A New Wakanda
Afro-Centricism And The Propagation Of Perpetual Victimhood
Out with the old, in with the new so the adage goes. However, Solomon in his wisdom pointed out that there is nothing new under the Sun. Everything is simply a reenactment of what had come before. A retooling and re-dressing of old principles with cosmetic drapery meant to give the illusion of novelty. Human nature is as old as time as are human grievances. To err is to be human. Classes of perceived oppressors turned victim later on turned oppressor. As is the case with current day South Africa. Once victims now turned rulers bey for the blood of the progeny of those who oppressed them eons past. Similar phenomena, albeit just in rhetoric for the moment, is being experienced across the developed world. The entertainment industry and media environment seem to have given a permanent lease on life to victimhood narratives. In turn, these narratives have given license and confidence in some to propagate the cancer of racism under the banner of being anti-racist. Over the past decade or so a whole crop of youth has been raised in lands irradiated with hatred and unaccountability. Watered with narratives of class and race hatred. Finally ready for harvest, a new breed of gargoyles has taken to the skies. Passing dark clouds with nowhere to perch. They desolate the lands below leaving a wake of destruction in their path. Nothing is to be earned. Everything is first to be desecrated then taken by force. Especially history.
Finally ready for harvest, a breed of gargoyles has taken to the skies. Passing dark clouds with nowhere to perch. They desolate the lands below leaving a wake of destruction in their path.
In April 2023, Netflix released a video trailer for a hitherto unreleased documentary series on Queen Cleopatra. In the trailer an elderly woman of black ethnicity recounts how her grandmother encouraged her to disregard the history books by admitting that Cleopatra was a woman of black ethnicity. This bout of historical revisionism didn’t go unchallenged as Netflix was widely ridiculed for this absurd take on history. In Egypt there was public outcry over this nonsense that elevated meemaws tales over and above actual historical record. This was but one of many attempts to recentre past events around people of black ethnicity not only in the entirety of human history but the world over. Later on, in August 2023, a British author for a “factual” children’s history book claimed that Stone Henge was built by people of black ethnicity. Seemingly, an attempt to inseminate young minds with poisonous ideas about race where people of black ethnicity are always and will forever be victims. Forever victims robbed of greatness by racist others. Always at the cusp of total domination but cheated out of victory at various junctures in time. Utterly helpless to save themselves yet secretly harbouring tremendous potential. Always in need of western liberals to elevate them and “their truth” to never attained before heights. Such is the double edged nature of Afro-centrism.
Of course, this is just a euphemism for permissible racism. Robbing from others their history to bequeath it to those who never earned or deserved it. All in the name of being anti-racist. Sadly, this isn’t just racism towards other non-black ethnicities, it is more so racism towards people of black ethnicity because their accomplishments are never truly their own. Forever receiving handouts and tokens of good will that are in reality poison pills to individuality. Ubisoft’s Yasuke, in their flagship launch for 2025, Assassins Creed Shadows, is a prime example of the tokenism and historical revisionism endemic to Afro-centrism. When identity is tied to skin colour it precludes character, beliefs and personality. Each one of us becomes a monolith not any different from the other.
It turns out that perceived racism and sexism are simply runes inserted into NPCs turning them into super human weapons.This ideological witchcraft has darkened the hearts of many youth of black ethnicity who can now only view life and its many challenges through the prism of race.
Afro-futurism, an offshoot of Afro-centrism, is a genre of art that portrays future events specifically through a “black lens.” Often, this means eschewing every other race and ethnicity from prospects of development and advancement in technology in fictional settings and attributing them to only people of black ethnicity. Marvel’s 2015 Black Panther film is set in the fictional African nation of Wakanda. A nation which happens to be far more technologically advanced than every other nation on the planet. A black ethnostate which is only concerned about its well being and the well being of other African states. Untroubled by the troubled seas and trouble brewing beyond its own borders. Naturally, the African women in this fictional state are infused with a powerful tonic of third wave feminism. They exhibit not only unnatural inner and outer strength, they are also gifted with great dexterity at handling weapons. Practically better than their male counterparts in every conceivable metric. It turns out that perceived racism and sexism are simply runes inserted into NPCs turning them into super human weapons. This ideological witchcraft has darkened the hearts of many youth of black ethnicity who can now only view life and its many challenges through the prism of race. It has not only turned many into racists but also victims of their own racism.
Image credits in order of appearance: Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay; Image by I Setiawan from Pixabay