(De)Centring Ubuntu? Africa’s damaged Dignity in Xenophobia and Afrophobia in Development

Abstract

Africa reels from a damaged dignity due to the imperialist’s social, political, cultural, and economic blows.  It is irresolute of its place in human affairs. The post-colonial Africa and its nuances toe the line in racial identities. The result is a deep embedment of Africaness as analogous to an inferior identity. Perhaps African ‘being’ juxtaposed to other racial identities may explain xenophobia as a self-preservation mechanism. However, Afrophobia is disconcerting as it displays poor self-esteem derived from global Eurocentric historical power structures. This article addresses the question, how can Africans and Africa instrumentalise history to promote an African agency in ubuntu/communalism in collaborations within and beyond the continent? The paper attempts to nuance xeno-afrophobia using Afrocentrism as a theory and methodology through the exposure of colonial legacies and structures. It untangles the malady of Africans hatred of other Africans as self-projection, self-deprecating actions, and inactions. The article uses secondary data through careful selection of literature to bring forth an awareness of Africans knowing, and knowledge while taking precaution from assuming African communalism is unique to the continent and better than Westernism. The article promotes the idea of embracing the new/modernism while taking precaution to retain certain African communal values anchored in the ontological and methodological communalism.