•Says universities should be more accommodating of creativity
Professor Toyin Falola holds the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin and has held professorial roles across several institutions worldwide. A Fellow of the Historical Society of Nigeria and the Nigerian Academy of Letters, he is also a former president of the African Studies Association. With over 200 books to his name, he has profoundly shaped the field of African studies. In this interview by SAHEED SALAWU, he reflects on scholarship, identity, humanity and the Nigerian nations.
A long list of people was honoured on June 12 for their contributions to the enthronement of democracy. If you are to suggest the real heroes of that struggle, who would they be?
Who would have been heroes of the June 12 democracy if not the people, the masses, who are continually battered by the mindless totalitarian arrogance of military dictators and politicians with their disregard for human life? I mean, by every action of those in power, there exists some innocent people somewhere bearing the brunt of their power display, aimed not at promoting and defending the integrity of the common people, but of their parochial vision. It is the people whose collective psychology has been assaulted by groups of gun-wielding brutals, who believe that the most important approach to conducting administrative activity is by violence, especially by individuals who have never managed a community, a group, or an association in their lives, except guns. The people, I think, are the victims of terror disguised as leadership, because each time you have a military dictator at the helm of affairs, especially in Nigeria, genuine peace that comes with freedom of expression is immediately displaced, even in the psychology of the people because not only can they not express themselves freely in the public, they also do not have enough confidence to act themselves even when they are alone.
Anyone who therefore survived such experiences deserves recognition, for they would have to consciously reinvest in the refinement of their minds, de-cluttering and de-congesting it from earlier problems that inundated it. Isn’t that enough stress for humans to do? The case of June 12 is especially fundamental in that their collective decision pronounced through voting is discounted by a very small group of individuals. That not only cast their capacity for sound judgment in doubt and make them suspect of quality thinking, it also makes them appear like subhumans. For this reason, they deserve recognition for resisting bully, for standing tall against predators that you call leaders.
You must have read Col. Abubakar Umar’s statement on his CFR award, his hint at the government being peopled by sycophants and his advice to President Bola Tinubu to run away from sycophantic ‘oracles’. Do you think the president deserves that kind of advice?
The right question is not whether the President deserves that kind of advice or not, the right question is, ‘should he act on such advice?’ To answer your question anyway, I must state that every administrator always attracts a group of people with different intentions, most of whom seek incentives and profits for whatever it is they bring to the table. And for this reason, they always come with ‘things’ to the table, even if it is sycophancy. This is underscored by the fact that the position of a president is guided by norms and values. Tinubu is a transactional politician, and the characters he will attract are profit-seekers. You can give them whatever name, but the underlying desire is not to uplift Nigeria but to enlarge bank accounts.
Your intellectual productivity is legendary—over 200 edited and authored books. What drives this enduring energy, and how do you see the relationship between knowledge production and social responsibility?
I cannot particularly remember the context of use, but I think it was Socrates who uttered the words that “the more I know, the more I realise that I know nothing” in a declaration of his ignorance about the vast body of knowledge that is there for humans to tap from. I cannot emphasize enough how this discovery ordinarily becomes the eye-opener for me. The more I dig into the annals of African history, the more I come to the knowledge that my knowledge is limited. This drives me to want to achieve more, and this is where I must agree with a popular opinion that knowing is a punishment to the bearer. The irony of this situation is underscored by the reality that knowledge imposes some measure of discipline on the bearer so that they are constantly seeking to adjust their tasks, improve themselves, and update what they already know to function maximally. In essence, it is the quest for more knowledge that informs people’s readjustment to emerging realities, and the goals that they are to set for themselves to triumph in that evolving environment. It is on that note that I strive to do more, and the result of maintaining that consistency is that the individual is brought to the limelight, even against their will. This is where the social responsibility is imposed because the moment you become a domestic name, you are entering into a social contract that places on you the responsibility to produce knowledge in the service of the people so that they also will be guided by the light of information and knowledge which you share. This is the position I find myself in.
Your work spans African history, politics, literature, and diaspora studies. How have you been able to weave together such expansive disciplines into a coherent intellectual project?
Globally, history, as a course of study, is one of the foundational areas of knowledge that exposes individuals to many ideas of immense value in their academic journey. History is fundamental, for every other branch of knowledge can be said to have sprouted from it. I mean, there is hardly anyone who would have succeeded in any area of study if they did not depend on the history of knowledge and the knowledge of history known to their field.
I am positioned to make a career-changing impact as I continue to explore and exploit the history of an area or different areas. I am suited for African history, and African history is suited for me. The shared sense of commitment is underscored by dual realities, of which the two of us are mere instruments. I was born in Yorubaland, Nigeria, one of the foremost black countries in the world, and experienced the invaluable contributions that the people have made, and the tremendous quality of undertakings that non-Africans may be incapable of reading meaning to. The traditional historians in Africa did not separate literature from politics, nor drew a line between history and migrant experiences. For this reason, they left a very imposing legacy. This has motivated me to make a similar impact in my academic involvements.
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You have written extensively about African epistemologies and indigenous knowledge systems. How should these inform Africa’s future development policies and global academic relevance?
We cannot emphasise enough how people’s epistemic traditions ordinarily determine the trajectory of their civilisation, only when they demonstrate consistency in drawing from them. How much more can we tell the world that many advancements recorded in any professional area today are a brainchild of certain people’s indigenous knowledge system, the one informed by their sociocultural beliefs and realities? What Africans, especially those who are at the helm of affairs, and even educated elites, do not come to terms with is that their trajectory of civilization and development may not necessarily share identical foundations with others, especially when it is realised that what informs people’s intellectual evolution and growth is sometimes different. In essence, people’s collective attitude to material things, their taste for infrastructural designs, their preference for fashion style, their desire for philosophical identity, among many others, are indeed a product of a particular indigenous knowledge system. As such, the governments of different African cultural groups need to look within; otherwise, they would continue to draw from the cultural history of others, even when the ideas they draw have no existential value in their biting realities.
Over the years, your scholarship has challenged Eurocentric historical narratives. What do you see as the most urgent task for African historians today in reclaiming African memory and agency?
African memory and agency are indisputably important in the reclamation of their position in the scheme of things, and African history is at the center of doing that. It is pertinent that historians begin to remind us of how tremendous was, and still is, the totality of what the African forebears left as their legacy for the generations after them is. There is no experience that is totally new to humanity, and it reeks of arrogance to assume, much less conclude, that solutions to existential challenges are domiciled only in Eurocentric epistemic thought systems. Whether it is an ailment of immense proportion, a pandemic of Covid-19 intimidation, an atmospheric and geographic challenges of the climate change gravity, people at some point in some places in the world have weathered the storm in some ways, and documented their interventions into the appropriate channels of information transmission: some in stones, some in symbols, some in orality, and some in scribal culture. As Africans, what is needed is a spark to nudge people into searching so that they can have access to these untapped resources of knowledge and pieces of information that would transform the lives of the current population of the people. African historians should set their sights on the most important things of which Eurocentric ideologues are trying heroically hard to distract the world from: the knowledge of their past that holds the key to their actual liberation. If others are distracted, they must remain resolute, digging through the thick walls of their history and excavating knowledge resources that are there for collective advancement.
In your reflections on postcolonial Africa, you often emphasize the importance of history as resistance. How should history be taught to empower rather than pacify the African mind?
The funny thing about history, as an instrument of resistance, is that once you produce historical knowledge, it leaves people to understand the agency of change. This is underscored by the awareness that historical information revives such a level of determination in people by reminding them of what their past has been. It does not matter whether what is in that past is good or bad; it would nevertheless energise people into taking some form of action, which would change the course of their existence. The panegyrist reminding an individual of the exploits performed by his or her forebears is not doing so to make them impulsive, but to nudge them to pause and reflect on their actions for self-evaluation and re-examination. If their personal history is bad, they are encouraged to change it; if it is good, they are encouraged to continue with it. This way, their actions become significant because they would not only resist any interventions that seek to obscure such evolutionary potential, but they would also become more conscious of who they are. Historians should therefore use their knowledge to reinvigorate the consciousness of Africans by handing down historical knowledge in narratives that ordinarily sensitise them and make them come to the reality of their place in the scheme of things in the world.
As the theme of this year’s TOFAC conference emphasizes, African cultural creativity is thriving in music, art, fashion, and literature. How do you think African academia can collaborate more effectively with these creative industries?
African academics are far from isolated in the cultural renaissance that has catapulted Africa and African cultural resources to the forefront of global relevance today. Indeed, they are the background to it. Many scholars who concentrate on African knowledge systems are the agencies through which the core values of African creative resources are dug and exposed to the world, as they sensitise the world about the untapped values in African cultures and practices, thereby encouraging individuals and groups to extract sufficient values which they can educate the world about. From movies to music, artworks to galleries, sculptures and paintings, many of these things are the product of the deliberate involvement of African intellectuals. What we should now focus on is that the government and right non-governmental agencies should provide the necessary atmosphere to foster increased interest in the excavation of these ideas for the transformation of the individual and the society at large. At the individual level, African creatives who now have the expansive platforms to reach larger audiences should also establish some linkage between them and the African intellectuals, so that they would ultimately synergize their ideas for the advancement of African sociocultural resources, while gaining increased economic growth in the process.
You have often asserted that African creativity is both historical and futuristic. How can the continent strategically convert its cultural capital into innovation-driven economies?
Although the chunk of what my generation has done is to produce profound counternarratives to the unfounded generalisations that the hegemonic West has produced against Africans, many of us have not explored the futuristic aspects of our indigenous knowledge paradigms as pillars of our intellectual engagements. That way, what we project at the academic fronts serves more the purpose of dislodging the unfounded rhetoric of Eurocentric paternity and not market the fecundity of ideas that historically originated from Africa. I would not say that we are misdirected because I am aware that each generation has its specific assignment(s). It was not until recently that my intellectual energy was channeled towards this direction, where we are considering the futurism of African historical legacies in terms of innovations that can come from there. Let me give you two good examples. Among the Yorùbá people alone, there is what we can sìgìdì, which can be likened to a figurine that historically shares physical attributes of a robot in the modern world. Also, the binary language that is domiciled in Ifá has been compared with the computational base of the modern computer system. If we would therefore be futuristic, we need to examine these things so that they would inform the creative spark of generations to come, in ways that their ownership of these productions would give Africa a befitting image and worldwide recognition.
You have written about orality, performance, and memory in African societies. How do these traditional forms of creativity remain relevant in the digital age?
One thing that people must come to terms with is that African performances, which primarily involve oral narratives, play on words, dance, acrobatic displays, among others, are timeless legacies that cannot be effaced in the grand scheme of things on the basis that they are antiquated. The fact that they continue to thrive in different societies of the world today is a testament to this conclusion. It must be clarified that whatever level of technological leap we accomplish as a collective, these practices would always evolve and accommodate the emerging realities so that they can be comfortably squeezed into them for continued exploration and relevance. These traditional forms of creativity cannot but remain relevant considering the understanding that the world wants something original, and many of the African societies, groups, and cultures have unhindered access to the right historical resources that can produce the results that we see today. When you see Ojude Oba in Ijebu-Ode, you’ll see the replication of Yorùbá creative activities, and the fact that such performances are now reignited across different Nigerian universities is an indication that this cannot be suppressed. You must also have been witness to Sàngó festivals, Ògún festivals, and Ifá festivals, all of which have transnational dimensions and impact, to the extent that they continue to attract global attention to the societies that produced them. Incidentally, nearly all these performances are now placed within the digital footprints, which makes it impossible forthemto be forgotten. This shows that they would always remain relevant as long as humanity exists.
What role should the university play in preserving, nurturing, and innovating African cultural forms without institutionalising them out of their organic essence?
This is a very sensitive question that requires clarity to avoid muddying things. It is worth re-stating here that African cultural performances and rituals have dual purposes, namely, social purpose and spiritual purpose. For example, the Egúngún performances, which you see around, perpetuate entertainment for sociocultural enrichment, but besides that, Egúngún is a ritual performance with solid spiritual import because it serves as a communicative agency for the living who want to reach the metaphysical realm with their message. This, therefore, makes Egúngún, for instance, a cultural practice, to be eligible and even susceptible to being integrated into the educational system to the extent that it may even be sensationalised, institutionalised, and saturated with academic formalities that would enable scholars to theorize, philosophize, and idealize perspectives to increase awareness. However, that would not have tampered with the organic foundation of Egúngún as a ritual performance, for the practitioners of the system understand the boundaries of such sociocultural dimension, and would not even compromise its ritual essence. This is not alone with Egúngún as I have identified. There was a time when certain traditional drums could not be used for any other purposes except the socio-spiritual ones for which they are ordinarily made. Today, there has been a considerable shift in this as the social aspects of them have been tapped into. The university should be more accommodating of creativity that seeks to redefine our knowledge system in this way, for the advancement of our collective goals.
You have been instrumental in strengthening dialogues between Africa and its Diaspora. How do you perceive the evolving meaning of Pan-Africanism in this century?
In a world driven by transnational exchanges of ideas, cultural authenticity and global hybridity cannot be avoided. Naturally, people move from one location to another seeking varied ambitions. While they do that, they move with their cultural ideas and ideological perspectives, which form a new gamut of identity when they meet with others. In the current world, it is honestly difficult to achieve balance, especially the balance of cultural authenticity, which you imagine, in the awareness that what drives people’s creativity and innovation today are capitalist aspirations and not necessarily the desire to be instrumental to something new. That aspiration raises them to a proclivity to shroud creative productions in a capitalist profile so that they tamper with the authentic cultural ideas for their provincial intentions. This means that,barring the capitalist infringement on these cultural values, even the emergence of technological inventions might not have caused blinding results for the indigenous ideas that are brought there. The production of African arts and scholarship in the contemporary time requires a shift from the initial capitalist inclinations to a more accommodating atmosphere that will not be hostile to the cultural authenticity of these productions so that they can retain their organic values even in the face of global hybridity that has become inevitable in light of movement and mobility, today.
Having taught and mentored across the globe, how do you assess the reception and transformation of African studies in Western academic institutions?
I believe that, like every construct and ideological identity, Pan-Africanism is also evolving within the matrix of the global sociopolitical exigencies. In the current time, African intellectuals have realised the underlying advantages that surround the harmonisation of their thoughts and ideas for the collective advantage. The political sensibilities which prompted and then promoted the widespread promulgation of Pan-Africanist ideas in the last century have remained, only in a different dimension. Africans, while almost losing sight of what matters, were jolted back into reality that they will continue to remain vulnerable in the global geopolitics if they draw a wedge amongst themselves. In the Covid-induced quest for continental safety, it dawned on Africans that their collective destiny is always threatened when they fail to address issues as a collective. The fact, therefore, reinforces the quest for a deep identity construction, the proportion of which Pan-Africanism has earlier set in motion, which would enable them to address issues that continue to stare them in the face. This is evolving in very tremendous ways. For instance, there has been an increased collaboration among Africans and the African Diaspora, which yields the transfer of technological knowledge and skills to continental Africa, all of which have important consequences. If that momentum is sustained, there is no way that it would not produce desirable outcomes for Africans, basically, and the world, by extension.
How do you envision the balance between cultural authenticity and global hybridity in the production of contemporary African art and scholarship?
Ironic as it may sound, Western academic institutions have remained a melting pot for African studies, receiving the African knowledge systems and thus transforming the African studies for international relevance. The academic institutions in Western societies have become the ready-made market for the exchange of African epistemic traditions in their capacity, right from the post-slavery time to the current moment. After the descendants of enslaved Africans inscribed their intellectual prowess into the annals of Diaspora history, it was considered necessary that they have their ideas integrated into the educational system so that the category of individuals who share paternal linkage with the enslaved Africans, and the curious Western minds, can begin to understand the African history by learning closely from bearers of the identity. Prior to this, numerous assumptions and unfounded opinions have been made by people who should ordinarily invest in quality research, but because of their inchoate aversion to African struggles and cultural resources, they have sidelined the possibility of reasoning and become utterly insouciant to Africa and African cultures, with exaggerated hatred towards them. But as superior knowledge began to gain prominence, they began to understand that earlier conclusions about Africans are indeed baseless and reeked of age-long stereotypical sentiment against them. With the emergence of quality educational insights, they became more receptive, and the rest, they say, is history, today.
What lessons should young African scholars in the Diaspora draw from your model of scholarship that remains rooted in Africa while engaging the world?
There are many lessons to be learned by African scholars in the diaspora, which will enable them to remain relevant and be on top of their game. They should understand, for one, that while the Western world would provide them with a platform to reach a larger audience, it would not provide them with the needed original content, quality resources that can be used to create a sustainable identity for themselves. While it is not impossible that they draw a couple of ideas that are domiciled in their Diaspora environment for academic engagements and global reach, it is, however, undeniable that they rely on scholarship models that are rooted in African sociocultural, sociopolitical, and socioeconomic realities. This is inevitable considering the understanding that the creative ingenuity and imaginations required to get the attention of the world resides in their indigenous epistemic insights, and until they begin to extract ideas from them, they would feel inadequate about their intellectual evolution. I can say that African epistemic resources are boundless. I can confirm that the layers of content that can be extracted for ideological growth and evolution are innumerable, inexhaustible, and timeless. While engaging the world, the coming generations should invest in the indigenous knowledge system so that they can continue to draw original ideas from it, in order that they get the world to celebrate the profundity of knowledge resources which are native to the African people. There is hardly any aspect of knowledge that exists in the world today that does not have an African touch.
You have mentored hundreds of scholars across generations. What do you consider the most important values to pass on to the next generation of African intellectuals?
First, the next generation of African scholars must be original and unapologetic about their originality. However, I cannot deny that sometimes scholars are constrained by certain stringent regulations that are indeed censorious, and in some other cases, intimidating. There is a popular saying that the world makes way for those who know where they are going. Unless the African intellectuals carve for themselves a niche that would set them apart from others, it would be grossly impossible for them to scale through the hurdles that are already institutionalized against them. What they need to do to break such barriers is they remain very original to their trade, and that would require that they constantly draw ideas from their epistemic traditions for the world to see. Rather than succumb to the pressure that comes with being relevant and popular, which often forces individuals to embrace an identity that sometimes negates what they are originally known for, they should instead invest in deepened research that would uncover numerous and valuable results, useful for the advancement of global civilizations. They should be deliberate about this because their ability to break free from the generations of shackles that have limited their evolution, they should take bold steps and remain committed to the true course of emancipation at all levels: epistemic, philosophical, ideological, theoretical, and even psychological. That way, they can achieve their intentions. They need to be disciplined, too. That is very important.
With such a vast and influential body of work, what would you like to be remembered for the most—as a historian, public intellectual, cultural theorist, or bridge-builder?
I would like to be remembered as someone who never gave up on the African epistemic revolution. Someone who did exceptionally great to keep the traditions of the old in vogue through academic engagements and activities that help to place them on the global map. I want to be recognized as one individual who did not give up on African intellectual struggles, and despite the barrage of challenges that come with fronting its liberation, I remained resolute. To that extent, where I needed to use my knowledge of history to make a maximum impression, I did it without hesitation. Where I should use my influence to promote African epistemic traditions and propel people to project similar interests, I did not compromise. Where I needed to build bridges among African scholars across different continents and communities, I became so energetic in doing it that the world wonders what turf I was indeed made of. Where I needed to theorize, using my knowledge of cultural history, I did that with excitement and exceptional determination, to the extent that I produced a body of works that remains an imposing influence in various academic departments today. Where it was expected of me to serve as a public intellectual, I didn’t shy away from responsibility as I spoke truth to power in subtle ways that would not put my life at risk and would also not undermine the seriousness of my discourse. All these I did while navigating different continents of the world, and being recognised also for my extraordinary contributions and efforts. Today, I am pushing the new field I established, African Ancestral Studies, one that honours the past contributions of those before us and extends their ideas to transform our modernity.
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