Tempering Irele's "In Praise of Alienation".

In response to Africa's tragic predicament, Abiola Irele advocates the emulation of Western science and technology, employing Hegelian alienation as a means of African development. However, this approach tends to overlook the significant difference between Hegelian primal Spirit and the condition of Africa. This article contends that while Irele claims it to be a pragmatic alternative to African development, it inadvertently risks reinforcing Eurocentrism and undermines efforts towards African cultural revitalisation and emancipation. Whatever its pragmatic purpose may be, Africa's self-alienation is methodologically, epistemologically and historically a failure in African context. For this reason, the article suggests a hybrid approach that acknowledges Africa's unique context. Specifically, it posits that Africa's progress needs not self-alienation but liberation from it. This act of liberation should involve decolonization-cum-selective appropriation, emphasizing the cultivation of indigenous cultural and scientific practices alongside creative adaptation of Western science and technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]