African Philosophy, Afropolitanism, and Africa

Abstract

With “Bye-Bye Babar” in 2005 and “Afropolitanism” in 2006, both Taiye Selasi and Achille Mbembe respectively herald a new way of conceptualizing “Africa.” Afropolitanism proposes a new way of viewing Africa’s being in the world, mediated by globalization and cosmopolitanism. This new model of being not only complicates “Africa,” but also undermines the ideology underlining pan-Africanism. Most importantly, Afropolitanism provokes a critical doubt concerning pan-Africanism’s emancipatory value for Africa. In this chapter, Afolayan argues that Afropolitanism deserves better critical reception beyond trenchant criticisms of its consumerist predilection. Afolayan therefore raises a question that ought to facilitate African philosophers’ engagement with Afropolitanism: Since Afropolitanism poses a deep challenge to African philosophy’s belief in the emancipation of Africa, what critical intervention can give Afropolitanism emancipatory value?