African Freedom

The ideal of meaningful freedom in Africa today evolved from a complex history. Although the concept of 'freedom' emerged as an ideal during the process of decolonization, Phyllis Taoua argues that national liberation did not deliver meaningful freedom to the majority of people on the African continent. With a pan-African, interdisciplinary approach, the significant issues in the struggle to achieve meaningful freedom are synthesized into a clear narrative as the evolution of this conversation is traced among writers, filmmakers and activists since the 1960s. Types of freedom are defined and shown to be mutually interdependent, while Taoua also investigates a range of key areas, such as gender identity, the nation, global capital, and the spiritual and religious realm. Allowing us to hear from the African people themselves, this compelling study makes sense of the ongoing struggle for meaningful freedom and the importance of such a concept in contemporary African culture.