Adewale Ajadi launches 'Afrilition', promotes positive views of Africa

Nigerian author and leadership educator, Adewale Ajadi, has released his new book, Afrilition: 21st Century African Manifesto. The book challenges negative views about Africa and urges Africans to take charge of shaping the continent’s future.

The launch took place online on Wednesday. Journalists, media practitioners, researchers, and readers from around the world joined the event.

Mr Ajadi shared that he was inspired to write the book after experiencing what he calls “Afro-pessimism.” This is when people mainly see Africa through its problems and crises.

He remembered a conference where discussions about Africa focused mostly on its challenges. This made him question stories that always show the continent in a negative light.

He mentioned that the solution is not just to switch to the “Africa Rising” slogan but to think carefully about the future Africans want to create. “Afrilition builds steps towards a desirable and probable future of the African world as a critical alternative for humanity,” he said.

Mr Ajadi explained that the book does not view Africa’s development as a race against the West or other regions. He emphasized that it looks at how Africans, both on the continent and in the diaspora, can define their own values and help shape a changing global environment.

In a chapter titled “Bearing Witness,” Mr Ajadi writes, “Yes, I ignore the pessimists too, lest they infect my sight with the pain of their disease, weariness. Be brave enough to dream tomorrow and be resilient enough to pursue even the frisson of its potential. Africa deserves that and much more.”

He believes that reaching this future needs more than just hope. Oje Aboyade, one of the book’s reviewers, noted that its focus on Pan-Africanism stood out to him.

Mr Aboyade said Africans should question what he calls the default acceptance of “Eurocentric” agendas, exploitative economic systems, and social structures. He described the book as a call for African excellence without needing approval from outside and as a guide for future generations.

Bolatito Kolawole, a researcher at the University of Lagos Institute of African and Diaspora Studies, praised the book’s focus on values. Ms Kolawole pointed out that Afrilition offers a different way to view Africa’s progress instead of only comparing it to Western standards and material success.

Martin Banda, a leadership educator and facilitator, reviewed the book in a PREMIUM TIMES article published on 5 September. He highlighted the book’s style, which is partly written as a letter from a grandfather to his grandchildren.

“Ajadi writes as a grandfather addressing his grandchildren, though he is plainly writing to anyone still searching,” he wrote. He added that the letter format “forces the book to be both tender and useful” because writing to a child limits the use of complex language or cynicism.

In the foreword, Funmi Olonisakin, Deputy President of King’s College London and founder of the African Leadership Centre, stated that the book argues for an Africa that brings “unique and authentic excellence” to the world. She said it connects African excellence to the need for a more balanced world that moves away from exploitation and dominance.

In the afterword, Ifeoluwatari Ajadi explained that the book is based on the belief that Africa’s future must be shaped actively, not just waited for. “Afrilition reflects a deep belief that African Futures are not something we wait for, but something we actively shape through our choices, relationships and responsibilities,” he wrote.

Afrilition looks at choices that could influence Africa’s role in the world over the next two generations. It also includes Africans and people of African descent in the Caribbean, South America, North America, and Europe.

The book argues for a broader view of prosperity, highlighting humanity, humility, service, and community building. It encourages cooperation and community as ways Africans can respond to the challenges the continent faces.

For Mr Ajadi, the book aims to change the talk from how others see Africa to what Africans want to create themselves.