Olúf mi O Táíwò

Philosopher

The word “decolonisation” is very of the moment.

It means purging former colonies of all vestiges of cultural imperialism, and has been applied to institutions in the west like museums and whole areas of study like philosophy. But in his bristling new takedown, Against Decolonisation, Táíwò, a Nigerian professor of African thought at Cornell, argues that it is not possible to create a “pure” African philosophy or artistic tradition, given how entwined both are with western ideas. After rightfully rejecting political imperialism, he says, Africa should embrace the benefits of modernity—including democracy, a free market and the rule of law—which Táíwò considers universal values rather than parochial impositions from the west.