Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.
By Lenrod Nzulu Baraka
Since the mid-20th century, African and Caribbean political leaders have been agitating for the decolonization of Black physical spaces. This agitation resulted in an explosion of Black heads of states in both Africa and the Caribbean as Africans and people of African ancestry forced their way into the political assemblies of the former colonies in Africa and the Caribbean. Black faces wearing white wigs took control of the houses of parliament and the courts in Africa and the Caribbean for weal or for woe.
The shift in the racial paradigm in politics and law – perhaps more symbolic than substantive – was welcomed by the Black masses that had only seen from afar the good life touted by preachers so eloquently on Sundays. Surely, if Caucasians could use the political and legal structures in colonial Africa and the Caribbean to accrue for themselves a rich harvest of milk and honey, then certainly Black people occupying the parliaments and the courts could lead the masses across Jordan and into the promised land of abundance and prosperity.
Sadly, this dream of entering Canaan has not materialized for the masses of Black people in Africa or in the Caribbean. The Black elite have done very well for themselves and should not be faulted for reaping the rewards of their just labour. Perhaps more blame worthy are those among the Black elite who have used their positions of privilege to surreptitiously misappropriate (steal) everything of value they could lay their greedy hands on.
Clearly, much more needs to be done to complete the task of decolonizing our Black physical space and evolving toward truly independent nationhood. The maldistribution of wealth, with some ethnic groups owning a disproportionate percentage of the total wealth in Africa and the Caribbean, continues to be one of the greatest obstacles on the path to the development of more fair and equal societies.
It cannot be argued that the battle to decolonize our physical spaces has not been aggressively waged by our political leaders. There is, however, plenty of evidence to prove that the decolonization of our mental spaces is still in its infancy and is almost totally nonexistent among many on the African continent and in the Black Diaspora.
The continuing colonization of the Black mind becomes readily evident in the modern context when people of African ancestry become some of the loudest advocates for antiquated and outmoded concepts and ideas long rejected by their original Caucasian promoters. Notwithstanding the fact that Caucasians are openly calling into question the very foundations of the spiritual traditions that they bequeathed to our African ancestors, Black people have become some of the staunchest and most stubborn supporters of the same European spiritual traditions.
In Europe, ecclesiastical real estate is being sold and repurposed for more secular exploits. There has been a mass exodus out of the church in Europe leading many religious scholars to advance the notion that Europe has entered a post-Christian era. Even though religion continues to be very vibrant in the US, it is also equally true that people who do not identify as members of any religious group are, in fact, the fastest growing group in the US. In a strange twist of fate, atheism is also a big thing among Jews.
How very ironic it is, therefore, that as many Europeans, Americans, and Jews jettison their ancestral religious heritage, people of African ancestry have picked up the slack and have become some of the most strident and die-hard defenders of these traditions. Even among Caucasians and Jews who still cling to their religion, many have seen the wisdom of adopting a more liberal approach to their faith.Â
Cherry picking has become a new sacrament in modern-day religious practice as even some of the most conservative of Christians turn a blind eye to many of the Dark Age injunctions found in the Jewish and Christian scriptures. Few Jews and Christians today would support capital punishment for adulterers, fornication, witchcraft, sabbath breakers, or blasphemy. Most Christians and Jews condemn fellow religionists of the Muslim persuasion for killing people today because of these religiously defined moral breaches.
It is indeed quite alarming and ominous when African and Caribbean politicians boldly declare before the entire world that they are willing to make their last stand on some of the most bigoted and intolerant ideological hills of our times. No politician in the Caribbean or in Africa has the right to impose his or her peculiar moral worldview on the rest of the nation over which they preside.
To the best of my knowledge, there are no Christian theocracies in Africa or in the Caribbean. The Mosaic law with its harsh penalties for all kinds of moral failures is not the law of the land in any African or Caribbean nation with a Christian super majority. Condemnations and penalties drawn for the Mosaic law are therefore out of place in any nation that claims to be a plural democracy.Â
The fire rage being demonstrated by Black religious zealots in Africa and the Caribbean is just another reminder of the effectiveness of the process that produced the colonization of the Black mind. The fact that Black Christians (people and politicians alike) continue to be the most vocal advocates for some of the most backward, bigoted, and intolerant aspects of the Judeo-Christian faith is coercive evidence that Black people have a long journey ahead of them on the road to the decolonization of the Black mind.Â
Lenrod Nzulu Baraka is the founder of Afro-Caribbean Spiritual Teaching Center and the author of The Rebirth of Black Civilization: Making Africa and the Caribbean Great Again.
