Panmobilism and optimism in teilhardian humanism

8.2. Senghor's African socialism

Senghor's African socialism relies on three pillars: an inventory of African traditional and cultural values, an inventory of western civilization and of its impacts on African civilization, and finally, an inventory of African economic resources, its needs and potentialities both material and spiritual.

8.2.1. African Traditional Values

In order to obtain an inventory of traditional African values, in Senghor's opinion, the study of the mythical past of Africa is crucial. For him, Africa is "rather a communion of souls than an aggregate of individuals".^I

Teilhard de Chardin had exhorted all cultures to converge towards the Omega point, through love and charity. In adapting Teilhard de Chardin, Senghor considers that the African world is much more adapted than the western world, to realize this communion of love. He considers the African's view of the world as a communion of souls, as the basis of the contribution of the African continent to the Civilization of the Universal. He then calls for a revalorization of African cultural values such as hospitality, solidarity and mutual love and concern.

8.2.2. Western Civilization and its impacts on Africa

The inventory of Western civilization and its impacts on Africa can be drawn from the effects of colonialism on cultural patterns of behaviour of the African. The aim of this inventory is to produce a 'dynamic symbiosis=¹ among several cultures, neither of which should dominate the others; since all are complementary. We can point out here the Inferiority Complex and the Split personality in the African.

8.2.2.1. The Inferiority Complex in the African

According to Kenneth KAUNDA "the humanistic character of the African has been damaged and even partly destroyed by Africa's long exposure to the West."² Colonialism has introduced into Africa many attitudes that could not be naturally integrated into the existing traditions.

Thus, while Europe opened new vistas of freedom by freeing Africans from disease, ignorance, superstition and even from slavery, it also introduced a new form of servitude which arises from the Inferiority Complex of the African vis-a-vis the technically superior Europeans.

Similarly, while colonialism brought a new security by introducing the rule of law against the arbitrary power of chiefs and brought technical and economic developments which make man less dependent on nature, it has also robbed the African traditional security which he found in his tribal ties and in the old social web of relationships.

^I Eyeama Ruch, (ed.), African Philosophy, Rome, I98I, p. 225.

² Kenneth Kaunda, in Ruch, E., (ed.), African Philosophy, Rome, I98I, p. 238.

Finally, while it introduced a broader horizon into people's life by making them look beyond the limits of their villages, and by bringing about new associations: political parties, churches, trade unions, and so on, it has also brought to many people a new form of loneliness arising from urbanization and from the rootlessness of detribalized existence.

Despite these side effects of colonialism, the African himself, at least partly, still carries the blame of his inferiority complex and his split personality. We agree with Sen ghor that the African has to fight against the inferiority complex and that colonisation has helped in forging this complex in the Negro; but we will not totally free the Black man from the guilt of forging in himself the inferiority complex because despite the side effects of colonialism, the African himself worsens the situation of this inferiority complex and split personality. In this light, Ferdinand CHINDJI-KOULEU affirms:

K Le Negre doit prendre ses responsabilites devant l'histoire. L'innocenter comme le fait le mouvement de la negritude, c'est le rendre passif, et par consequent, c'est lui rendre un mauvais service. Rejeter toutes les fautes de la colonisation et de l'esclavage sur l'homme blanc seul, c'est continuer a cultiver le mythe du Negre-bon-enfant, incapable d'acceder au statut adulte. L'esclavage des Noirs a ete rendu possible par les Africains eux-memes, car ils ont accepte de vendre leurs freres. Et la faiblesse de leur technologie a permis la colonisation. »¹

^I Ferdinand Chindji Kouleu, Negritude, philosophie et mondialisation, Yaounde, 200I, p. I28. The Black man actually has to face history and to accept his responsibilities. To free him from all blame as the negritude movement does is to render him passive, and by so doing, to render him a bad service. To reject all the faults of colonisation and of slavery on the white man alone, is to continue cultivating the myth of the Negro-good-child, unable to reach the adult state. Instead of pushing the blame on the slave trader or the coloniser, he has to acknowledge that he is, at least partly, responsible for his inferiority complex because slave trade was also made possible by Blacks who accepted to sell their brothers, and colonisation was just the fruit of a weak technology.

Inferiority complex reflects itself in Africa even in the domain of economics. In our markets, in order to sell an item at a high price and more easily, some sellers go as far as writing on locally made or even manufactured articles: 'made in England', 'made in Italy', or 'fabrique en France', 'fabrique au Canada', 'made in USA' and so on. This will attract those who feel that God was so unjust that He created them Black Africans and those who feel that their culture is inferior and who spend their lives desiring with all their might to go to the above-mentioned countries and others. This situation is described by Ebenezer Njoh-Mouelle.^I

We thus notice that the elite contributes a lot in the formation of the inferiority complex in their fellow brothers and this is why one would prefer to buy items that bear the stamp of a foreign trade mark.

In the light of the pan-human-mobilism, each culture, each race has to preserve its identity when seeking unity with others. Africans are therefore called upon to remain what they are, think as Africans, speak as Africans and act as Africans; while at the same time accepting those values that will enhance their identity and not lessen it. To contribute to the building up of the Civilization of the Universal, we need to accept our culture first, then choose what is good in other cultures and inculcate such values in an African personality, not trying to become like Europeans or Americans. Let us acknowledge our identity as Africans and value it.