African Renaissance Theory its Focus and Criticisms

Honorable Thabo Mbeki, Former South African President

AFRICAN RENAISSANCE THEORY

The term African Renaissance was first used by African historian and anthropologist-checkh Anta Diop (Ujamaa, 2002). AfricanRenaissance theory is the concept that African people and nations shall overcome the current challenges confronting the continent and achieve cultural, scientific and economic renewal.

The radical approach to poverty reduction is the Africa renaissance theory, which takes Africans to be part of the development problem as well being part of the solution to the continent’s under development. This is no longer the time to cry foul but to act decisively, knowing pretty well that the west has become more sophisticated in their plan to keep Africa under economic and political bondage.

THE FOCUS OF AFRICAN RENAISSANCE THEORY

The African Renaissance theory suggests that micro-level development and poverty reduction should be the primary focus (Mathnhu, 2011). The African Renaissance theory aims to place the policies and strategies that are African influenced rather than the way they are now.

The current policies and strategies of development are based on metropolitan in whom western nations produce the strategies, finances and package and set to Africa. Thus African should unite and formulate the policies, strategies for its economic development. Therefore should go hand in hand with transformation of institution technology, values and behaviors’ that are consistent with ecological and social realities in Africa. This will reduce poverty in Africa.

Development of science and technology; The African Renaissance theory calls for African continent to develop its own science and technology on the basis of African scientists. They should be given enough grants as well as sufficient infrastructure to enable them undertake meaningful problem-solving techniques and be applied to industrial production which will lead to really important results of economic dimensions.

Social and human resources development Mbeki (1998) proposes involving social and human resources development by encouraging education and the reversal of the “brain drain” of African intellectuals. He also urges that Africans (led by African intellectuals) to take pride in their heritage and to take charge of their lives, therefore, social and human resources development should be well stipulated by encouraging social activities as well as human resources development through keenly provision of education among the African people in  order to increase self-reliance.

Development and poverty reduction strategies for Africa must be informal and embroiled in African values and norms since they are the very building blocks of African life. To think of the African life is to think of unity, communication and shared purpose. The ideologies like “ubuntu” in South Africa, “ humwe” in Zimbabwe, “harambee” in Kenya and “ujamaa” in Tanzania help to reject the mainstream growth (modernity) and dependency paradigms because they exacerbate poverty and fail to appeal to the African value system (Matunhu, 2011). According to Rodney “Education is a crucial in type of society for the preservation of the lives of its members and the maintenance of social structure”. Also in order to maintain unity Africans should use their own languages which unites and mobilizes Africans.

Cancellation of African depts. this focus resulted from the inherent depended economy, since colonialism period whereby the Africans were restricted to produce for subsistence only. The purpose in cancellation of African depts was for the Africans to change the previous mode of production into manufactured goods. Also to foster science and technology in agricultural production so as to increase products. This will result into self-satisfaction hence to be free from foreign depts.

African Renaissance theory also focused on improving the qualities of African products to be accessible in the market of the developed world. This is through improvement in technology modernization of local industries and reducing the rate of imported products, for example the traditional medicines such as herbs for treatment of diseases should be improved to fit the market of the developed world. Also the institutions dealing with trade in Africa should be transformed from local level market to international (world) level market so as to improve the quality of African products to meet the demands of the world market.

Improvement of social and economic infrastructures such as roads, railways, communication network systems and banking system will link African countries and outside world. Hence, this enable transportation of goods and raw materials; easy communication and smooth trade among the neighboring and the far countries will also be enabled. Also the improvement of social service system such as medical, education and water will enable the development of African continent by African themselves.

CRITICISMS OF AFRICAN RENAISSANCE THEORY

One obvious observation that one can make about African Renaissance is that it remains confirmed in South Africa. That is to say, it is yet to capture the imagination of the whole continent and the Diaspora as was the case in the 1960’s and the preceding decades. The globalist perspective is associated with Mbeki and ANC emphasizing on the need for political and economic renewal in the continent. This is clear with the ANC’s developing strategic perspectives on South African foreign policy “discussion document of 1997 which identified some key elements of the African Renaissance. The recovery of the African continent as a whole, and establishment of political democracy on the continent, were among of the elements. This marks the perception that the African renaissance is a South Africa policy doctrine and therefore not a matter for the whole continent (Maloka, 2001).

The second issue relates to the prioritization of the renaissance discourse, while South Africa material tends to date the discourse to 1994 or 1996. There are other views on other parts of the continent that are not entering the South African debate. The first problem is the consistent failure of the South Africa debate to historize the renaissance discourse and firmly recognize works such as those by Nandi Azikiwe and Cheik Anta Diop. As a result of this debate is yet to bring on board the experiences that can be drawn from the 1960s. As for actual periodization it is not clear where we should start from.

Whether it is from the Pan-africanism of the 19^th century or with the Lagos plan of action (1980) and the Abuja Treaty (1991). Indeed, there are some who consider the Kampala conference on security, stability, development and co-operation in Africa (CSSDCA) of May 1991, as the kick (start of the current renaissance movement). In fact, in march 1996, two months before the May 1996 “I am an African” speech of Thabo Mbeki, a conference was convened in Dakar in honor of the memory of Cheik Anta Diop, with the them: “An African Renaissance at the dawn of the third Millennium” (Maloka, 2001).

Another issue is with how renaissance is being conceptualized. This concept introduced into the mainstream discourse by the publication Jacob Burkhardt’s civilization of the renaissance in Italy in 1960s, some three hundred years or so after the European renaissance is no longer accepted without question among European scholars. Metaphorical application of the French word renaissance to denote the rebirth of an extinct culture or of an obsolete phase of a surviving culture is a specified modern western usage (Maloka, 2001). Cultural historian Owen Alik Shahadah and articulates the African reality in European historical terms thus posing African history as a cultural orphan of Europe.

Moreover, African Renaissance does not build on the fragile and oppressive structures of the European created colonial states. That renaissance can also not be built by African elite which lost the self-confidence to deconstruct.

The post-colonial and post- apartheid states, it must come from the people themselves who through political action, can deconstruct the post-colonial and post-apartheid state and reconstitute new states, institutions and agencies that reflect their needs and capabilities. Only then can they find respect from the rest of the globe.