Neo-Colonialism Is REAL AF!

Josephine Awino
Sep 3, 2018 · 4 min read

Commonwealth Countries? The Commonwealth of Nations, formerly the British Commonwealth, also known as simply the Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of 53 member states that are mostly former territories of the British Empire. Yes these are countries previously colonized by the well known “GREAT BRITAIN” And why do they still exist? Are they Still Colonies? I don’t know that my friend but what I do know is that we’re still being colonized by the same people who did so 100 years ago? Crazy right? Can’t they just let go?

There they are. All 53 countries. Yet they still claim we’re free? Free from what?

The Kenyan national language for the longest time was English. The language of instruction in schools is English which seemed logical as English is the 3rdd most spoken language in the world and vital for communication purposes. However when students are forced to speak in English for eight hours a day EVERY WEEKDAY, and are punished when they fail to do so it sort of becomes forced upon them. In my primary school, my head-teacher implemented a system where disks were given to students when they spoke in swahili or their native language and whoever held the disk would be beaten at the end of the day. I mean SERIOUSLY? And then we are soooo PROUD when our children can speak English so fluently and not be able to construct even a proper sentence in their native tongue. What is English doing to us such that it is glorified even by our grandparents? Don’t you realize that English is colonizing us in this very time where we believe that we’re free from colonization? Now get me right, I am not against one knowing to communicate in English, I am against a system where English is forced onto a person as the only language of communication from a young age such that one fails to learn their native tongue. It is so UNFORTUNATE that parents prefer to speak English at home with their children in order to seem SOPHISTICATED. But why? Thousands of Children are now unable to speak their native tongue making them unable to relate to their ethnicities which brings about loss of culture. But we don’t realize this?

English is a language originating from Britain where it was only spoken by 400,000 people but now over a billion people speak English, which is great but it shouldn’t have to be a first language but rather 2nd or third allowing people to engage with their native identities by choice.

Let’s learn not to embrace foreign identities at the expense of losing our own.


Kenya is one of the countries with English as its Official language

Apart from language there are many other ways in which the Western World still manage to control and colonize African countries who seem too blind to notice it. This is in terms of governance, political systems, dressing and even food. Before colonization many African communities had their own ways of leadership which seemed to function very well, however now with democracy introduced many African states seem to be lacking peace. This is to do with Africa always trying to copy the West with everything such that Western systems are driving crazy. Democracy hasn’t really worked greatly with Kenya due to level of corruption within the country with makes it hard to govern the people well.

There are certain things so INSANE, that i find troubling. Kenyan judges still insist on wearing white/blond wigs and red robes introduced by the british. I mean even the British Judges dont wear them anymore. This is now more than 50 years after the actual colonization happened and its just DEVASTATING!

At this moment in time, everything that AUTHENTICALLY AFRICAN/KENYAN is dying away due to NEO-COLONIALISM before our very own eyes. We need to stop glorifying Western systems and build on our own. Lets learn to depend on ourselves rather than enter a system thats clearly not meant for us.

For those of us who don’t know, Neocolonialism, is the practice of using capitalism, globalization and cultural imperialism to influence a developing country in lieu of direct military control (imperialism) or indirect political control (hegemony).-(WIKIPEDIA)

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