Afrotopia

In the recent aftermath of colonialism, civil wars and the AIDS crisis, a new day finally seems to be shining on the African continent. Africa has once again become a site of creative potential and a vibrant centre of economic growth and production. No longer stigmatized by stereotypes or encumbered by the traumas of the past, yet unsure of the future, Africa has other options than simply to follow paths already carved out by the global economy. Through a reflection on contemporary African writers, artists, intellectuals, and musicians, philosopher Felwine Sarr elaborates on Africa’s unique philosophies and notions of communal value and economy deeply rooted in its ancient traditions and landscape: concepts such as ubuntu, the life force in Dogon culture; the Rwandan imihigo; and the Senegalese teranga. Sarr takes the reader on a philosophical journey that is as much inward as outward, demanding an elevation of the collective consciousness.