ABSTRACT
Colonialism in Fanon’s perception is violent in nature.
Colonialism is violence in the sense that it took a violent process to invade
and subdue Africa. It destroyed as Fanon observed, African socio-political,
psychological, cultural and economic structures. Injustice which is also a
dominant feature of colonialism is seen in the exploitative relationship that
existed between the native and the settler as well as in the alienation of the
native by the settler. In simple term, colonization was a violent process that
destroyed old ways of life and robbed Africans of their means to live with
dignity. Fanon, therefore, advocated through socialist revolution using violent
armed means to fight the colonial power. He further stated that out of this
violence a new, humane man would arise and create a new culture. The question
now is, in the wake of this twenty-first century can violence be gladly upheld
in actualizing a course? Will it be relevant even as we still experience
neocolonialism? In our Africa of today, is it advisable to adopt violence in
settling disputes even as we march towards development? Can dialogue be an
alternative to violence in the face of disputes? These questions constitute a
problem and this thesis seeks to make a critical appraisal of Fanon’s
conception of colonialism, violence and emancipation. For this work violence
serves only direct and short-term purposes while dialogue affords durable and
long-term results. Finally, this research work made use of critical and
analytical method.
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
The phenomenon of violence which occurs in our society
almost on daily basis together with the works of some scholars on colonialism
and emancipation was what provoked this research work. My interest to embark on
this work was also captured by the colonization of Africa and Africa’s struggle
for emancipation which was approached from different dimensions by some African
scholars. Some of these African scholars fought for their independence through
dialogue while others got theirs through either intellectual protest or
physical violence. Frantz Fanon among other African scholars advocated violence
for the emancipation of Algeria, hence he advocated same approach to Africa as
a whole. But why would Fanon opt for violence?
The above question can well be answered if we reflect on how
Africans were treated during the era of colonization. The abolition of slave
trade in the nineteenth century ushered in another form of enslavement of the
Africans called colonialism. This was made possible by the 1885 Berlin
Conference that brought about the sharing and partitioning of Africa among some
European countries like England, France, Belgium, Portugal, and Germany. The
decision and action of these European
countries “…were taken without any reference to the wishes and aspirations of the people about whom they
took their decision.”1 Africans resisted but the imperialists were
able to subdue them. Africa, however, became the colony of these Western
States. The Africans were considered by the Westerners as having no soul or put
in other words, living tool. They were oppressed, suppressed, marginalized,
molested, discriminated against, treated as savages, and lastly as inanimate
objects. The Africans lost their right, dignity and freedom.
Freedom as a phenomenon is paramount in every person’s life.
When it is denied any person or group of people, there is the tendency that
they would fight back to regain their freedom. To regain this freedom might
take a violent process. Far from regaining freedom through violence, it could
also be argued that violence is a phenomenon which appears to occur in the
society almost on daily basis. John Odey captures it thus, “…every human
society has within its structure some roots of violence which often tend to
polarize the people into two main groups: the oppressors and the oppressed.”2
Violence is a phenomenon which naturally occurs in the lives of some human
beings. It can come through psychological or physical means. As psychological
violence, violence may take the form of discrimination on grounds of race,
colour, religion and sex. As physical violence, it may take the form of
brutality, aggression, cruelty and fighting. Adebola Ekanola
opines, “A constant feature of society is violence in its various
manifestations. People appear to be too quick in resorting to violence as a
means of achieving desired ends without exhausting all non-violent alternatives.”3 Naturally, every human being
would want to fight back when he or she is stroke at or when his or her right
is infringed upon. To this end some see
it “…as not only inevitable but necessary in society,”4 and it is
there argument also that, “…social progress cannot be recorded without
violence.”5
In the entire globe with particular reference to Africa and
the Middle East, uprisings and violent revolutions are on the increase. In
Africa, violence is experienced in countries like Nigeria, Liberia, Rwanda, Kenya,
Somali and Sudan. Violence often times arises as a result of ethnic hatred and
its attendant physical clashes, violent revolution for emancipation and
political assassinations. How justified then is violence? Must all fight or
conflict be settled with violence? Are some people more violent than others?
Can nonviolence ever be used to achieve a course? If Gandhi and Martin Luther
King Jnr. used nonviolence to achieve their goal, where lies the justification
of violence? If violence can sometimes be used to achieve a course, is it not
wise to adopt it? In our world and Africa of today is it wise to adopt violence
to settle disputes? How many individuals of today will be willing to pursue a
course through the violent means? Can
dialogue be used in settling of conflict and disputes? If it can, how far can
it go?
Dialogue did not interest Fanon neither did nonviolence
tickle his fancy. He instead opted for physical violence and his main thesis
was the struggle against oppression, and colonialism was the target of this
fury. Fanon’s interest was captured by the ugly experience he had in Algeria.
His philosophy of violence began with his experience of treating wounded Front
Liberation Nationale (FLN) rebels which he joined and later became their
journalist. His experience in the army also resulted to his positing violence
as the solution to colonialism. In the army, he experienced discrimination of
the highest order. There, white French troops were separated from Black West
Indians, who were supposed to be French citizens. Black African soldiers were
also segregated from French troops as were Arab Africans, whom the French
reviled and treated in their own soil like pariahs. Fanon’s experience in the
army came at the time that the French confronted German fascism. He fought the
war as an adolescent with all these experiences fresh in his mind. The
segregation impact indirectly shaped his understanding of violence. He called
this racism, “…the psychiatric disorder of
colonialism.”6
All these experiences made Fanon to posit greater violence
as a measure to counter violence which is colonialism. He stated it clearly
that, “Colonialism is not a thinking machine, nor a
body endowed with reasoning faculties. It is violence in its natural state, and
it will only yield when confronted with greater
violence.”7 He therefore, called on all Africans
to indulge in decolonization through the violent process since violence and
cruelty are the major features of colonialism. Succinctly put, Fanon believes
that the true liberation of Africa from the colonial domination must be through
violence. The question to ask is; In the present Africa, can the use of
physical violence be used to emancipate ourselves even as we still experience
neocolonialism? Can our arms match the sophisticated arms of our so called
neo-colonizers? How best can we emancipate ourselves in isolation of violence?
This thesis seeks to find the best alternative to violence in the face of
conflicts and disputes.
1.2 STATEMENT
OF PROBLEM
Fundamentally speaking, every human being cherishes his or
her freedom and right. When the freedom and right of an individual is infringed
upon, it becomes a problem because such an individual will fight to regain his
freedom and right. The question now is how does one regain one’s freedom?
Through what means can one achieve one’s freedom? Though it is said that man is
a free animal, it does not entail that man’s freedom is limitless. The limit of
one’s freedom lies at the commencement of another’s. Hence, it is often said
that “one’s freedom stops where another person’s
freedom begins.” It is therefore, inhuman for man to enslave or colonize
another. Colonization has in its nature the features of depriving the colonized
their right and freedom. It goes with suppression, domination, subjugation,
exploitation and discrimination. The colonized that resisted the colonizers
were brutally dealt with or silenced. Those who could not put up resistance
died in silence.
The brutal way of suppressing the colonized takes the form
of force, hence, violence. The attitude of the colonizers towards the Africans
made Fanon to posit violence as the solution for decolonization. Is violence
justified then? Some authors or scholars would argue that injustice, denial of
another’s freedom and oppression are the chief causes of violence. They argue
that the man who suffers from injustice often tends to reply with violence and
this is the position of Fanon. Since injustice breeds violence, can there not
be other ways to settle disputes or conflicts without the use of violence? Must
it necessarily be with the use of greater violence? This research work sets out
to tackle the problems posed above.
1.3 PURPOSE
OF STUDY
What the Africans suffered in the hands of the Colonialists
were savagery and dehumanization. The freedom of the Africans was trampled upon
and their right snatched away from them. It is
an indisputable fact that man is by nature a free being.
Mondin captures it,
Man, beyond intelligence, is
also highly free. Freedom is therefore, another title for his excellence and
nobility and represents another great window for looking into the mystery of
man, with a goal to acquiring a more correct, more complete, more adequate
comprehension of him.8
Stressing
further, J.Omoregbe opines, “man is by nature free; freedom is part of his very nature as a rational being.”9 This
rationality in man makes him to understand
as well as to see justice in the fact that his freedom is limited and that his freedom
stops where another
person’s freedom begins.
Now when somebody’s freedom is deprived of him, naturally he would
want to regain his freedom. The process to regain this freedom might lead to
violence. This presents injustice as breeding violence. With the
colonization of Africa and the Europeans relationship with Africa which is exploitative,
oppressive and discriminatory, Fanon advocated for violence to be countered
with greater violence.
He states, “Their existence together, that is to say, the exploitation of the
natives by the settlers, was carried on by dint of great array of bayonets and cannon.”10 This made Fanon to see colonialism as
“violence in its natural state.”11
Outside Fanon’s notion of colonialism and his philosophy of violence to counter colonialism, it is also pertinent to observe that
across the globe, different individuals,
groups, religions or
countries lust for
violence at the
least provocation. Some do not even
wait to be provoked before embarking on violence. Some yearn for it and derive
pleasure displaying it.
Thus, from a philosophical point of view, this work seeks to
analyze as well as appraise the concept of violence as advocated by Fanon with
the purpose of arriving at the conclusion that violence is not the solution to
every crisis, conflict or provocation rather that nonviolence or dialogue could
be used for the actualization of freedom or emancipation.
1.4 SCOPE
OF STUDY
This thesis is a philosophical
research on Frantz Fanon’s notion of colonialism, violence and emancipation. It
also centres on the physical, psychological and structural violence, and more
especially the physical as posited by Frantz Fanon to counter colonialism which
is violence in its nature for the emancipation of Africa. It shall as well look
into the rationality behind the use of violence in the emancipation of the
Africans from the Colonial Masters.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE
OF STUDY
The significance of this study lies in the concept or notion
of violence by Frantz Fanon. Frantz Fanon’s idea of violence did not descend
from the blues. It was as a result of the dastardly act meted out to the
natives by the settlers. The natives lost their dignity and freedom
and to emancipate themselves, they have to adopt violence as postulated by
Fanon.
Today, there are series of violent activities in some parts
of Africa and even the world at large. In some contemporary African states,
there are cases of tribal wars and conflicts, civil wars, secessionist
attempts, struggles between nations over land and natural resources like crude
oil. This study is important in our present world especially this part of the
world where uprisings and violent revolution is taking its toll. It is also
essential for social and political analysts who are interested in peace and
conflict resolutions. It is also important as it will expose, criticize and
refine Fanon’s violence by discarding its brutal nature and adopting dialogue
as a preparatory ground for re-educating Africans.
1.6 METHODOLOGY
In this thesis, our method will be to present through
critical analysis, Frantz Fanon’s conception of colonialism, violence and
emancipation in six chapters while the seventh chapter will be for critical
evaluation and conclusion.
Our data for this research work was collected from both
primary and secondary sources. In the primary sources this thesis made use of
the works entitled Wretched of the Earth, Black Skin, White Masks, and Toward
the African Revolution all by Frantz Fanon. In the secondary sources, it made
use of journals and articles both
published and unpublished, newspapers, magazines, and philosophical works of
some philosophers on Frantz Fanon’s notion of colonialism, violence and
emancipation.
This thesis is divided into seven chapters. Chapter one
attempts to give a background of the work. It also presents the background of
the study of philosophy of violence. This chapter also looks into the problem
we are set to solve, the purpose of our study, the scope of our study, the
significance of our study and lastly the method we adopted. Chapter two reviews
literature on violence, colonialism and emancipation. In this chapter also we
shall look at other philosophers and thinkers’ views on colonialism, violence
and emancipation, and see their positions with or against Frantz Fanon’s view.
Chapter three presents Fanon’s conception of colonialism. Chapter four presents
Fanon’s view of violence while chapter five looks at Fanon’s view of
emancipation. Chapter six dwells on the critical appraisal of violence as
postulated by Fanon. It also examines the merit and demerits of Fanon’s notion
of colonialism, violence and emancipation. Chapter seven presents us with the
critical evaluation and conclusion.
================================================================
Item Type: Project Material | Size: 119 pages | Chapters: 1-5
Format: MS Word | Delivery: Within 30Mins.
================================================================
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.