A few years ago, if you mentioned anything related to race or colonialism amongst your colleagues, you would be looked down upon, isolated from discussions and opportunities.
White practitioners in the field of development were utterly detached from the reality of racism, structural inequality and neo-colonialism to the point that a few other women of color and I who had set up a BME network as a safe space were accused of being racist for not including them.
Just like that overnight, what seemed like one of the most radical discourses that once guided social movements across the world and inspired us to think of alternative ways of living was now becoming a buzzword co-opted by institutions and individuals.
The same people that once never even fathom how colonialism and imperialism might have and continue to impact the system are now using the terminology 'anti-racism and decolonisation' without actually doing the work of educating themselves, unlearning and giving recognition to those who had come before them.
Across Africa and Asia, revolutionary leaders and activists spend years underground, mobilising and strategising to disrupt, challenge the status quo and ultimately risking their lives to create new societies for the next generations to come.
Now in zoom meetings, you will hear the word decolonisation without any mention of what it aims to do and the historical origin. This is because we have moved away from its source of radical intents.
I'm starting to think that this is another calculated tactic of the institutions trying to distract us in disrupting the system and calling into the question continuity of imperialism, colonialism within the contemporary world.
In the aftermath of the black lives matter movement that ignited the discussions around race and power, many of us felt disillusioned, confused because all of a sudden we were forced to talk about something that we once only discussed amongst ourselves and safeguarded
The sudden upsurge of people talking about decolonisation while remaining at the surface seems like another white saviour complex and hijacking.
The process of decolonisation is meant to be uncomfortable and uneasy. However, its emergence in the everyday debate has stripped it from the origin of radicalisation.
The discourse has become one that requires little education or references to the past anti-colonial thinkers and scholars. As a result, we fail to understand what decolonisation entails and thus, we become content by simple practices like 'diversity'
Decolonisation has become hijacked that even advocates have become gatekeepers perpetuating hierarchy structures.
As ironic as it sounds, the discourse of decolonisation is now becoming colonised. We are centering around Eurocentric voices, knowledge and pandering to white audiences, which is why we need to take a step back and re-evaluate urgently.
I'm not interested in decolonising systems that were not designed for us in the first place.
Decolonising institutions which continues to reap from the benefits of their colonial legacy and the under-development of the 'global south' are somewhat of a delusional mind game.
Decolonisation is meant to be disruptive, to question the past, present forms of coloniality, unequal power structures and most importantly, to envision and cultivate a new world, institutions and knowledge production led by the grassroots realities and experiences of black and brown folks.
So next time we are talking about decolonisation, let it be radical and please don't speak for and over us.
@SagalAbas