15. The Pitfalls and Promises of Afropolitanism

Abstract

Emma Dabiri critiques mainstream modes of Afropolitanism as a type of imperialism of cultural consumerism capitalized upon by Western markets and as primarily concerned with commodifying “African flavored” versions of Western conventions and forms. She contemplates the alternative of an Afropolitanism beyond such elite consumerism that would be guided by African precolonial modernity, epistemologies, and forms of creativity.