Abstract

This paper argues that post-colonial theory in its classical usage is limited. However, when its premises are employed as a point of understanding, they can be very useful for comprehending the situation of contemporary developments in Africa. From this light, it contends that, after the fiftieth anniversary of Africa’s independence, the continent’s development could not really take off the ground because its anti-colonial strategy was prone to various susceptibilities. These included dependency on a new global order, a re-visitation of colonialism from the past, the dictatorship of ruling elites, the question of definition of development, misrepresentation, and the influence of power. It argues, nevertheless, that the continent is generating its own public narratives that are redefining the content of its development.

Key words: Centre-periphery, post-colonial theory, decolonization, dependency, under-development, African creative art, social writings and films.