Afrilition and mental models, By Adéwálè Àjàdí

The foundational block of any system is the mental model, and it is the profound challenge of the African world. Deeply ingrained in the ongoing struggle for an Africa that is nurturing of itself, present and future, is a mental model that puts African life and its various elements as an afterthought, an irrelevant byproduct, except when it mimics Western life or orientation. Afrilition is not for every African and it cannot be engaged with this mindset that does not embrace or understand the pricelessness of the African, whatever identity he or she chooses. Years ago I had a fraught land transaction in my late mother-in-law’s country, St Vincent and the Grenadines. On reflection, there were faults all over, and in the course of the dispute, a lawyer from the other side wrote to me to go back to the jungles of Africa, where I had not learnt civilised manners. My uncle-in-law, who was my vendor, could not see the hurt and offence of the comment per se and asked me to ignore it. The response reminded me how members of the family never saw themselves as Africans and, in fact, saw it as insulting to be called that. It took a while to remember how my own Yoruba people called my Mother-in-law, Ireke, meaning sugarcane; of course, for people whose ancestors worked the sugarcane fields, it is the most hurtful or debased description that evokes intergenerational trauma. To this day, these words are used recklessly and with little consequence or shame. Across our world, the divisions and traumas of colonial exploitation are woven into both our conscious and unconscious in ways that reduce and subjugate us in preparation for the inevitable exploitation and extraction.

This psychological conditioning is the atoms on which the institutional hegemony resides across the world, culminating in a United Nations that builds African victimhood into its invisibility in the most crucial instrument of its operation, the Security Council. This is replicated in all multilateral institutions, their culture and practices. The absurdity of these constructs is built into the metrics of what is considered global standards, from ideas of democracy as the only system of political accountability to the kind of infrastructural assumptions that are accepted as developed compared to developing nations. All of these, which are the framework of the world system requires Africa to intentionally transform how it pursues its purpose and the centrality of our people towards that change.

Afrilition is a conscious and intentional awakening to purpose both in spirit and habit. In Omoluwabi 2.0 (one of my earlier books), the framework of transformation starts with what was initially expressed as Isiju. Isiju is a deep and mystical awakening into consciousness to make the unconscious now a conscious and reflective practice. To see the mysticism of life and understand its deeply rooted dynamics. It is never a total unfurling of its dynamics or vibration, but it is the discernment of the critical and cognisance of the relevant. The Bible, in one of its most revelatory passages, in John 15: 13, states, “ For the greatest love of all is a love that sacrifices all. And this great love is demonstrated when a person sacrifices his life for his friends.” The Aramaic word for friends is family or relatives. So when Afrilition asks What kind of ancestors are you? It asks for no less for the incoming generation. This mindset is not for everyone, but for those who understand what this work means, and the habit of the mind is Olaju, which in this context is critical thinking and understanding of what needs to be done to guide the desires of the unconscious into the daily purposeful practice in service of the desired future. This means a disciplined submission to consciously and unconsciously sublimating the mind and purpose towards serving future generations, not the satisfactions of daily desire.

The mental model of Afrilition is the kind of metacognition necessary to take responsibility for the flaws and gaps that must be fixed so that subsequent generations will be in a position to build systems that elevate and nurture African lives. It is the understanding that branded jets, cars, and certification are useless and egocentric if they do not give a platform for this systemic improvement. Just like amassed profit and bank balances have not lasted forever, they also will fizzle into oblivion and be rendered inconsequential in generational need. The collection of visas and the suburban mansions will become ruins, as those of the Egyptian, Roman, Greek, and all other powers. No system or structure stands  valuable, forever.  What withstands time is the people  their resilience and adaptation. Afrilition is the recognition that Africa has a unique opportunity to use the pain, injustices, and denigration of recent centuries purposefully to offer the world a more humane existence by bringing this mindset to fruition for itself. Afrilition is an abundant Africa, comfortable in itself, using both Isiju and Olaju to build discerning communities of human value with generosity woven in love for all. If you have time, join the book’s online launch on 30th September by completing a form through adewaleajadi.com/register. Otherwise, visit https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/boo/897151 for more insight into Afrilition.

Adéwálé Àjàdí, a lawyer, creative consultant and leadership expert, is author of the newly released Afrilition: 21st Century African Manifesto, and Omoluwabi 2.0: A Code of Transformation in 21st Century Nigeria.