‘Decolonization’ and ‘Africanization’ of Modernity: A Peep into Yoruba ‘Cosmotology’

Conceptualizing Yoruba ‘Cosmo-tology’

Understanding Yoruba ‘Cosmo-tology’ is key to understanding the essence of progress as one of the major attributes of modernity in the globalized world. This is not unconnected with the fact that one of the major fundamentals of scientific innovation that culminates in modernity is experiment. Scholars of African orientation; especially those categorized as Western apologists have argued for the inevitability of experiential science in human advancement towards modernity. This according to them is lacking in African epistemologies. However, it is my contention that experiential science is not an exclusive preserve of the Western epistemologies. For instance, an Africa man is at home with his own form of calculation, time, testing of hypothesis among others. It is only when all these experiential phenomenon are view from western lens that comparison on the level of exactness sets in. All these are present in Africa ‘Cosmo-tology’. An example suffice here. Taking a cue from Yoruba-Africa administration of indigenous syrup (Agbo) for curation, it is not uncommon to see the difference in dosage to be taken in age brackets. For instance, when a drop of indigenous syrup (Agbo) is used for human beings of baby age, a glass cup of same syrup (Agbo) is prescribed for human being of adult age. This in my opinion is equivalent of tea spoons and quantity of number of spoons to be taken on age brackets. The occasion of over dose as often raised against such in Africa medicinal stipulation is also presence in Euro-America medication that is considered scientific with precision, or what do we say of overdose and/or drug abuse? This, however does not foreclose the need to modernize what operates in traditional Africa-Yoruba ‘Cosmo-tology’ in conforming the current realities. In a way, this is suggestive of the need to revisit the corpus of indigenous African cultural heritage and belief system in order to sustain her modernization with scientific import. The scientific import as insinuated herein does not in any way necessary to be in total tandem with scientific postulations of the Euro-America as such has to be within the confine of verification as practicable within African worldview. This is imperative as it is the approval of the interpretative community that determines what science is

3 Toyin Falola, (2016:267) The Humanities in Africa.

and what is not science. Hence, if a culture and/or individual do not belong to the community whatever the culture and/or individual brings to the table cannot be scientific.

Aside this, Yoruba epistemologies are well preserved in proverbs and through their folklores/folktales. In addition to this is Yoruba (African) medicine such as Egbe - Hide and seek), Afose - obedience without consent, onkegbe - distance communication, Agbero (immunity), atunwa (reincarnation) decked in heaven.

Decolonization towards Africanization of Modernity

The experience in Africa (Yoruba) society is undergoing social re-engineering in virtually all strata of human endeavour. This ranges from politics, economics, religions, culture and other areas of human engagement and experience. One common ground through which scholars and commentators interpret the experience of Africa is in striking balance between African indigenous worldview and modernization. The orientation as to what modernization depicts is onerous. It is attached to development. Thus, to many theorists and scholars, development cannot be discussed without a dint of modernity. Albeit, various theories have been developed by scholars of different orientations and dexterities, these include modernist theory, dependency theory, and specifically cultural theory of development. The onus of cultural theory of development suggests the inevitability of culture as the basis of development and modernization. This is pivotal to the call for decolonization and Africanization of modernity within the paradigm of Yoruba ‘Cosmo-tology’! This is not unconnected with the preponderant reality that “the end product of all modernization processes must be the transformation of the social organism concerned from a pre- modern or non-modern state to a modern one.4 This implies that modernity is a progression from a state to another which has to be structured towards a desired end. Given this propensity, it is arguable to contend as mention earlier that the challenge that rattles modernity in Africa is the uncritical acceptance of the cultural ideals of the Euro-American ideals as that on which modernity in Africa is to be built. By this, scholars of African and western orientation ebbed and failed to recognize the fact that there exist a “rich legacy of past attempts to install modernity in some parts of the continent, most notably English-speaking West Africa.”5 One of the spurious derogatory enchantments against Africa worldview by the Euro-America is the misguided

4 Olufemi Taiwo, (2010:99) Olufemi Taiwo, (2010:61) How Colonialism Preempted Modernity in Africa.

5 Olufemi Taiwo, (2010:100) Olufemi Taiwo, (2010:61) How Colonialism Preempted Modernity in Africa.

and uncritical make belief that Africans in all entreaties is inferior to the Euro-Americans. This is fundamental to the claim at some quarters that Africa is the land of peoples arrested in the infancy of the human race.6 This is much more echoed by Hume, Hegel, Levy-Bruhl. It is however anti-logic to subsumed Africa and Africans as peoples of low rationality because “rationality is not an attribute standing on its own to which one may argue that a philosophy tradition has it and some others don’t; or that some philosophers have it and others don’t. Rationality is embedded in human languages [10].” Thus, it is apposite to stimulate the fact that no culture can claim superiority over other. Hence, modernity as a preoccupation of modernization should not be model towards a single worldview. It should be above a particular perspective. Given this possibility therefore, scholars of African traditions need to revisit their methodologies and find a way to reinvent their worldview, not necessarily looking for a meeting point from other cultures. The best that can be done is to measure the validity of their views within their own cultural logic. This will prove the fecundity of diversity as a necessary ingredient for universality. This is akin to Chimakonam claim that “without the whole, we might not understand the particulars, but it is the particular when finally understood that enriches our knowledge of being a whole.”7 With this premonition, modernity avidly should be culture dependent for what works in culture A might not satisfy nor function in culture B due to the dynamic nature of human beings. This precipitate relativism. Seeing Euro-American perspective, therefore, as the template of modernization that other culture must imbibe and emulate holistically would be tantamount to engaging and romanticizing what I termed Western Dogma or Dogma of the West.8 Thus, the need for decolonization in a bid to Africanize modernity in Africa calls for a serious contention.

The need to contend with ‘Western Dogma’ or ‘Dogma of the West’ is fundamental in decolonizing African mindviews that portend African cultural heritage as ingénues base on western template. This idea and unguided assumption that seems to have denied Africans and Africa her originality and rationality needs to be skewed. Thus, the problem for us therefore, has to start with challenging the view that the methods of discovery and the methods of doing things which we have inherited from the west are the only legitimate ways of discovery and doing things must be discarded as there is no paramount means of doing and achieving same result

6 Olufemi Taiwo, (2010:109) Olufemi Taiwo, (2010:61) How Colonialism Preempted Modernity in Africa.

7 Jonathan O. Chimakonam, (2019:104) Ezumezu: ASystem of Logic for Af­ rican Philosophy and Studies.

8 By Western Dogma/Dogmas of the West, I mean a situation of taking Western accretions ideas and/or ideals as the template on which everything is to be justified and validated.

reflective of Heraclitus idea of reality as being in the state of flux, reminiscence of the Yoruba saying Aye n yi - the universe oscillates and bi oni tiri, ola o ri be, lo mu baba alawo difa ojumo - the uniqueness of each day accounts for daily divination by the diviner. This, therefore suggests the profundity of any culture outside a particular culture an alternative to such culture. In this view, it is apposite to suggest that modernity is a product of culture and no culture should assume the toga of modernity far above other cultures. An attempt to do this is an attempt to commit epistemicide that is, murdering of knowledge of other cultures that are assumed to be devoid of modernity within its cultural milieu. By implication, Africans should form a bedrock to which their worldview could be sustained devoid of unguided acceptance of western ideas as the ideals. When it becomes inevitable to do so, Africans should be guided with the thought of Falola who argues that “we [Africans] are not supposed to always accept the invitation to a meeting to discuss our future with those who damaged our past, those who have compromised our present and those who are bent on destroying our future. And when we do, our own priorities should be our concern.”9 In order to emplace a decolonized mentality to reconstruct modernity within the prism of Africa culture, it is potent for African to embrace their culture as there is no mean by which Africans can have proper understanding of a borrowed and/or learned culture for evidently abuse will be inevitable, especially, when the purpose of thing is not known. Ridiculously, some of the Europeans have denied Africans having or possessing the ability to reason and think outside the box without reference to western thought. The ambivalence distortion of African culture is one too many to bear such that the influx of foreign cultures have taken away any thought of originality from Africa. This is crisply captured by Hengelbrock who posits:

Indeed, arriving in Africa for the first time you feel a disappointment or even a certain shock. You are looking for African culture and you don’t find anything but western lifestyle in its worst form, and on the other hand terrible poverty and social disintegration. Speaking with African intellectuals you notice their European education and formation [11].

This perspective possesses a great burden that Africans need to navigate in the search for Africa modernity. Hengelbrock view as quoted above is a reflection of a world that strives to exist outside itself. The parameter to achieving this will be onerous and replica of what Ekanola described as Sisyphean [12], that is, a task that are laborious and futile. Therefore, for proper decolonization that will promote Africanization of modernity, stakeholders are to embrace

9 Toyin Falola, (2016:271) The Humanities in Africa.

home grown ideas and ideals that could project development enviable of modern idea of civilization “for no society in the world is living outside of its culture [13].”By this, it is arguable to contend that modernity is not given, it evolves through culture. Therefore, Africa does not need to be westernized to be considered a developed continent while jettisoning its own cultural heritages, but rather, develop its modernity based on its cultural heritages.10 By this the contents of universalism that project western ideas as the ideal that must be followed needs to be reviewed as what is considered universal are mere European particularism. Hence, the need to recalibrate African worldviews in developing our own autonomous knowledge systems. This is achievable by referencing the past not as non-existent but as being alive to guide our presence in projecting the future because “it is the realization of the living past that constitutes the very beginning of our epistemological library,”11 not forgetting the Yoruba saying omo to gbagbe ile so apo iya ko and/or odo ti o gbagbe orison re, gbigbe ni yio gbe - meaning whosoever forget his background cannot understanding his ways neither could such prosper in his dealings. This is suggestive of Falola’s submission that “anyone that quarrels with the past does not only lose the present but the future as well.”12 Nevertheless, while it is imperative for Africa to build its modernity around its historical past, it is equally necessary for a critical reflection to guide against dogmatic acceptance of beliefs without subjecting such to reason. This will help guide against appealing to tradition in pursuing modernity without recourse to present realities. Hence, Africans need to domesticate modernity to recreate their world and guide against what I termed The Difference Theory.13 By decolonization, therefore, it is meant the removal of some colonial contents and/or belief system, especially those ones that denigrate and subordinate the African and her culture and replace them with re-valorized African contents. When this is done, Africanization will be more viable, therefore, Africanization connotes replacing all the unguided western thought systems and beliefs within which proper understanding can be situated in enjoying a home grown modernity devoid of dogmatic acceptance of the superiority of the Euro-American worldview as the model for modernity. This hinges on the fact that modernity is all about progress and advancement from ‘what is,’ to ‘what ought to be,’ The implication of this disquiet is that if Africa and Africans are serious and utilize their human and natural resources

10 S. Layi Oladipupo, (2019:63) “The Fallacy of development.”

11 Toyin Falola, (2016:277) The Humanities in Africa.

12 Toyin Falola, (2016:278) The Humanities in Africa.

13  I have argued out what is similar to this in one of my research titled Fallacy of Development in Africa. The idea canvasses in ‘The Different The­ ory’ is derivative of the superiority and inferiority complex that rattle the dichotomy and/or gap between African and Euro-American cultures.

positively, she can leads the world. An instance of this reality is the current wave being achieved by the Chinese in the technology industry, such that the whole world seems to look up to China for technological breakthrough. Chimakonam seems to put this in a perspective when he argues that “No one gave the Chinese any chances some 50 years ago, but look at where they are today. Not quite long ago in history, the Greeks regarded the present day Germans where the proud Kant and Hegel hailed from as barbarians, but look at where Greece is today, the country almost depends on Germany for its daily bread.”14 Thus, the idea of colonization as the bedrock of modernity is wrongheaded.

Given the contention that conceives modernity as an upshot of colonization as wrongheaded, it behooves us to clarify the misguided link of colonialism with modernity. Though, to some scholars, modernity is a product of colonialism while to some, it is not. My perspective is within the prism of the latter. It is astonishing to contend that modernity being what it is; predates colonialism. Colonialism only marks a stage towards modernity; therefore it will be illogical to assume that modernity in Africa is a product of colonialism as some may want us to believe. Taiwo’s reason suggests this claim when he argues that “the distinctive marker of modernity is to be found in it politico-philosophical discourse that can be summed up in three key concepts: subjectivity, reason, and progress.”15 Inferable from this contention is suggestive of the inevitability of subjective nature of modernity that needs to be enthroned through reason that could stimulate progress enviable of what could be regarded as modernity as far as modernity in itself connotes progressive movement from one stage to another.

In fact, it is more suitable to argue for the missionary orientation of modernity in Africa than thinking of colonialism, this is because “modernity is a larger movement than colonialism, and it is the essence that the colonial authorities in different parts of the continent claimed to be implanting in the continent.”16 Thus, one is poised to argue that modernity predates colonialism in Africa. This in it right is suggestive of the fact that seeing colonialism as the vector that usher Africa into modernity is wrongheaded.

It is apposite to set the argument straight that the project of colonialism as operated in Africa subvert modernity than promoting it, because, such modernization pre-suggests African traditions as inferior. This is evident in submission

14  Jonathan O. Chimakonam, (2019:192) Ezumezu: ASystem of Logic for African Philosophy and Studies.

15  Olufemi Taiwo, (2010:5) Olufemi Taiwo, (2010:61) How Colonialism Preempted Modernity in Africa.

16 Olufemi Taiwo, (2010:6) Olufemi Taiwo, (2010:61) How Colonialism Preempted Modernity in Africa.

that “the option that colonialists adopted in the continent ended up subverting modernity rather than enhancing it.”17 This in a way denied Africans the ability to progress and make do with their ways of life as that which should be promoted to meeting up with current realities. Given the fact that modernity is progressive in nature, that is, a progression from one stage to the other stage of advancement that suggests changes from a less attractive entailment to a more desirable and attractive posture, Africa and Africans were denied this opportunity of self-development in the name of civility. For instance, the orthodox belief in the potency of witches to fly and inflict pains and agonies on their victims can be imbued into current reality of a flying war plane that releases missiles in combating terrorism. Hence, the development of jets, and other air space machines could as well be used to advance and absorbed the activities of the witches in Africa (Yoruba) pre-colonial existing structure to promote modernity if properly harnessed without western unguided influencing and domineering spirit. It is fundamental to mention that as part of modernization in Africa, we have heard of Reformed Ogboni Fraternity, the same way we could have been talking of Reformed Witchcraft, Reformed Onisegun, and Reformed Babaalawo among others if Africa and Africans did not allow the over blotted audacity of western ideologies as parameter for modernity. The unguided acceptance of western ideologies within the context of this discourse undergirds modernity in Africa. In fact, the march towards modernization of Africa was aborted through colonial incursion of the Africa continent.

Thus far, it is subaltern to suggest that colonialism is not the harbinger of modernity in Africa, because Africa was progressing towards what is today called modernity prior colonialism. In essence, it is argued that colonialism denied Africa her place in modernization. And, since no culture can assume a proper sense of modernity nor survive the journey into modern civilization in the wave of globalization, it is imperative to revivify African cultural values, heritages, belief systems and epistemologies in order to subdue the nitty-gritty of modernization as sole contribution of westerners in the sense that modernization does not equal westernization. Modernity as it is; is a movement equivalent of paradigm shift from one autochthonous to another. Thus, it is imperative for the Africans to revisit their heritages with a view to improving the status quo by making their worldviews an open phenomenon as against her closed sense, if this is not achieve, then African scholars would be validating G. W. F. Hegel’s rejection of Africa as being part of history and Levy Bruhl’s claims that Africans are bereft of rationality. This should be attended to, because a continuous dependence on the nature of western modernity

17 Olufemi Taiwo, (2010:25) Olufemi Taiwo, (2010:61) How Colonialism Preempted Modernity in Africa.

as the prototype to be followed by Africans and adopt in the continent of Africa would only make Africans and Africa a perpetual slave of IMF, World Bank, Foreign Aid and its obnoxious conditionalities; since “no colonial regime would have hesitated to ally with the most conservative forces to topple a holistic but progressive and modernist leader. After all, the main preoccupation of these regimes was not to carry out social reform but primarily to control and to maintain law and order so as to facilitate economic exploitation.”18 Hence the hyper-curative quest for decolonization and Africanization of modernity in Africa.

It is important to mention that breakthrough in health sector through scientific discovery is not an exclusive preserve of the westerner and/or Euro-Americans. Ever before the advent of western codified template of medical sciences and discoveries, Africans have been known for improvising solutions to their health challenges and which could not be seen as inferior to the overrated western medical discoveries; if not for the unguided negligence of the needed advancement of such African worldviews. Evidences abound in some reputable online website videos that substantiate the fact that traditional Africans are knowledgeable in this regard. Some of such videos revealed the activities of African traditional healers who carried out successful neurosurgeries and brain surgeries. In one of such account the British narrator who interviewed some of these activities attested to the potency of such surgeries by claiming that they possessed ninety-six percent success rates, better than what the surgeons in the best hospitals in London could offer.19 However, it is unfortunate that this development that could have given Africa continent her right place in the progress towards modernization within her worldview was truncated by the advent of colonialism. Instead of progressing in this direction “what was given in return by the treacherous colonialist/missionary was religion and endless prayers to the European God who of course, being light of skin and male, like the chauvinistic European racist, discriminates against prayers from his unwanted African children.”20 It should be noted that modern science is an offspring of ethno-science. By this, local knowledge system needs constant review for moderation with a view to improve such towards modernity instead of demonizing it as done by Euro-American and some African scholars.

Rummaging the essentiality of the need to revisit African culture in the strand of modernity is to remodel

18 Olufemi Taiwo, (2010:80) Olufemi Taiwo, (2010:61) How Colonialism Preempted Modernity in Africa.

19 See “Traditional Brain Surgeries” in https://oddafrica.com/category/ healing for further understanding and confirmation of the above claim.

20 Jonathan O. Chimakonam, (2019:203) Ezumezu: ASystem of Logic for African Philosophy and Studies.

universalism to enhance Africa worldview such that Africa ideas and worldviews would not be seen as inferior to western idea and if Africa ideas and worldview is placarded to be inferior, Africans should not hesitate to demonstrate that Africa idea could also be universalized in the context of what universalism is. It is in this light that Falola’s idea of pluriversalism is projected. He explains pluriversalism as:

An African academic orientation as well as practices that create their own distinctive methodologies and epistemologies, both driven by African’s own clearly-defined agenda to attain an intellectual autonomy in the service of economic and political liberation. The final intellectual products of African scholars, even when they combine localism with globalism, will be a distinguishable autonomous hybrid that is African in its imprimatur. Thus, we become the centre of knowledge, not its periphery; we originate as well as adopt and adapt; and, we invent as well renew. We create “African universalism” in the context of “multiple universalism.21 Derivable from the above is the authenticity of universal/ cultural-particularism. That is, what is assumed to be universal is a product of a culture that is over-generalized. Hence, in the push for authentic modernity, the epistemologies of the culture that seeks such modernity should be the fulcrum on which such should be built. When this is achieve and other culture adopt and adapt such as way of life in envisioning modernity, then it becomes a universal phenomenon.