Afrilition: Rethinking Our Mental Models

The way we think is the foundation of all systems. Afrilition shows that changing our mindset can change Africa’s future. Sadly, many of us in Africa react to the global system around us. We often accept the Western way as the only path to progress. This mindset, shaped by history and taught through education, makes us feel inferior. It’s not just us; most of the world believes Westernisation is the only way to modernise. This mindset hides the reality of a system based on White supremacy and flawed ideas about race. It does not hold up when you look at it closely.

I have not practiced law in a while, but yesterday I went to the Supreme Court of Nigeria to support a friend who was getting promoted. I spent hours in the Foyer, watching the ceremony and its showiness. Smart people dressed in European wigs acted like caricatures, wearing clothes from the 19th century. There were horsehair wigs; the only thing missing was powdered faces. It showed how low our elites have fallen. As long speeches went on in a dull tone, I dozed off several times, hoping I did not snore. My eyes kept drifting to the Statue of Lady Justice on the wall. She made me smile and reminded me that hope is still alive. She looked dignified, with features from Northern Nigeria, wearing a head wrap and holding a sword and scale, dressed in a buba that barely touched the scale.

The sword on the other side highlighted the beauty of her outfit. She seemed aware of the need to change from being an Africanised European symbol. She stood on the Latin words beneath her feet with a sense of disdain. At least Lady Justice is no longer borrowing her robe. The crowd of well-wishers was a beautiful sight, showcasing the cultural richness of various ethnic groups. Nigerians carry their culture with pride, showcasing a mix of styles and headgear. Yet, this pride coexists with a colonial mindset.

Afrilition is a way to build confidence in our creativity. To get there, we must face the truth about how deeply we have been shaped by the current system. We need to engage across Africa honestly and share our understanding. Africa and its Diaspora represent the widest range of humanity. The ongoing calls for unity often ignore our complexity and highlight our shortcomings. We must mature and realize that our disagreements help us grow. We need to acknowledge the many issues we face, such as colonial mentality, white supremacy, colourism, and exploitative capitalism. These are not just problems for ignorant or poorly educated people, but part of the mental landscape we grew up in.

Despite our resistance, especially when we are aware, the system is still strong. It does not disappear with our individual wins; it adjusts and pulls us back into its grip. We often find ourselves caught in this system that feels like our lifeblood. From our education, where we learn the colonizer's languages, to how success is measured by material wealth, we are often defined by borrowed standards. We celebrate being black as a global identity but ignore the rich complexities of our humanity. We get dragged into false identity battles, where ethnicity and nationality are mixed up for attention, and real differences are overlooked.

Afrilition is about facing these challenges with honesty and vulnerability. We need to move from blame to creating a space for various viewpoints. Building a Black identity and giving it power is essential for survival in the US, but it looks different in Ghana or Kenya. Recognizing that Xhosa, Zulu, Kikuyu, Hausa, Igbo, and Ndebele are not just tribes but ethnic groups with their own systems is important. Our world should be a place where our differences help us grow and disagree constructively. Afrilition provides a space for our differences to help us create a strong mental model for African civilization, focusing on abundance, not scarcity.