Towards a Regenerated African Cultural Development: a Post-colonial examination of Mphahlele’s Chirundu

Abstract

Africa has been under cultural colonialism and neo-colonialism for centuries to date. Her self-worth has been eroded by the imperialists’ choreographed fabrications that she is a dark continent, backward and uncultured. These colonial and neo-colonial false notions have, unfortunately, encroached into the post-independence era. This article strives to deconstruct thesecultural stereotypes in order to constructa new reimagined African orderby exploringMoyoas an epitome of cultural regeneration inEs’kiaMphahlele’sChirundu (1979). He (Moyo) is delineated as a cultural catalyst in the post-independence Africa. This article is grounded on thePost-colonial emancipatory theory. Qualitative approach, which is buttressedby exploratory research design,was employed to guide the study, with purposive sampling used to select Chirundu from other novels by Mphahlele. The novel, which also serves as primary data, was textually analysed.In the novel, Mphahlele, through Moyo’s character representation, purports that active citizenship should be advanced as an instrument of attaining total African cultural emancipation and developmen