Afropolitanism and the search for identity in Africa

Abstract

The search for identity is at the core of African political philosophy. This has moved from its essentialist enclave to recent calls for cosmopolitanism or Afropolitanism in the African context. This article takes a critical look at Afropolitanism. While it accepts that Afropolitanism is important because of the nature of modern society, it queries Afropolitanism in the context of the peculiar nature of African nations that are still mere geographical territories in search of national identities. Hence, it argues that Afropolitanism alone will not be enough as a basis to construct African identity, rather it may worsen bourgeoning African identity crises.