NDERITU: None but ourselves can free minds from mental slavery
Some colonial laws, designed to subjugate Africans, still lurk in some African statutes. The thoroughness of the colonial enterprise’s educational systems forms part of the reason post-independence governments are not getting rid of colonial laws. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
There was uproar across many European capitals this past month at the announcement that the European Commission vice-president in charge of migration and skilled labour was now to be in charge of protecting the “European way of life.”
A friend joked that African politicians might soon dash off to Europe to benchmark the “European way of life.” This prompted me to research the arguments made by those against the idea. They argue that the existing “European way of life” doesn’t need protection as it actually means the freedom for individuals to choose their own way of life; Europeans do not need protection from external cultures; protecting the “European way of life” is a title co-opting the language of the political right, as there is no homogenous culture shared by Europeans and even if there was, it is not under threat and does not need protection and that really, what was seen as a threat to the “European way of life” — seeing as the office holder has been in charge of migration and skilled labour is — you guessed it, migrants.
