Why the Racial Politic of Colour-branding should be Discontinued

Abstract

I examine colour-branding of humans, a phenomenon I denounce as leading to a dangerous “politic.” My lead questions shall be: Is it correct to profile or brand different peoples with colours? Do the symbolic meanings of different colours correctly describe the attributes and attitudes of peoples they are used to categorise? I argue that the mainstay colour descriptions of peoples amount to contradictions. The contradiction arises if we take into consideration the symbolic meanings of such colours on the one hand, and the human attributes on the other hand. A positive way of reading the colour-branding of peoples would be to suggest that colours are used to denote racial variety and not racial hierarchy. This suggestion is arguably a strong point, but when we take the semantics of colour and the events of history seriously, we might understand that racial subjugation is the inspiration behind colour-branding. I label the preceding “colour politic” and discuss it as the last frontier of racism.

Indigenous African Religions (IARs) and the Relational Value of Tolerance: Addressing the evil of violent conflicts in Africa

“…The third relational principle is called onon-etiti or complementarity (CHIMAKONAM 2019a). This principle, which also appears in Innocent Asouzu (2007) and Chimakonam (2019a), show that diverse or seemingly opposed variables can complement each other. This principle holds that there is a meeting point between two sub-contraries or two seemingly opposed variables.…”

“…Ezumezu logic is a system of logic developed as an organon for philosophising and explaining realities within and beyond the African place, specifically those that concern intermediate valuation (CHIMAKONAM 2019a). This logic thrives on three supplementary laws of thoughts, in addition to the classical laws of two-valued logic.…”

The South African land question in light of Nelson Mandela’s political thought

“…In their place, we have used 'Africans and Europeans' in a simple geographical sense much similar to the category 'African-Americans'. For details on the racial problematic of colour categories, see KwesiTsri (2016aTsri ( , 2016bChimakonam 2019). 2 See, for instance, Denita Annzra (2017) and JewelTopsfield (2018) for reports of this type of violence.3 This Act is captured in Gazette Extraordinary No 380 of 19 June 1913.4 See alsoWalker (2006, 145).…”