In Search of an Alternative: A collection of Essays on Revolutionary Theory and Politics
By Archie Mafeje
Published by SAPES Books (1992)
ISBN 0-7974-1087-2

TODAY, Africa celebrates the concept of cultural identity through its historical experience, which is shaped by atrocities wrought on it by slavery and colonialism.
There is no doubt, the many effects of slavery, colonialism and imperialism have played a significant role in shaping and influencing the identity and development of Africans as a people.
In other words, the history of Africa is a precursor to the events that are manifesting in the continent’s day-to-day business of many African states.
While terrorism is growing exponentially in Africa and poverty is affecting millions of people, unmitigated exploitation of the continent’s resources continues to be a major priority for Western states.
It is against this background, that most of Africa’s literature is shaped by events that affected and are still affecting the continent.
The book under review this week, In Search of an Alternative: A Collection of Essays on Revolutionary Theory, is a reflection of Africa and the problems affecting its people.
Written by one of the academic elites in Africa, the late South African scholar Archie Mafeje, the book is a collection of essays on revolutionary theory and politics.
It is a book that touches on the important aspects that shape the African revolutionary academia in its quest to discover African identity.
Of importance in the book, are issues that summarise Africa’s objectives and these include politics, intellectual debates, philosophy and cultural revivalism.
Written in the early 1990s, the book reflects the writer’s powerful force in challenging the African scholar to live and unravel a heritage that can shape identity development in Africa.
Indeed, issues to do with identity have been a minefield for many African revolutionary thinkers such as Kenneth Kaunda, Kwame Nkrumah, David Diop, and Amilcar Cabral, to mention but a few.
What is interesting in some parts of the book, is the emphasis on the contribution of the African Diasporian scholars in providing a literal awakening to future generations.
His pointers are drawn from the works of renowned pan-Africanists who include W.E.B Du Bois, Booker T Washington, Marcus Garvey, Aime Cesaire, Franz Fanon and Malcom X, among others.
The writer’s argument stresses finding identity through revolutionary movements that include the famous Negritude Movement which is associated with Leopold Sedar Senghor.
“In his hands ‘Negritude’ became more than a counterpart of ‘African personality’. It acquired metaphysical connotations about ‘Black Man’s being’ or ‘Black spirit’ which was part of the natural endowment of the Negroes,” writes Mafeje.
As one of the important movements, Negritude is an inspiration of Harlem Renaissance and it responded to the alienated blacks in history.
According to Mafeje: “It acquired metaphysical connotations about black spirit as part of the natural endowment of the Negroes.”
Through his essays, the writer acts as an eye-opener to efforts to decolonise the mentality of Africans in order to appreciate and celebrate self-understanding, self-determination and political emancipation.
He advocates African philosophical ideas and social problems to be addressed in an African experience.
The African, must therefore be at the centre, not at the periphery of the motherland’s socio-economic and political development activities.
In his essays, Mafeje quotes fellow scholars who reflect on the ideas of construction of a better African.
Together, with some scholars, Mafeje’s ideas stress the importance of the African to appreciate his/her heritage through re-connecting with his/her culture and tradition.
He argues, colonialism created a vacuum that separates the rich education in African traditional values that WAS created through colonialism.
“In Africa, because of colonialism, an artificial gap has been created between our institutional education in philosophy and the traditional philosophies of our societies,” Mafeje quotes Kwasi Wiredu.
Mafeje’s argument in his essays also spills into politics of Africa.
His focus is on political economy that is shaped by a one party state.
The writer’s argument against such a scenario is that it can open an avenue for greedy individuals to remain in power so that they protect their interests.
In other words, Mafeje says politics that is shaped through ideas of a one party state can hinder political and economic developments.
“It is competition for this type of access which propels African Governments towards a one-party state,” says Mafeje.
“Those fractions of the petit bourgeoisie which got in first seek to protect their privileged position by keeping other fractions or parties out.”
In Search Of an Alternative is a book that also talks about national politics in a crisis.
The writer directly points out that nationalism is a reaction to the two cancers, colonialism and imperialism as enemies of Africa.
To him, there are two processes that happened in different stages and gave rise to nationalism.
Mafeje points out the existence of two types of nationalism – proto and meta nationalism.
“Proto-nationalism which was primarily concerned with political domination by aliens, without relating it to its modal foundations since the end of the 19th Century.
“…meta-ationalism, which is a result of disillusionment with proto-nationalism and of an appreciation of the changing modalities of imperialist domination.”
It is as a result of the two types of nationalism the writer talks about that liberation movements in Africa focus on.
Many governments in Africa stall their development by becoming victims of neo-colonialism which is pushed by former colonial masters.
In order to search for an alternative, it is important for Africans to understand and appreciate their identity first.