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Africa needs decolonisation and that’s not the same as spouting anti-West hogwash. That’s not what Pan Africanism is about too. Decolonising our institutions is not necessarily being anti-West, it is about implementing systemic reforms that...
...and redesigning our institutions to reflect our (modern) core values, norms and progressive ethos. Not all African values are progressive and some Western values are useful. So the decolonisation only removes the relics of colonial values and practices, and replaces them...
... with modern African values and practices, which could be an admixture of Western and African culture. There is nothing wrong in incorporating the good values of another culture into yours. It is about ensuring we have a society where we uphold values that enable advancement.
Culture is dynamic, so it is expected that African culture and values will change and become more suited to modern realities. If that means adopting some Western values and abandoning some African practices and vice versa, then it’s sensible and appropriate.
It won’t stop anyone African from identifying as African or being proud of Africa. It is important to be proudly African but more important to be proud of upholding good values as an African.
That said, it is also naive to think we can rid our thinking & institutions of Western influence. We are all products of Western education, and in the absence of an alternative- eg an African educational philosophy- we will always be influenced by Western thought. But is it bad?
Like every other thing, it has its pros and cons. But I believe the pros outweigh the cons. Focus on the pros and use the education to advance your society. That’s what China did. Most foreign students and academics in the Western world are Chinese. They are not stupid.
