NO doubt Christmas is a great time for us and is the most beautiful time for the family. In any case, it’s now a broadly accepted way of celebrating the birth of Jesus.
Watching television, social and print media, conversations and habits, we realise how tough it is for our colonised mind. The West own Christmas and the commerce that comes with it.
The images are of snow during our summer, the decoration trees are foreign, the animals in most images are not found anywhere in our jungles, the food and drink nothing we Africans eat at Christmas, the snow games impossible, the Santa comes from North Pole riding on a cart we don’t have here. The music/carols not something we believe in, the giving culture alien, buildings and architecture in images non-existent here, fireplaces during our summer, furniture and fittings Western and clothing in movies Western brands.
What exactly is African in this whole scheme of things besides colonising our minds?
The only idea that has remained African is the August holiday a time we do traditional ceremonies. It is so because there is nothing Western to compete with it. It’s of late facing disdain as it is considered backward to remember our ancestors the way we do.
By and large West-inspired holidays have more traction. The media we consume is killing the little Africanness left in us.
The level of colonisation is astounding and require new minds to develop a unique concept of Christmas relevant to us since Jesus is now a universal figure.
We are lazy to intellectually develop, germinate and propagate unique experiences, images, concepts and ideas of something relevant to us as a people.
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We must not underestimate the impact of these foreign fed irrelevant concepts on outflow of money and support they provide to Western economies.
The continual feasting on these Christmas concepts feed into commerce in fashion, fabric, design, food, drink and ideas. We import more than is necessary and while at it export nothing during this period.
It will take Africans decades to decolonise the mind using lots of intellectual engagement, energy and re-education. Here the standard of fashion, fabric, decoration, food, furniture, etiquette, language, habits, drinks, music, technology, design, art and even accent is mostly American and West in brands.
Anything else is deemed inferior.
The amount of wealth transferred from Africa to the West to consume these brands is huge and likely a perpetual source of enslavement.
When they say you are not enlightened it simply means you aren’t living according to American standards.
If Africa does not free itself from Western ways, its media, its lapdogs and so forth, African countries will remain colonial States of Europeans and Americans.
This is the impact of the media and our education which makes us think anything African, Chinese and Russian is inferior.
We must be proud to be African and desist from adopting every foreign concept.
It’s a tough call that requires our collective effort.
- Brian Sedze is a strategy, innovation and tax consultant. He writes here in his personal capacity.
