Adewale Ajadi outlines the Afrilition concept in a column — Premium Times Nigeria
In Nigeria, lawyer, creative consultant and leadership expert Adewale Ajadi outlined the ideas of his new book, «Afrilition: 21st Century African Manifesto», in a column for Premium Times Nigeria. He defines Afrilition as a conscious and purposeful awakening to purpose, based on the value of African peoples and responsibility to future generations.
Mental models and the colonial experience
According to Ajadi, the foundation of any system is a mental model. The author believes that the African world still faces approaches under which African life and its components are regarded as secondary unless they follow Western benchmarks.
As an example, he cited his own experience of a land dispute in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. According to the author, the lawyer for the other side advised him to “go back to the jungles of Africa,” where he had allegedly not learned civilized manners. Ajadi writes that the reaction of a relative on his late mother-in-law’s side, who urged him to ignore those words, reminded him of the unwillingness of part of the family to identify with Africa.
He also mentions the word Ireke, which Yoruba people used to call his mother-in-law. The word means “sugar cane.” In Ajadi’s view, for people whose ancestors worked in sugar cane fields, such a name is humiliating and may trigger intergenerational trauma.
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Responsibility to the next generations
Ajadi links the consequences of colonial exploitation to psychological attitudes that, in his view, are reproduced in international institutions. He criticizes the UN system, particularly Africa’s place on the Security Council, as well as approaches to defining global standards of development, democracy and infrastructure.
In his concept, the author uses the notions of Isiju and Olaju. He explains the former as a deep awakening of consciousness that makes it possible to comprehend the unconscious, and the latter as critical thinking and an understanding of the necessary actions. According to Ajadi, material achievements — including wealth, cars, certificates or visas — have value only when they help build systems to support and develop African communities.
An online presentation of the book «Afrilition: 21st Century African Manifesto» is scheduled for September 30. Ajadi is also the author of «Omoluwabi 2.0: A Code of Transformation in 21st Century Nigeria».
