From Liminal Othered to Humanity: Embracing an Africana Existential Perspective of Existence.

Who am I??What am I? & What ought I do?

I am Derek, an ardent advocate for existential psychotherapy, counselling, and being. As a current doctoral candidate in this field at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling (NSPC), in partnership with Middlesex University, I bring with me a wealth of experience as a qualified psychotherapist and clinical supervisor. My journey thus far has been dedicated to assisting individuals in navigating the intricacies of addiction, providing them with solace and avenues for transformation.

In 2014 I was about to walk away from this industry and took a leap of faith by establishing and managing an addiction house Steps2Recovery. This served as a sanctuary for individuals trapped in the destructive cycle of addiction, imprisonment, and homelessness. My small team and I, fuelled by our unwavering commitment and existential ideas, revolutionised the traditional approaches to addiction treatment. We delved into the existential challenges underlying addictive behaviours and offered our clients a holistic and compassionate recovery framework. However, in November 2016, I left Steps2Recovery to establish my private practice and prepare for my doctoral journey. Although I wasn’t personally invited to receive the award, our efforts at the addiction house were recognised with the prestigious Centre for Social Justice Award in March 2017.?

My personal journey began well before my foray into addiction therapy. As a young black male growing up in London during the 1970s, I was confronted with the stark realities of a racially divided world. The rampant racism I faced made me question my place in society and left me feeling desolate. The strategies I developed to navigate these turbulent times only provided temporary relief that I was to pay a high price for the ingrained violence of this unforgiving world.?

However, within these experiences’ depths, I found an inner strength and resilience that propelled me forward—various pivotal moments in my life served as reminders of the persistent colonial lie woven into our shared reality. One such moment was the devastating New Cross fire, a deliberate racially motivated incident that took the lives of my friends and girlfriend, shattering my world irreversibly. Yet amidst the depths of grief, I found a resolve born out of being liminally othered. Facing the mental and physical violence imposed on me sparked a profound desire to effect significant change. I realised that my existence in a racialised society had become a testament to resilience and resistance. Despite society’s persistent attempts to undermine my spirit, I used these experiences as motivation to challenge injustice and reclaim my inherent humanity.?

Soundbite Justice

I share my journey with the hope that it serves as a potent reminder of the enduring presence of adversity, deeply rooted in the collective experiences of my ancestors. Despite these challenges’ weight, it is crucial to acknowledge that we possess the inherent power to shape our destinies. Collectively, we can?build a world where everyone’s existence is valued and respected, not diminished or undermined by our differences, but celebrated and embraced because of them.?

I carry this hope for this brighter horizon with a heavy heart, aware that achieving genuine change requires immense courage from the world. It necessitates confronting uncomfortable truths, dismantling false ideologies, and challenging systems built on lies. The path towards true justice and reparations may extend beyond my lifetime. Still, I hope for future generations, including my two-year-old granddaughter and her children, if she chooses to have children. This hope is held in contrast to the repeated?soundbites for social justice?that have been echoed for generations, re-packaged as it is vogue presently. After all, what is life without hope??

I am here today because my ancestors fought and survived the cruelties inflicted upon them by fellow human beings. Throughout their struggles, they maintained a steadfast hope for a better future. Their resilience and hope brought me to this moment, where I am committed to carrying their torch forward. Driven by a desire to understand colonialism’s profound impact on my existence, I seek to help others find the strength to preserve in a world marked by existential challenges.?

A View from the Border/Outside

In our training, authors from various fields in the Western world (that have been globalised), whether psychoanalysts or existential thinkers and philosophers, often trace their intellectual roots back to ancient Greece, particularly Athens. This connection to their heritage gives them a sense of rootedness critical to their respective disciplines and ways of being in the world. However, it is equally important to acknowledge that humanity’s origins lie in Africa, from where knowledge has radiated outward. The cruelty and greed of the human condition have led to attempts to erase and suppress our rich African cultural heritage. This article aims not to engage in arguments (I’ll leave this to others who can do this jousting better, much better than I and enjoy it) about the validity of different claims but rather to acknowledge multiple centres and diverse starting points. It emphasises the importance of considering various perspectives in our quest for a comprehensive understanding of the human experience.?

Moreover, this article calls, especially to authors and thinkers of African heritage, to liberate ourselves from the ruins of historical erasure. It urges us to reclaim and build upon ancient Black African classical Egyptian ways of understanding the world, from the first world philosophers like Imhotep (2700 BC) to Tzu (298). Fields of knowledge such as Black studies, Africology, and Africana philosophies abound and offer valuable frameworks for engaging with these ideas. By exploring and embracing our African intellectual traditions, from ancient to contemporary thinkers, we have the potential to contribute to a more inclusive and holistic understanding of human experiences and our healing. Although I embark on this journey, I recognise that I cannot undertake it alone; in other words, I alone can do it, but I cannot do it alone.?

A Brief Understanding: Africana Existentialism?

As an Africana existentialist, I view existentialism as a profoundly liberating philosophical framework, working outside of the ‘white racial frame’ (Feagin) that centres the experiences of Black people in a racialised world. It offers a genuine challenge to the dominant white Eurocentric narrative whilst not succumbing to its exclusionary, sometimes explicit and other times hidden implicit binaries. Africana existentialism acknowledges black people's unique struggles within systems of inequality, racialisation, and historical oppression. It is one solution to decolonising one’s mind, as many are within this vast tradition. It explores questions of identity, freedom, agency, and meaning within the context of our racial historical realities. By centring the experiences of Black individuals, this philosophical framework offers a powerful lens for understanding our lived experiences, reclaiming our narratives, and asserting our humanity on our own terms.?

It invites us to question and redefine traditional notions of what it means to be human, rejecting the idea of a universal human experience understood solely through a white European frame of reference points. Africana existentialism celebrates the richness and diversity of human existence, drawing from a vast pool of resources of African and Africana diaspora philosophies, including first world and contemporary, recognising that our experiences and perspectives are equally valid and significant. Embracing an Africana existential perspective empowers us to reclaim our agency, embrace our freedom, and create meaning in a world that often seeks to limit or erase our contributions. It acknowledges our resilience, cultural heritage, and profound wisdom embedded within our communities.?

My Journey to Africana Existentialism – From Collateral Damage to Collateral Beauty

Throughout my personal and professional journey, I found existentialism to be a profound source of insight and understanding. While exploring various modalities such as psychoanalysis, its offspring, the three waves of CBT, and the humanistic tribes in counselling and therapy, I found that they fell short in capturing my lived experiences as a black person; they were like a tight pair of theoretical shoes, the longer I walked in them, the more painful they became creating further damage, in essence reinforcing a colonial mindset that had been imposed on me, falling deeper and deeper into the sunken place Jordon Peele’s film ‘Get Out’ vividly depicts. These approaches felt distant and exclusionary, failing to provide a lens that truly reflected my world. This realisation opened a door for something other than what was to enter, as I knew I was determined to make this harsh world a kinder place for me and others to live in. Others might have different reasons for becoming counsellors and therapists.?

During my training in humanistic counselling, I encountered existential perspectives rooted in European thought, which expanded my understanding of the human condition and resonated deeply with purpose. Once I began grasping the language and concepts, it initially appeared to shed some light on the experiences I had lived but struggled to articulate. However, it was from encountering Africana existential authors, scholars and philosophers that I began waking up from my ‘ontological slumber’ (the imposed sunken place), forever changing my approach to therapy and self-understanding.?

As an Africana existentialist, I am committed to exploring and amplifying these voices and creating a space for my own unique perspective. I strive to incorporate the rich cultural heritage and profound existential insights embedded in the African diaspora into my practice, offering an authentic and comprehensive understanding of the human condition.?

Through this, I aim to aid those who, like me, have long been excluded or othered in their quest for self-understanding and healing and those waking all those waking up to the lie. I aspire to challenge the Eurocentric narrative that has long dominated the field of psychotherapy and build a more inclusive and representative discourse that honours the diversity of human experiences.?

Frantz Fanon said, “Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fufull it, or betray it” (An excerpt From the Purpose of Power by Alicia Power:?https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/articles/the-purpose-of-power-excerpt/#)??I believe its everyone’s responsibility not through soundbites, but to take a genuine journey toward decolonising their minds before setting off to dismantle systemic injustices engrained in our societies and pave the way for a future built on genuine understanding, equality, and respect. This mission is difficult and fraught with personal challenges, but it is a mission that I am willing to dedicate my life to. I invite you to join me in this quest, for it is only through collective action that we can hope to effect meaningful change within our personal, professional and societal lives.?Not forgetting what Errol Dunkley said:?

Everyone, man and women, does their ting a little way different (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd-pUpJTSkY)