The foundation of all systems is the mental model, and Afrilition, a concept introduced by Adéwálé Àjàdí, aims to transform Africa's future. However, the current global system has been imposed on Africa, and its mental model has been widely accepted. This has led to a reactionary approach, where Africa functions within the existing system, often without critical review. The African world has been indoctrinated into different forms of inferiority through formal socialization, also known as education.
The current mental model is rooted in Westernization, which is often seen as the surest and only route to modernization. However, this model has a Janus face, being both White supremacist and based on the pseudoscience of race. It does not stand up to basic scrutiny by its own logical or empirical standards. Adéwálé Àjàdí, a lawyer, creative consultant, and leadership expert, recently visited the Supreme Court of Nigeria, where he observed the pomposity of performance and the adoption of European wigs and 19th-century faux fashion.
The visit to the Supreme Court of Nigeria inspired Àjàdí to reflect on the levels to which African elites have been reduced. He noted that intelligent people were prancing as caricatures, exemplifying the depth of indoctrination into the current system. However, he found solace in the Statue of Lady Justice, which stood black and dignified, with Northern Nigerian features, wearing a head wrap and an elegant buba. The statue seemed aware of the work that needed to be done to move beyond an Africanized European symbol.
The crowd of well-wishers at the event showcased the variety and diversity of ethnic excellence expressed in headgear and outfits from across Nigeria. Àjàdí noted that if there is a country where people carry culture with dignity, it is Nigeria, albeit with the contradiction of colonial mentality. Afrilition is a pathway to confidence in African creativity, and Àjàdí believes that Africans must be honest enough to confront their indoctrination into the current system.
Africa and its Diaspora are the most diverse breadth of humanity in the world, and the persistent calls for unity betray a lack of acceptance of this complexity. Àjàdí argues that disagreements are the engine of growth and that Africans need to mature to understand this. He identifies various pathologies that need to be addressed, including colonial mentality, white supremacy, colorism, and exploitative capitalism, which are all diseases resulting from the systems Africans are socialized into.
These pathologies are not limited to ignorant, malevolent, or poorly educated people but are embedded in the mental architecture in which Africans were raised and continue to live. Despite resistance and reactions, the system remains pernicious and prevalent, adapting to suck individuals back into other forms of reaction. Africans are embedded in the system, which has become their lifeblood, and their success is often defined by material acquisition using borrowed language.
Afrilition is about admitting these challenges with vulnerability and honesty, creating a holding space for many perspectives, and understanding that building a Black identity and imbuing it with power is survival in the US but not exactly the same in Ghana or Kenya. Àjàdí's new book, Afrilition: 21st Century African Manifesto, and Omoluwabi 2.0: A Code of Transformation in 21st Century Nigeria, offer a framework for transformation and a new mental model for African civilization predicated on abundance, not scarcity.
Key points
- Adéwálé Àjàdí advocates for a new mental model to transform Africa's future through Afrilition.
- The current global system has been imposed on Africa, leading to a reactionary approach and indoctrination into different forms of inferiority.
- Afrilition aims to create a holding space for many perspectives, understanding, and a new mental model for African civilization.
