Many factors have shaped the perception at which individual identity has been considered in Africa over the past couple of years. These include language, culture, race and class, etc. I’m aware of the fact that modern ideas of individual identity are different from those that were encountered by our ancestors. I aim to prove in this essay that our ancestors existed in a time where things were done differently; and that most African countries adopted practices of European countries that colonized them.
It has to be understood that by the word ‘lifestyle’, I mean: the ways in which African people carried themselves, their values, the politics of African continent and also the ways in which African countries dealt with socio-economic issues. Our forebears encountered severe circumstances such as: slavery, hegemony, and prejudicial issues to mention a few. They were forced to believe that they were inferior to the people that colonized them which were mainly Europeans. This lead to them being ill-treated; some were sold to countries abroad (mostly in Europe) Michel (1993; 01) and some were abused by the colonizers. The concept of colonization was widely practised across the continent because it seemed right; that there was nothing wrong with binding people (particularly Africans) with chains while there were working.
Unlike during the era of our ancestors’ hardships which pushed them to fight for independence, the post-colonisation generation is now experiencing different circumstances. Some people in some countries are enjoying their independence while some continue to suffer. Although Africa has gained its independence, there are some practices that were imposed by the European countries that still affect the continent. Practices such as: gender inequality, racial issues, class, and language to state the least.
In the Politics of Recognition, Taylor (1994; 35) mentions that:
Some feminists have argued that women in patriarchal societies have induced to adopt a depreciatory image of themselves. They have internalised a picture of their own inferiority, so that even when some of the objective obstacles to their advancement fall away, they may be incapable of taking advantage of the new opportunities.
Taylor’s (1994; 35) argument shows exactly how the difference in terms of gender can shape one’s identity. This leads to women being oppressed and subconsciously abused for their ‘misrecognition’. The definition of misrecognition that I would like to use in this essay is the one quoted from Taylor that, “misrecognition is when an individual is misunderstood of who s/he is and when his/her characteristics (or Rights) as a human being are ignored” (1994; 35). This shows that there are certain Rights in the South African constitution that are ignored. Rights such as: “equality, which states clearly that everyone is equal” South African Bill of Rights (1996; 1274). It is pretty much evident that this right is however widely ignored in my country which is South Africa because gender inequality is practised in almost all every region of the country. One might argue that other races practise gender inequality more than others which could possibly mean that each race has its own way of perceiving women and that their treatment varies from race group to race group. One objection that I aim to accomplish in this essay is that of discussing the problem (misrecognition) regardless of where it is practised in the country so that who ever reads this article can avoid misrecognition before s/he starts to engage in it.
Govender argues that: “Whilst the South African liberation struggle was said to be a struggle for freedom for all South Africans, the issues of race and class were seen as more urgent than that of gender” (2001; 50-51). This means that gender equality was seen as less important than the issue of race and class and it is now affecting a lot of people (particularly women) since they are portrayed as less capable than men. We have witnessed many points coming to this issue, one being that women are less likely to obtain top employment positions in certain institutions. If we can put this discussion into a short examination, it shows that, for there to be equality in terms of gender, men would have to change the way in which they view women; they are also going to have to change the ways in which they treat women.
Another issue that has to be examined when it comes to individual identity is that of Race. Taylor is of the opinion that: “…an analogous point has been made in relations to blacks that, the white society has for generations projected a demeaning image of them, which some of them have been unable to resist adopting. Their own self-depreciation, on this view, becomes on of the most potent instruments of their own oppression” (1994; 35). There are two factors which might lead to this accusation: one being that some black people believe that white people are still using the power that they had during the apartheid era, and the other being that black people still feel like they haven’t being given the opportunity to reach the class of white people in terms of owning better businesses and living in better places. Taylor’s (1 994; 35) argument clearly indicates that one should act and behave in a way that s/he would want to be identified. Some black people believe that white people are not indigenous people of Africa and that they came to Africa during the era of explorers. You also find black people who embrace white people as natives of Africa. This is again the point where individual identity matters the most. It’s all about having to understand and meeting one’s culture before concluding about it. Meeting a different culture means that one has to welcome, accept and therefore respect its customs and practices.
“Misrecognition” Taylor (1994; 35), can lead on to feel unwelcomed and inferior to the society. Over the past years, there have been many suicidal incidents in South Africa because of people feeling that they were misunderstood by their own communities. From schools, to working departments it has affected us. I however believe that the South African government can take control of the situation by introducing institutions which educate more about the importance of individual identity. That way, our country can overcome the issue of misrecognition and racism which arise from individual identity, Taylor (1994; 34).
Language is also another key point that matters the most when it comes to individual identity. South Africa is a country with eleven official languages. You find people communicating in Zulu, Sotho, Xhosa or even English. In the modern world, English is the main language that is widely used in the country. One key reason for this is because of the fact that English is an international language; it is used by most countries to communicate.
Ngugi, (1986; 26) cited in Okara that:
Although this might sound like the right solution to Africans who want to protect their mother tongues and therefore introduce them to the rest of the world, difficulty is the time that it will take to translate the language. Another problem we might experience is that, we could find errors in books that have been translated which would sometimes lead to court be cause of copyrights violations.
One thing that I appreciate about Okara’s argument is the fact that it’s good information written in a language that is easier for me to grasp. I think it’s silly not to consider English as an African language because of the fact that it is assumed that it was brought to Africa by the imperialists.
Achebe (1975; 30) is of the opinion that:
A national literature is one that takes the whole nation for its province and has a realised potential audience throughout its territory. In other words, it is a literature that is written in the national language. An ethnic literature is one that is available only to one ethnic group within the nation.
I agree with Achebe (1975; 30) in the above citation because, I also think that English is an African language since there are African based people (like whites for example) that speak English. I think it’s very important for the world to have one language that it can use as a medium of communication. That way, there’s a certain spirit of unity and we are able to understand one another, which makes it easier for countries to participate in the international politics and therefore be able to trade with one another. One has to accept that the world communicates through English; it is a fact that is almost impossible to change.
It appears to be a good thing that the youth of today has inherited what our ancestors fought for which is liberation and equality. Civilisation is finally starting to take a balance across the globe. On the note of individual identity, I don’t think that Africa can go very far in terms of equality if it promotes issues like: gender inequality, racism, the war of languages which bring up a diversion in the continent.
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References
Ngugi Wa Thiongo (1986). The Language of African Literature
Bibliography: In this article, Ngugi tries to address authors to fight for the rights of writing in their native languages in order to assure that they (languages) don’t die and therefore allowing English to dictate. He stresses that authors should be proud of their mother tongues.
Achebe C (1975). The African Writer and the English Language
Bibliography: Here, Achebe argues that National and ethnic literature are two different things. He goes on to saying that a national literature is the one that is used mostly by different people in the country.
Charles Taylor (1994). The Politics of Recognition
Bibliography: Taylor’s story is about the importance of recognition. It talks more about the complexities of mis-recognition that exist in Africa (in South Africa to be more specific).
Krijay Govender (2001). Subverting identity after 1994: the South African Indian woman as playwright.
Bibliography: In her article, K. Govender focuses more about Gender inequality and racial issues looking more at how Indian women have been identified in South Africa. She also shows how they have tried to solve the matter.
Thomas Michel, S.J. 1993. New forms of colonization in the world today.
Bibliography: In this article, Michel talks about different forms of colonization that are taking place in the modern era.
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