Page 21 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 12

MY AFRIKA
ARTS

popular book, Fugitive Modernities, culture, and economy, it has also In the second major part of the
which sought to explore the history been the recipient of global move- book, the authors turn from local
of "those fleeing expanding states ments, from Greece and Rome's grounding to the emergence of Af-
and the violence of the transatlantic ancient civilizations to modern rikology onto a global stage. Firstly,
slave trade", proved to have a more Europe, the Americas, and latterly through African Creation Energy,
significant title than even she had but not insignificantly, China. But, with its 'squaring of the circle', we
admitted. As a child of the port it is the hegemonic influence of the see the cyclical GENE and its four
city of Liverpool, which was at the Northern and Western worlds over poles in a fresh light. Secondly,
very dark heart of the evil triangular Africa's Southern and Eastern soul they unveil the distinctive African
slave trade and became prosperous that is the starting point for this ethno-philosophy on the shoulders
through its market in black flesh, I book. Afrikology is born out of of Placide Tempels, Bantu Philos-
wince at how African culture can be the interplay between its continent's ophy, and Nkrumah and Senghor's
so misused, even in the 21st century. communities, their unique values political programmes. Each, in their
and spirituality, and its multitudi- own way, reflects the traditionalist
Less acutely, but reflecting the nous peoples' reasoning and en- grounding of Afrikology in their
nature of sensitivities surrounding terprise. Europe does not have a tribal homelands whilst, at the same
African culture, have been the cases monopoly in thinking and research. time, indicating the direction of
of British music stars Adele and America is not the only source of Africa's unique cultural modernity.
Rita Ora, who have been accused business, economics, and markets.
of cultural appropriation. These Through the third part of the book
issues are much less severe than the Indeed, the drumbeat, the music, Lessem and Adodo take us to one
brutality and violence surrounding and the dance of Africa, quite of the most significant aspects
Jacob Blake and George Floyd's in- frequently, express the continent's of Afrikology, so far as they are
juries and Breonna Taylor's killings. meaning as eloquently as does its concerned, as scholars, namely that
If you do not recognize their names words. And it is meaning that is at of the distinctive research philos-
as you are reading this, please search the core of this book. Semiotics ophies and epistemic roots of
them out. As we enter the third is the science of meaningful signs. African learning. For too long, the
decade of the 21st century, their It demonstrates the relationships Northern and Western worlds have
tragedies reveal that the world has between economic objects, their claimed global domination of epis-
yet to wake up to the profound debt subterranean significance – what I temology and an interpretation of
that all civilizations owe to Africa, call their 'archetypes of signification' what it is 'to know', all too frequent-
its heritage, and, equally, our need to – the pointers they make towards ly through a secularized version of
respect its destiny. transformation processes and the rationalist science and method. As
interpretations that work out in new these authors ably demonstrate, Af-
It is in this light – and, of course, innovations, enterprises and fresh rikological science and research are
for those of us who know and have economic objects. Herein, Ronnie deeply integral, intertwining process
lived in Africa, it is the antithesis of Lessem and Anselm Adodo address and substance so that the Western
a dark continent – that this book each of these as they orientate their fetishising of the subject-object
will illuminate the distinctive cultural way around the re-GENErative dichotomy is dissolved.
contribution of Africa, through cycle.
what the authors, white and black, Indeed, the rediscovery, in recent
European, and African residents They begin, as do all meaningful decades, by European and American
but, each born from African soil, business and economics, with exam- social science, of emic anthropolo-
refer to as Afrikology. Nor is it ining value, especially the land's val- gy, phenomenology, action research,
a single cultural or philosophical ue, in both the ancient and modern the range of ethno-methodologies,
thought-form. Africa is not a coun- Egyptian culture settings. This is so and semiotics itself can be traced
try; of course, it is a continent. It much a part of the origination of back to an Afrikology of method-
encompasses such diversity as Mo- Afrikology. From there, they take ology. In the second chapter of
rocco and Mozambique, Sudan and us into an examination of African Part Three, thence, we are taken to
South Africa, Angola, and Algeria. cosmology, especially through the a contemporary example of Afriko-
Dogon people's lens, revealing that logical research-in-practice through
Equally, whilst Africa has contrib- this represents the centerpiece of the work of CIRD-A (Centre for
uted so much to human thought, African culture and wisdom. Integral Research and Development

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