Reclaiming African History

Jacques Depelchin

Depelchin’s thought-provoking essays show that through African histories it is possible to reconnect to all the histories of those who have been disconnected: shackdwellers, the poor, the dispossessed. His analysis of African history demonstrates how peoples have been forced into looking at their own histories through a shattered mirror, deliberately and forcefully crushed so as to render the exercise impossible.

But, Depelchin says, history could be written in a way that would help break the mould and free it from being hostage, consciously and unconsciously, to European and US historical intellectual frameworks.

Reclaiming African history enables a reconnection to humanity – not just for the sake of Africa, but for the sake of those who did everything to bury African history.
 

Contents

• Introduction
1. Taking African history seriously as a pre-condition to healing humanity
2. In solidarity with Cité Soleil/Site Soley in Haiti
3. The routes and possibilities of a South–South subversive globalisation: Africa and
Brazil
4. Erosion of freedom: from Haiti to South Africa
5. Fear of emancipatory history in the DRC: from Kimpa Vita to Lumumba, to the women of Panzi
6. Hungry for a voice: the food crisis, the market, and socio- economic inequality (co-authored by Diamantino Nhamposa)
7. From Africa to Haiti to Gaza – fidelity to humanity
8. Born out of genocide; born to live off genocide
• Afterword
• Index

About the Author

Dr. Jacques Depelchin is a committed intellectual, academic, and activist for peace, democracy, transparency and pro-people politics in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was born in the Congo and educated at Lovanium University (Kinshasa) in the DRC, the University of London, Johns Hopkins University in Italy, and Stanford. He has taught African history and related subjects at universities in DR Congo, Mozambique, Tanzania and the US.