Afropolitanism as National Identity: Unraveling the “Pre” and “Post” Dynamics in Decolonization

• In Event: Diasporic Subjectivities: Objects, Art, and Narrative

Abstract

This paper examines the endeavors by African diasporans in constructing Afropolitanism to re-articulate their national identities in the postcolonial context. Focusing on October 1, Gidi Up and An African City, three popular culture products made in Nollywood, this article develops a gendered and sexual perspective to unpack the discourse of Afropolitanism as a “decolonizing” project. As the analysis indicates, an imaginary “precolonial” heaven and a Westernized modern age are developed and integrated into a pan-African identity to signify new Nigerianness and Ghanaianness. In this regard, decolonization is not a linear trajectory, but replete with tensions, ambiguities, and complexities.

Presenter

• Tiwaladeoluwa Adekunle, University of Kentucky