that, most Pastors and self-appointed "community" leaders do not



recommend this book to the many families who come through their doors. They



do not even bothered with a plan of action to treat this mindset.



Examples



This mindset certainly has a blindfolding effect eg African girls aspiring



to be like their "blonde Barbie dolls". African men dream of marrying "a



Barbie doll" type of woman as soon as they arrive in Europe and or



UK/USA/Canada, so as not to have "too black" children. Michael Jackson's



obsession with his costly body- altering project. It also causes US



Africans/Afrikans to focus on the body, material gadgets, short cuts. The



physical environment of the homes is often out of balance with the people



who inhabit the space. Their homes always have a blonde type Jesus on the



walls but no other famous Africans like Bantu Biko, Thomas Sankara etc. The



African educationalist and parents both on the mainland, Caribbean and the



Americas have avoided including or making the early and middle years



curricula more relevant to our developmental needs. This opportunity to



change our course of history is missed again and again.



At organisational level, colonise minded but the super qualified committee



members are often afraid to put decolonisation strategy and or



Pan-Africanism into the constitution of their organisation. This also



affects the type of name or identity they take on. Eg the NAACP-The National



Association for the Advancement of "Coloured" people. One would have thought



that aparthedist South-Africa racial policies would have caused this



organisation to re-think it's chosen but, they not change from NAACP to



NAAAP. One could only guess when you start your organisation with white



liberals/ or jews in leadership roles, the de-colonisation agenda never



became a priority for this organisation. The OAS/AU is no different. It has



been in existence for over 50 years and still cannot bring itself to be



known as a Pan-Africanist organisation thus, it remains a toothless



nationalistic organisation.



Even when organisations put Pan-Africanism at the forefront eg PAC in



South-African, the de-colonisation process and project, which is necessary



for health and longevity of the organisation is not a priority either. Well



meaning or na鑼倂e activists continue to take a gamble by hoping against hope



that, a few committed and reliable people could suddenly change 400 years of



psychological damage facing the African worldwide. Things could have been



different if, the PAC was able to capture the interest and support of the



majority of the 24 million native South-Africans and their rands, to keep



the movement financially buoyant and turn it into a political powerful force



in South-African society.



The mindset nutures self-hating , self- destruction and confidence lowering



. This is evident in the practice of self- harming through bleaching the



skin, straigthening the hair and looking to Europe and European institutions



as saviours. It also makes killing each other almost acceptable. The eminent



African-American Bobby E Wright (1984) explained in his book "we have never



been trained to kill Europeans" but, we seem to be able kill each other



(black on black) violence instinctively. It also makes us have a warped and



unrealistic view of our reality. It may cause some, like Dr Kenneth B Clarke



to say," race is irrelevant". Even African-America Dr Alvin Poussant, who



used his qualification avoid addressing the current colonisation condition.



He used his stint in Ebony Magazine to deal with the a few middles class



anxieties. What a shame!



The Slave/Colonial mindset-the Trojan Horse



The Europeans understand how important the psychological warfare project is



to their continued hold on Africa, which is why they got their missionaries



to influences chiefs and other leaders in Africa, to send their young



children to their missionary schools. At these missionary/faith-based



schools, young children were indoctrinated on a grand scale. These young



children come from cultures where, almost all adults are feared and or



certainly not questioned, made the work of the European teachers easier.



This is why it should not alarm us or surprise us that, Mobutu, Savimbi and



their cronies behaved in the way they did to their own people and their own



resources. The mindset, the lust for power and foreign money-from the USA



mainly kept them destroying their respective countries, in the name of



capitalism and the other G6 powers.



The USA officials who paid Savimbi through Mobutu millions and millions of



American tax-payers money to literally destroy a revolution and 2 countries,



have never been brought to justice. If both of these colonial minded



individuals did not die, they would be still destroying the country and



squandering their resources for self-aggrandisement, with Washington's



approval. The foreign powers/handlers knew millions of people were being



tortured, kill, maimed, punished and starved of food and other life



necessities, in their interest. Whilst all this was happening in full view



of other Africans, many of them in the Caribbean and continued going to the



states" to make it". Meanwhile Africans affected by these individuals and



American money and foreign policy, eventually started heading for the UK and



the USA seeking "refuge".



It should not surprise us at the way the Europeans view certain individuals.



The American state had to get rid of Malcolm X by any means necessary. The



Belgian/USA/UK governments saw Patrice Lumumba as an uncompromising



character when it came to his understanding of independence. France could



not stomach an independent minded Thomas Sankara who wanted to transform



Bukina Faso in the interest of it's people. The apartheid South-Africa did



not dare allow Bantu Stephen Biko to live-he was too clear about his



position and his understanding of the social/economic/political situation.



He wanted all or nothing. Walter Rodney exposed the hypocrisy of Europe's



role in Africa-it became a real annoyance in European academic circles. The



under-development was the strategy and the means to achieving this outcome



was to nurture their own "loyal Africans". Off course the "loyal Africans"



are another name for the colonial minded.



Rich men and women often have their "kept women" Well, so to rich Europe has



their "kept men". France has Francoise Compoare of Bukina Faso. The USA has



theirs in the form of Paul Kagame. Spain/USA has Obiang Nguema of Equatorial



Guinea- Africa third largest producer of oil. Shell and the UK and other oil



companies operating in Nigeria have been keeping the Hausa dominated army



and government since 1970. The CIA/USA/France had army man Hissen Habre- a



man who was less than friendly to USA's imagined enemy Gadaffi. Chadian



named him, "Africa's Pinochet". USA supported the Duvalier family for 30



years and off course Savimbi in Angola. See William Blum(2001) Rogue State.



Chapter 17.



The Consequences



If African thinkers and educationalists alike continue to neglect the



content of early and middle years curricula, they would be fighting a losing



battle against the slave/colonial mindset, capitalism, fashion and



mass-media. The same way, one cannot expect to put new wine in an old



wineskin so to, one cannot expect the slave/colonial minded to suddenly



change his or her learnt behaviour. This behaviour has been around for the



last 350 years. It might have started as, a means of coping in strange and



often hostile societies in the Caribbean and America in the late 17th



century. Joy Leary would argue African communities must admit the existence



of post traumatic syndrome before, the treatment could be sought. No



admission means that, this major debilitating psychological condition would



linger and fester away.



Off course when a few like, Thiongo'o(1938-) changed his behaviour in his



adulthood, by going back to his Gikuyu name and writing in his own language



rather than English only, is inspirational to rest who remain in this



regressive state of mind. He used his book-Decolonising the mind: the



politics of language in African literature(1986) as a platform to encourage



African challenged about their attitude towards Africa and or NJAC. Ngugi wa



writers to write in their own language to make their books more meaningful



to Africans on the continent. It is not only about writing in one's own



language although, that is a positive start. It is about having a core



teaching curricula that could be used world-wide. Even if people write in



their own indigenous language but continue to see Europe as the solution to



their problems-the colonised mind remains untouched. The writer applauds the



work of Haki Madibuti and Dr Karenga and Molefi Asante. The African need



more people like the above, if we are to be taken seriously.



Why are members of NJAC( National Joint Action committee) and their 36 year



old organisation in Trinidad, still viewed as not worthy of support from the



majority of African-Trinidadians? The slave/colonial mindset, which makes



people ridicule members for re-claiming their African heritage via taking on



African names. One can often hear African-Trinidadians and other Africans



born abroad saying in a most offensive voice, "I am not African" when asked



about their identity. Thai is the colonial mindset expressing their



ignorance.



What do we begin?



The logical place for decolonisation to begin is in the home, with parents



taking the lead. The early years 0-11 is the crucial time to inculcate the



Afrocentric values. It means that, we have to be prepared to build our own



nurseries and create our own culturally inclusive and sensitive curricula.



The parents must be re-educated. It is almost pointless waiting until a



child becomes an adult, when he may or may not be exposed to Pan-Africanism.



All the research available would agree that, the pre-natal and early years



are the most important educating years. Ideally, the decolonisation ideals



should be embedded in the early years curricula, The Community leaders and



families should make attempts to discuss post trauma syndrome and it's



effects openly and proactively put into place some short term and long term



remedies.



3 African American writers who wrote the The Black Parenting Book did not



pursue the de-colonisation project in their book either. There are 17



chapters in this book yet, Pan-Africanism and or the issue of the



slave/colonial mindset were not addressed in a very active way. There



chapters on Family Traditions and Spirituality without making mention of the



importance of Kwanzaa. There was a chapter on " Black and Proud" not African



and proud. There should have a chapter on how and why Africans came to self



hate and hate all things African. Where did it all begin? The book tackled



particular parenting approach, which was used by African American parents



but, they did not attempt to give the psychological or economic reasons why



most African parents worldwide use the authoritarian model rather than the



authoritative model.



Authoritarian- powerful, assertive/aggressive (verbally or physically adult



leads or makes all the decisions, which are imposed on child. May be highly



critical. Parents may be likely to use shouting and hitting. Parents may



even talk about "I want you to fear me".



Authoritative- Parents use reciprocity and a democratic style, which allows



child to lead but establishes safe limits and boundaries. Parents are likely



to use encouragement, provide choices and highlight consequences and



positive feedback and use time-out and put penalities in place, as part of



their disciplining package.



It might have been helpful to explain why some African parents use the



former than the latter? It would have been more useful to write the book in



some African languages and use a work -book with exercises to involve all



members of the family. This book could be described as the product of a well



meaning qualified but, obviously apolitical professionals. The writers



tackled all the symptoms but never ventured near the core causes. They



missed an opportunity to focus on the link between the type of the society,



which produces such parents focusing on a post-colonial/slave/capitalist,



racist society such as the USA.



Conclusion.



The Decolonisation project and treating post trauma syndrome are as



necessary to Africans, as oxygen and water are to humankind existence.



Neither can be avoided any longer due to it being "too sensitive" an issue.



The message to all the Pan-Africanists/Humanist individuals, families and



organisations , which are always short of committed, reliable and discipline



foot soldiers is this, put some of your efforts and money into the 0-11



years olds and an African Parenting project, based on an Afrocentric model



and treatment for psychological trauma and other self-harming behaviour. If



any individual/family or organisation is interested ion the guture well



being of Africans- the aforementioned approaches are vital. Otherwise, a



plethora of colonial minded and dishonest Pastors from diverse Christian



sects, the mass-media, fashion, cars and short term attractions and whatever



other European cultural left-overs would grab the minds of the majority of



Africans.



The slave/colonial mind is dangerous to Pan-Africanist and African humanist



alike. Those African "kept men" or Europe's trojan horses will continue the



pauperization policies of a very rich continent. They will repeat policies



and slogans without even analysing them. They will like the major obstacle



to progress, changes, self-empowerment and unification of African peoples.



Instead of enabling and building capacities and re-skilling people, they



will disable, de-skill and pauperize people. The colonial minded knows



nothing else. The Europeans using their white skins as authority continue to



pamper and encourage their "kept men" to the detriment of the majority of



Africans, who continue to suffer and to be killed with the weapons made in



the USA/UK/Israel and other European countries.



References:



Akbar Na'im(1992) Chain and Images of psychological slavery- Winston-Derek,



Nashville, TN



Blumm W (2003) Rogue State: Chapter 17. Zed Books London UK



Brittain V (1998) Death and Dignity: Angola's Civil War. Chapter 2. Pluto



Books. London UK



Woodson C.G (1937) The Mis-education of the *****. Africa World Press NJ USA



Wright B.E (1984) The psychopathic racial personality and other essays.



Third World Press Chicago, Ilinois USA



What is the colonized mindset?

I think I lost interest.



What is the colonized mindset?

and what you want agreement ? sorry don't



What is the colonized mindset?

Thats right! Amoebas are more than just blobs.



What is the colonized mindset?

Perhaps it means the mindset that the society/culture of a colonizing group (Europeans) is superior to the society/culture of the group that is being colonized. (Africans)... i.e. the European way of life, centralized cities and towns, is superior to the African way of life, small communal tribes...

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