Did African Decolonization Set Africa Backwards?

Why is it that each time Robert Mugabe is criticized for being a dictator he turns to accuse Britain and the West of having colonized Africa?

"Decades after the end of colonialism, Africa seems well positioned to evaluate the successes or failures of Africa as a continent of liberated people. Nearly all analyses of African liberation movements have rightly highlighted the glories of decolonisation; very few have stressed its pitfalls. This article examines the negative moral consequences of certain philosophical assumptions of the African decolonisation process. Of particular interest in this inquiry is the frame of mind of African actors of decolonisation who eventually became the political and intellectual leaders of their countries. How might we conceive of the African moral subject within the contexts both of decolonisation and as a member of the global community in the twenty-first century? What, if anything, can Africa learn from the missteps of the decolonisation process?"

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Afropolitans Are Coming

What does it me to be Afropolitan?


Finding beauty in otherness: The issue therefore is no longer how different we are from others, but rather what we can learn from them, from what we have in common with them. This implies a conscious effort to affirm something in others and to seek to relate to them. Let it be the starting point of encounter. The first question Afropolitans ask when they encounter other people is: what do I (or can I) have in common with this person? The next question is: what is beautiful or admirable in this other? The third is: what can I learn from this person? By the time they have answered all these questions, the issue of how they are different from that person would have taken care of itself. Difference becomes merely a reference point of individuality and respect rather than a point of exclusion of the other.




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African Poetry Book Prize

   

The submissions are open now through December 1st. Here's the submissions information—if you wouldn't mind posting? The below text has links included to the Submittable account where writers can submit their manuscripts:

Every year Prairie Schooner's sister organization, the African Poetry Book Fund, publishes the first book of an African poet. The inaugural Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets was awarded to Clifton Gachagua of Kenya for his book Madman at Kilifi. The 2014 prize went to Somalian-American poet Ladan Osman's The Kitchen Dweller's Testimony. The 2015 winner was Ethiopian-American Mahtem Shiferraw, whose book Fuchsia is due out this coming spring from University of Nebraska Press and Amalion Press in Senegal. This trio of books represents the exciting range of new and dynamic African voices that are being heard thanks to the work of the African Poetry Book Fund.

 The Sillerman Prize is again open for submissions through December 1st, so if you’re eligible, please send your manuscript (and if you know any other writers who are, please spread the word). The winner receives USD $1,000 and publication through University of Nebraska Press. The contest is judged by the African Poetry Book Fund Editorial Board, including Kwame Dawes, Chris Abani, Matthew Shenoda, John Keene, Gabeba Baderoon, and Bernardine Evaristo. Only poetry submissions in English can be considered. Translated work is acceptable, but a percentage of the prize will be awarded to the translator. Manuscripts should be at least 50 pages, and eligible writers may submit more than one manuscript. Finally, no entry fee is required to submit to the contest. Click here for more details.