Thamsanqa Moyo

The Modernization Theory and the African Predicament: a Critique of Ngugi's Selected Works Thamsanqa Moyo

The work explores the tendency of Africans to try and imitate the history of Euro-America as a universal history that should be imitated by all societies regardless of context. It interrogates how Ngugi wa Thiong'o collapses the myth that Europe is the path-finder and African societies should replicate their historical path. the movement into modernity is uneven and the very definition of modernity is a site of contest. Africans have always been moving into their own brand of modernity defined by their peculiar social, economic, political and historical circumstances. this movement into modernity was necessitated by the dynamic nature of their culture, a culture that was not static, but in a constant state of flux in response to the changing environment. Ngugi, thus observesthat no people can develop if they lack confidence in themselves and their culture.