Cornel Ronald West

Employing qualitative Descriptive Case Study Methodology (which addresses the “why?” question), this paper analyzes Cornel West’s conceptualization of Africa and the lessons that can be learned from it to help build a new Africa. In a soaring but often poetic voice, West challenges Blacks and all oppressed people to resist the policies of economic imperialism and exploitation, to fight against forces of greed and the negative impact of commodification, and to stand for social justice just like our forbearers before us. He contends that in this age of venality when everything and everybody is for sale, Black people need to have a Sankofa sensibility drawn from the Akan in Ghana that celebrates the quest for wisdom. He further cautions that the lessons and knowledge of the past should never be forgotten and that we should always look back at what came before in order to produce better outcomes for equality and justice. The central focus of West’s critical thought or mission is the pursuit of social justice. This is articulated through his doctrine of prophetic pragmatism. In his public engagement, West vigorously advocates for the dispossessed, exploited, and demoralized individuals in capitalist societies. The burning maladies West wishes to address in the Black communities include the sense of hopelessness, chronic unemployment, disease, and premature or untimely deaths. West believes that these ills suffered by Black communities are the direct result of human actions executed through the institutions of power and control in society. The actions that produce these ills are fomented by covetous individualism. According to West, it is these actions that give rise to social injustice.