De-colonisation or undoing what cannot be undone

Positive Minds | Positive Quotes | Edition 017

Coming from a continent still licking the wounds of more than 300 years of slave trade compounded by 100 years of colonisation, I hate the term 'de-colonisation', more so when applied to the development sector and referred to as 'aid de-colonisation'.

Using the prefix 'de' to undo what cannot be undone is like rubbing salt in a wound that cannot be healed. So let us find a more positive and respectful term that does not awaken the demons of the past. If the slave trade or colonisation took place in the modern world, they would, at best, be described as a "crime against humanity". They were used to systematically and painstakingly loot Africa for four centuries of its resources and, above all, its workforce, combined with sustained efforts to wipe out the continent's rich and immense culture. Countless studies by renowned historians, sociologists, anthropologists and economists from Africa and elsewhere show that Africa's development gap has its roots in its dark past.

That said, the term 'decolonisation' is to aid what packaging is to a product. It is the product that counts, not the packaging. In the humanitarian and development sector, the product of decolonisation is the rebalancing of the power asymmetry between 'aid providers' and 'aid clients', a concept I cherish and defend.

It is, therefore, urgent to find an alternative term for it because even if the packaging does not make the product, it improves its presentation. Until we find a better packaging for the product "decolonisation of aid", let's focus on its beautiful content. 

In the meantime, I invite you to design the new packaging. Share in the comments your proposals for alternative terms to "decolonisation of aid" or like the proposals of others. And this could be the beginning of a movement.