African Freedom: How Africa Responded to Independence
Cambridge University Press, 7/26/2018
EAN 9781108446167, ISBN10: 1108446167
Paperback, 330 pages, 22.8 x 15.5 x 2 cm
Language: English
The push for independence in African nations was ultimately an incomplete process, with the people often left to wrestle with a partial, imperfect legacy. Rather than settle for liberation in name alone, the people engaged in an ongoing struggle for meaningful freedom. Phyllis Taoua shows how the idea of freedom in Africa today evolved from this complex history. With a pan-African, interdisciplinary approach, she synthesizes the most significant issues into a clear, compelling narrative. Tracing the evolution of a conversation about freedom since the 1960s, she defines three types and shows how they are interdependent. Taoua investigates their importance in key areas of narrative interest: the intimate self, gender identity, the nation, global capital, and the spiritual realm. Allowing us to hear the voices of African artists and activists, this compelling study makes sense of their struggle and the broad importance of the idea of freedom in contemporary African culture.
Introduction. The meaning of freedom in Africa
1. The self
unfettering identity after independence
2. Gender
women's engagement with freedom
3. The nation
from liberation to meaningful freedom
4. Global Africa
pillaging with less impunity in the era of neoliberal capital
5. The spiritual realm
Okonkwo's unraveling and other responses
Conclusion.