marble nkomo
Davina Kalenga
FROM the late 20th century onwards, formal independence meant reclaimed borders, yet the residues of colonialism persisted through imposed epistemologies, language, and cultural degradation. True liberation then began to extend beyond political autonomy and physical borders to a deeper decolonisation of the mind and culture, a concept championed by post-independence leaders and scholars such as Leopold Senghor and Kwame Nkrumah.
Cultural preservation in post-colonial Africa and the Global South is a fundamental, ongoing project of political decolonisation and a shield against neo-colonial domination and Western imperialism. It plays a central role in maintaining the full independence of societies that have experienced colonisation beyond political sovereignty. True independence therefore becomes the ability of the people to define themselves and to sustain their values, and their future without depending on external cultural, ideological as well as epistemological domination.
Moving beyond being seen as nostalgia, cultural preservation is framed as the active revitalisation of language, heritage safeguarding, and the reclamation of epistemic authority. These are essential exercises in what the republican theory terms “non-domination” and African decolonial thinkers such as Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni call “epistemic disobedience.”
This intellectual shift is modelled by political figures and operationalised through enduring traditional institutions within Africa. For instance, the Yoruba Ooni of Ife exemplify this by serving as a spiritual sovereign whose authority, derived from the lineage of Oduduwa, provides a cultural core that resists external erosion and grounds community identity independently of the post-colonial state.
This preservation functions at multiple levels to maintain substantive independence. At the national institutional level, Ghana’s National House of Chiefs acts as a constitutional shield. Embedded within the modern republic, this body codifies customary law and advises the state, formally checking governmental power and protecting the autonomy of traditional governance from single domination.
Somewhat similar to the pre-colonial systems, it acts as a check and balance for the governing body as well as advisors to the ruling party. At the grassroots, leaders like Chief Mutasa of Zimbabwe demonstrate local self-reliance. By upholding community justice and managing resources through indigenous systems, they foster resilience and self-governance, countering dependence on external frameworks.
However, the struggle is most evident in education systems that centre Western curricula, prioritising English, French as well as other Eurocentric norms. This system actively suppresses indigenous knowledge and instils the belief that foreign systems are superior. As Kwame Nkrumah warned, this degrades belief in African systems, stifling as well as repressing the chances of the rise of the “African Prodigy”, contributing to brain drain as a result. Therefore, preserving culture through layered levels of sovereignty, spiritual, institutional, and local systems is a critical strategy for maintaining real independence where colonialism persists.
Culture and language are also deeply important aspects, which easily lead to identifying the existence of a nation and as culture is shown by way of living, ceremonies and rituals, which serve as natural spaces where languages are used and transmitted for communication.
These practices ensure that language is not just learned formally, but lived daily. Celebrated Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o explained this when he referred to language and culture in the analysis of Decolonising the Mind (1986) where he argues that language is the carrier of culture and identity.
According to Ngũgĩ, the dominance of colonial languages in Africa has led to cultural alienation and the erosion of indigenous languages. He therefore emphasises that preserving African languages through education, literature as well as oral traditions is essential for cultural survival and mental liberation.
Renowned Ghanaian pan-Africanist scholar Professor Kwesi Kwaa Prah pushes for the preservation of African culture, stating that Africans must reclaim and use their indigenous languages as he strongly advocates for the use of African languages in education, governance, and public life. One can therefore argue that African development is hindered when indigenous languages are marginalised. Prof Prah sees language as a foundation of cultural continuity and social cohesion as he stresses that traditions, folklore, and community practices are vital spaces where African languages are sustained. This shifts the views of language as a tool for expressing culture and lived experience.
Similarly, Nigerian novelist and poet Chinua Achebe believed that African traditions and storytelling play a crucial role in maintaining cultural identity and keeping indigenous languages relevant, even in postcolonial contexts. He was of the thought that oral tradition and storytelling help preserve African cultural values and linguistic identity.
Kenyan academic Professor Ali Mazrui also explored the relationship between language, culture, and power in Africa. He argued that language choices reflect cultural dominance and political control. He highlighted the importance of African traditions and languages in resisting cultural imperialism and preserving African identity in a globalised world saying language preservation is both a cultural and political act. Nkrumah argued that African culture had been deliberately undermined by colonialism. He believed that reclaiming African values, traditions and worldviews was necessary for true freedom.
For Nkrumah, culture was not static but a living force that shapes how Africans think, organise society, and relate to one another. In this case, African culture and language is more crucial as it reviews the strengths of African lives. A significant number of African philosophers advocate for the preservation of African culture and language. Senghor believed that language expresses a people’s way of seeing the world. He also emphasised the importance of African oral traditions and proverbs, poetry, music, and storytelling in preserving African culture.
l Shamiso Nyoni and Davina Kalenga are International Relations students at Africa University.
Online Reporter