Contemporary African Art
Introduction:
“The postcolonial artist is a mirror distorted by history” (Njami 2012:25). In this essay I will discuss some of the key theoretical concepts of the modern philosophical movement Post-colonialism and its relevance to the previously mentioned quote. To elaborate, I will reflect on the Hybridity which categorises contemporary African art, using Cyrus Kabiru and his C-stunners art range as an example of African art on which I will apply my analysis.
Such an analysis is necessary because Africans currently find themselves at a crucial turning point in time. African artists are in the process of making African history, reflecting on the past, as well as shaping the future identity of a continent, which is now free from the obstruction
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Njami explains; “[y]ou have to start by learning to stop looking at yourself as an unchanging outline defined by the others gaze” (Njami 2012:23).
What makes the gaze so terrifying is that we as insecure subjective individuals are scared of the impact that others judgements can have on our own opinions about ourselves, Marcus Auraelius a roman emperor and philosopher, elaborates on this phenomenon, he wrote that; “It never ceases to amaze me; we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own” (Auraelius cited in Claridge & Cooper 2014:189).
The study of Colonialism and postcolonial discourse is essential as Africans need to reflect upon the past in order to pave a brighter future, free of any form of oppression; “a close scrutiny of the phenomenon of colonialism is necessary to appreciate the degree to which it influenced not only the economic and political development of Africa but also the African people’s perception of themselves” (Khapoya 2012:99).
“Afrocentricity materialized as a theory of knowledge in 1980 under Molefi Kete Asante’s philosophical thinking while also posing a systematic challenge to Western epistemology” (Monteiro-Ferreira
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“Afrocentricity is a mode of thought and action in which the centrality of African interests, values and perspectives predominate. In regards to theory it is the placing of African people in the centre of any analysis of African people” (Asante 2003:2).
“As a cultural theory Afrocentricity is committed to the reclamation of ancient African classical civilizations as the place for interpreting and understanding the history of African peoples” (Monreiro-Ferreira 2014:3) it is however, not at the expense of pre existing fields of knowledge it rather seeks to add further insight “Afrocentricity does not bear a totalitarian spirit because it does not seek to replace ‘white knowledge’ with ‘black knowledge’... Afrocentricity is a theory of wholeness that seeks ways of unity based on mutual respect for the cultural agency of all people” (Monreiro-Ferreira
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