Culture, power and resistance reflections on the ideas of Amilcar Cabral

This essay appears in TNI’s sixThis essay appears in TNI’s sixth annual State of Power report.

This year, it examines the cultural processes that are used by

corporations,  Cabral understood that the extension and domination of capitalism

depends critically on dehumanizing the colonial subject. And

central to the process of dehumanization has been the need to

destroy, modify or recast the culture of the colonized, for it is principally through culture, ‘because

it is history’, that the colonized have sought to resist domination and assert their humanity. For

Cabral, and also for Fanon, culture is not some aesthetic artefact, but an expression of history,

the foundation of liberation, and a means to resist domination. At heart, culture is subversive.military and privileged elitThis article appeared in es to make their power

seem ‘naturaThisl’ and ‘irreversible’. It also explores how social

movements can harness creativity, art and cultural forces to Cabral understood that the extension and domination of capitalism

depends critically on dehumanizing the colonial subject. And

central to the process of dehumanization has been the need to

destroy, modify or recast the culture of the colonized, for it is principally through culture, ‘because

it is history’, that the colonized have sought to resist domination and assert their humanity. For

Cabral, and also for Fanon, culture is not some aesthetic artefact, but an expression of history,

the foundation of liberation, and a means to resist domination. At heart, culture is subversive.

resist and to build lasting social and ecological transformation.th annual State of Power report.

This year, it examines the culThis essay appears in TNI’s sixth annual State of Power report.

This year, it examines the cultural processes that are used by

corporations, military and privileged elites to make their power

seem ‘natural’ and ‘irreversible’. It also explores how social

movements can harness creativity, art and cultural forces to

resist and to build lasting social and ecological transformation.

Visit www.tni.org/stateofpower2017 to read all the essays

and contributions.tural processes that are used by

corporations, military and privileged elites to make their power

seem ‘natural’ and ‘irreversible’. It also explores how social

movements can harness creativity, art and cultural forces to

resist and to build lasting social and ecological transformation.

Visit www.tni.org/stateofpower2017 to read all the essays

and contributions.

Document Type: 
International article
Date of publication: 
30/01/2018
Date of publication: 
2017
Links: 
www.tni.org/stateofpower2017
Author: 
Firoze Manji
Publisher: 
Transnational Institute (TNI)
Language: 
English
Notes: 
Cabral understood that the extension and domination of capitalism depends critically on dehumanizing the colonial subject. And central to the process of dehumanization has been the need to destroy, modify or recast the culture of the colonized, for it is principally through culture, ‘because it is history’, that the colonized have sought to resist domination and assert their humanity. For Cabral, and also for Fanon, culture is not some aesthetic artefact, but an expression of history, the foundation of liberation, and a means to resist domination. At heart, culture is subversive.