Taming the Multiverse of Capitalist Crisis with the Universe of African Totemic Ancestorhood: A Radical Afro-optimist Proposal

Abstract

This paper advances the position that the ontology and praxis of African totems, rooted in harmonious relations, are superior to the materialistic ethos of capitalism, which, in contemporary times, has debased the human condition and environment in its most mature centres. African totemic ancestorhood, emphasizing sacred and secular interconnectedness, perceives the human station as an integral part of a balanced universal whole. On the other hand, the paradigm of capitalism, anchored on materialist acquisitiveness, avarice, and full-spectrum alienation, underpins inequality, exploitation, and environmental degradation in the quest for personal pecuniary profit. Hence, the ontology and praxis of the African totemic is anathema to capitalism. The lived history of African thought serving as a guiding principle of trans-generational ethical conduct and enacted, for example, through rituals and ancestral reverence, are as relevant in contemporary times as in aeons gone by when Africans were architects of civilizations. As nations such as China, India, and Russia seek to resurge in contemporary times by reconnecting with their ancestral roots to navigate modern challenges, Africans must take a cue and similarly recover and leverage the (re)constructive power of ancestral ontology and praxis and thereby develop a uniquely Afrocentric governance model to attenuate the disruptions of capitalist crises. This imperative, apart from exposing the vileness of materialistic (social) relations, will grant Africans the agency to chart an organic, dignified path of cohesive resurgence and avoid the ultimate fatal consequences of capitalism.