The Mind of Africa - An interview with Professor William Abraham

The African culture and for that matter, the African society is a very interesting but yet still complicated subject matter. Despite the many academic studies that have been undertaken by several African historians and other luminaries in the field, it does not seem like the essence of the African culture or at least its ethos, is seen in the society today.

In this interview, Professor William Abraham defines the influences in the African society as namely;

a) European Judeo-Christian influences b) Islamic influences

I however believe that there has been an extra addition over the decades. I cannot give it a definite term, but it is a sort of corrupted hippie type culture which has been bequethed to the African people through social media and Hollywood. It encourages unbrindled freedom, which gives a serious misimpression of what it means to be confident and to stand for what is right.

My criticism with the way most creatives seek to portray Africa, especially in movies has been the fact that, no attempts are been made to produce content that captures the entirety of the African story; that is, a story which captures the revoltutionary fervour of our ancestors coupled with the present realities. And especially in Hollywood it is all the more quite scary. Professor Abrahams refers to the African reality as "the living heritage" of the people.

It is dangerous to assume a certain imaginary past of Africa or a utopic future and have it turned into a movie. Both of them are not capable of producing a lasting change, instead they both lead to depression and despondency. In both cases, the African looks at the current state of Africa and its economy which relies on the benevolence of mostly Western powers to survive - despite the shakeup in the global economy, coupled with the attitude of most African governments to prop up foreign enterprises to the detriment of local businesses, and is competely in a state of hopelessness, contantly reminiscing the era of the Pharaohs and the Moors and how much they were advanced in the areas of science and jurispudence, or has to wish for a certain Wakandan future; one of high technological advancement.

In fact, the problems highlighted above must be the preoccupation of Hollywood directors that seek to potray "the living heritage" . The African audience; both those on the "motherland" and in the diaspora must not be viewed as some consumers of an archeological finding, neither must they be treated as consumers on Disneyland, who are only interested in being blown away by spectacular edifices as seen in science fiction.

The mind of the black man and woman, has undergone several surgical procedures; some good and others destructive. This race needs to be uplifted, and I believe the best way to do it is to provide hope in the midst of the many challenges. It is very sad that not much in terms of 'setting an agenda' in the movie space is being done for many modern African thinkers such as; Professor Ayi Kwei Armah, Professor William Abraham, Professor Patrice Lumumba, the Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Professor Efua Sutherland, Professor Ngogi Wa Thiong'o, Professor Francis Allotey etc.

During the early years of major scientific advancements in the United States, Hollywood and American television aired several movies, shows and documentaries to inform the public and whip up much needed support. Shows such as; Star Trek and Carl Sagan's, Cosmos: A Personal Voyage helped in ensuring that even the least educated was well informed.

Unless of course, the only drive for persons seeking to tell the African story in the movie industry and other creative spaces is only to make profit, with no interest in providing hope for the African masses whom I must add, have undergone severe mental mutilation over the decades (where most donot believe development and real progress can be symbolised with a black face and must always require support from one outside their race), the concern must be to tell the story properly.

Remember, the many African stories in the diaspora would be very weak without a united, strong African mind.

Shalom.