Page 81 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 19

Health & Healing

Let me explain further. He prefers the modern drugs and phones, to the days of internet and
pharmaceutical products. So, I was mobile phones, without feeling
Imagine me trying to make a video thinking, does this guy know that stressed out in discomfort for what
on Afrikan architecture, and I am the tea and coffee he drinks on a they had to let go of, in order to fit
looking for videos of buildings date in Java, and even takes selfies in into the new age of gadgets and
captured in Afrika but find it hard with, are actually herbal medicines? stuffs? Could it be that the only time
to use the beautiful videos of I am pretty sure this guy would cognitive dissonance affects Afri-
buildings in an Afrikan city that have no issue taking Chinese herbal kans is when they are dealing with
I found. Instead, my mind wants medicine, just like many of our things that are Africentric but are
to use something that looks like Afrikans are doing. They hate the actually excited and accommodative
painted huts in some rural homes in Afrikan herbal medicine, but take to Eurocentric ideology? I think so.
some villages in Afrika. It took me a selfies with Ginseng tea from China. But why?
while to disabuse myself from such Something broke.
foolishness. I needed to conscious- Sometime ago, my wife and I were
ly tell myself what the true reality I am stressing more on the issue of at a lunch with Prof. PLO Lumum-
of Afrika really is. But this trend herbal medicine because it is one of ba, and he shared a very interesting
is definitely not isolated to me, my those that is closest to home; but story with everyone present. He
wife told me she also experienced the issue of what broke in the mind spoke about how he visited Namibia
the same challenge, and it is a much of the Afrikan is definitely in all with a young European friend. At
deeper issue that I have seen in a lot aspects of Afrikan life. the airport, the immigration offi-
of media content. Take for instance cers gave him a hard time, asking
when you watch Hollywood movies Cognitive dissonance demeaning questions about what
or music videos where the story is According to Wikipedia, in the field he came to do in Namibia; but his
set in the Afrikan culture or way of psychology, cognitive dissonance European friend was not even asked
of life. You see in such movies, or is the perception of contradictory any questions but was welcomed
music videos, Afrikans portrayed as information. Relevant items of in- with all smiles. Now, if you are
those folks wearing animal skins, or formation include a person’s actions, familiar with who the Pan-Afri-
with painted faces and stuff that you feelings, ideas, beliefs, values, and kanist PLO Lumumba is, you will
really do not see in the real life of things in the environment. Cogni- know that this man is almost more
the present day Afrikan person. Or tive dissonance is typically experi- popular in Afrika than most Afrikan
you see them riding donkeys right enced as psychological stress when presidents. Now, let us even say he
in the midst of a supposed Afrikan persons participate in an action that is a nobody or just some random
city. And when they tell you they are goes against one or more of those Afrikan tourist going for vacation,
doing a documentary on Nairobi, things. According to this theory, should his treatment by fellow
for instance, they only show you the when two actions or ideas are not Afrikans at the border of an Afrikan
slum called Kibra and not the fine psychologically consistent with each country be that of shame and not
places in Nairobi. And I am not just other, people do all in their power to brotherly love?
speaking of foreign content makers change them until they become con-
who may have their own agendas, sistent. The discomfort is triggered What broke?
but Afrikans themselves. by the person’s beliefs clashing with I do not think it is just one thing
But why is it easy and ok for us new information perceived, wherein that one can put their finger on, but
Afrikans to do these things? Some- the individual tries to find a way to I do think the issue of the loss of
thing broke. resolve the contradiction to reduce identity is one major problem we
their discomfort. have to deal with. And this itself
Some time back, I was watching an must be looked at from a deeper
interview that featured some young Basically, cognitive dissonance is perspective, going back to when the
Afrikans. The presenter asked them about not wanting to take a new partition of Afrika was done.
what they think about Afrikan indig- stand when new information is When the colonizers “broke” Afrika
enous herbal medicine. You could presented, because it causes dis- into bits and called them individual
see the horror on their faces. One comfort to let go that which one is countries, could it be that it was not
guy in particular was so disgusted used to. But, if this is the case, how just a physical breaking that was
with the idea, he said he can never were Afrikans able to shift from done but something much deeper?
allow such thing inside his mouth. the days of no internet and mobile Could it be that there was some

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