Suppressing humanity takes place in several ways, yet often first by colonizing the mind and spirit. Colonizing the mind is intended to cloud and control the human spirit with fear and sense of worthlessness that conditions behavior to conform to the status quo. This conformity reduces the opportunity for introducing diversity that strengthens society. Instead, homogenous societies emerge where oppressed peoples don’t see themselves as makers of their own culture and history. Perhaps Bantu Steve Biko articulated this insight in the way which can be best understood, that ‘the most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.’
Without a shadow of doubt, the policy of suppression needs to be viewed at a psychological level, because whatever else it does economically or politically, it creates confusion in the mind and weakens the resolve. At heart, it is designed to assert control and influence over the human mind. The role of psychological warfare – mind control - is designed for these purposes, and in many aspects they are the determining factor. The breakdown of communication and trustworthy relationships enable the effective implementation of psychological warfare through rumors and confusion, which finally results in societal divisions. This policy has been most affective in situations of protracted conflict.
Any transformative initiative must necessarily involve an intentional systematic process of decolonizing the mind that is aimed at freeing the human mind from the hegemonic conditions while instilling new values. Without such a liberative process, the oppressed will only continue along the path laid by the oppressor. This continuation would only feed into a cycle whereby the victims would then become oppressors. Such a tragic event would negate the principles of freedom.
Transformation requires renewing a people’s culture which is the carrier of a society’s values that form the basis of a people’s self-definition. Culture implies the dynamic process of cultivating new life. Consequently, there is a critical need to identify and reconstitute the cultural base and values which was fragmented by oppression. It means identifying what is and what is not, and acting upon it. Ngugi Wa Thiong'o beautifully describes this while responding to Western accusations of the prevalent culture of corruption in Africa.
He says, “They wash their hands of what is happening, as if they have never had anything to do with the corruption, with massacres, with backwardness. My concern is with these colonial distortions. There are elements which are indigenous, but they are also external. You can't understand one without the other. The tendency is to leave out one of the elements in the equation. But an equation without all its elements is no longer an equation.” Ngugi further emphasizes on the need to challenge and transform the system because of the terrible moral decay. He adds, “An individual can go, but the system continues.”
To bring change, we need a new song, but to sing a new song, the mind must be free and no longer caged. If not, we will only be singing the songs written and taught to us by others. Yes, while writing the new song, we may incorporate ideas, thoughts and practices introduced by others, but it is essential that we make the song ours, one that corresponds to the values and realities of our lives and aspirations. So, to bring forth genuine transformation in our lives and in our land, we must engage in a process of decolonizing our minds. Yes. Free your Mind!
