THINKING GLOBAL AFRICAN RENAISSANCE: From Vampiric Geostrategy to Coafrwological Localstrategy

By Mpeke Ntonga (2025)

This document proposes a new framework for understanding politics and strategy in Africa, drawing on African cosmologies and knowledge systems. It critiques Western concepts of geopolitics and geostrategy, labeling them as "vampiric," and introduces the alternative frameworks of Coafrwology and Localstrategy.

The Critique of Geopolitical Sciences

The text argues that geopolitics and geostrategy are tools shaped by Western imperialism to serve its own domination. They function as "vampiric" sciences because they feed on the life, resources, and energy of dominated peoples, particularly those in Africa.

• Logic of Predation: According to Walter Rodney's analysis, these sciences are built on a logic of predation and domination. They transform African peoples and resources into instruments for imperial expansion.

• Cognitive Colonization: Ngugi wa Thiong’o emphasizes that colonization was not just territorial but also cognitive, imposing categories of thought that naturalized the vampiric logic of these sciences.

• Necropolitics: Achille Mbembe goes further by introducing the concept of "necropolitics," where powerful nations decide who may live and who must die—a logic at the core of classical geopolitics.

Coafrwology: An Energetic Alternative

Coafrwology is presented as an Afrocentric science that builds on the traditions of Pan-Africanism (Kwame Nkrumah, Cheikh Anta Diop) while providing a fresh perspective. It is based on the idea that politics should be understood in terms of vital energy, balance, and interconnection.

• Energetic Reading: Instead of focusing on military power and territorial domination, Coafrwology values solidarity networks, African cosmologies, and local community dynamics.

• Decolonizing Knowledge: As Ngugi advocates, liberation comes through the re-appropriation of languages and knowledge. Coafrwology is a tool for epistemological decolonization, breaking away from the supposed neutrality of Western sciences.

• Collective Healing: The document asserts that revealing the vampiric nature of Western sciences is not an act of provocation but a necessary step toward collective healing and the reconstruction of African paradigms.

Geopolitics vs. Coafrwology: A Comparative Table

Dimension	Geopolitics / Geostrategy (Vampiric)	Coafrwology / Localstrategy (Vital)
Origin	Imperialist Europe (19th-20th c.)	African cosmologies and traditions
Purpose	Domination, control, expansion	Harmony, balance, shared sovereignty
View of Territory	Resource to be exploited, space to be conquered	Mother Earth, vital matrix to be preserved
Role of Populations	Pawns, instrumentalized masses	Actors, guardians of collective energy
Dominant Energy	Conflict, competition, extraction	Vitality, cooperation, circulation
Method	Force, manipulation, imposed alliances	Dialogue, spirituality, local solidarities
Relationship to the World	Hierarchy (dominant/dominated)	Network (interconnection, co-creation)

Export to Sheets

From Coafrwology to Localstrategy

Localstrategy is the practical application of Coafrwology. It is based on the idea that sovereignty must be built from the ground up, drawing on the local realities of villages and communities to form national and continental sovereignty.

This concept aims to replace the logic of predation with an economy of energetic circulation, where wealth is measured by human, cultural, and spiritual vitality, not by material accumulation.

Conclusion

The text concludes that geopolitics and geostrategy are non-neutral concepts that feed on the life of peoples. In contrast, Coafrwology and Localstrategy offer Africa a path to a new political paradigm rooted in its own cosmologies—a path that leads to a Global African Renaissance by replacing domination with balance and vitality.

 include bibliography and references to this article

Certainly, here are the bibliography and references that support the article "Thinking Global African Renaissance: From Vampiric Geostrategy to Coafrwological Localstrategy." The sources are categorized for clarity and ease of use.

Bibliography & References

Classics of Pan-Africanism and Postcolonial Critique

These works form the foundational intellectual bedrock for critiquing Western power systems and are essential to understanding the article's historical and ideological context.

• Amin, S. (2010). Ending the Crisis of Capitalism or Ending Capitalism?. Oxford: Pambazuka Press. The Egyptian economist’s work critiques capitalism and imperialism as systems of predation.

• Diop, C.A. (1960). L’Afrique noire précoloniale. Paris: Présence Africaine. The Senegalese historian explores pre-colonial African social and political structures, highlighting endogenous development models.

• Nkrumah, K. (1965). Neo-Colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism. London: Thomas Nelson & Sons. This seminal work by Ghana’s first president details how Western powers maintain control over Africa through economic and political means—a form of modern "vampirism."

• Rodney, W. (1972). How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. London: Bogle L’Ouverture Publications. A key text that demonstrates how Europe's development was directly financed by the systematic exploitation of Africa.

Decolonizing Knowledge and Epistemological Critique

These references are crucial for understanding why Western sciences are seen as tools of domination and why it's necessary to develop new, African-centered epistemologies.

• Ngugi wa Thiong’o (1986). Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature. London: James Currey. Ngugi explains how language serves as both a tool of domination and resistance, arguing that decolonizing the mind requires re-appropriating African languages.

• Ngugi wa Thiong’o (2009). Something Torn and New: An African Renaissance. New York: Basic Civitas. He expands on his ideas about an African renaissance, emphasizing the re-appropriation of knowledge and culture.

• Mbembe, A. (2000). De la postcolonie: Essai sur l’imagination politique dans l’Afrique contemporaine. Paris: Karthala. The Cameroonian philosopher introduces the concept of necropolitics, which is central to the critique of geopolitics as a science of death and control over life.

• Mudimbe, V.Y. (1988). The Invention of Africa: Gnosis, Philosophy, and the Order of Knowledge. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Mudimbe analyzes how Africa was "invented" and codified by Western discourse, justifying the critique of geopolitical categories of thought.

Afrocentric Thought and Cultural Renaissance

These works are essential resources for understanding Coafrwology as an intellectual and political project that places Africa at its center.

• Asante, M.K. (2003). Afrocentricity: The Theory of Social Change. Chicago: African American Images. The theorist of Afrocentricity lays the groundwork for an intellectual approach that positions Africans as subjects, not objects, of their own history.

• Clarke, J.H. (1991). Africans at the Crossroads: Notes for an African World Revolution. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press. A collection of essays calling for an intellectual and spiritual revolution so that Africans can define their own destiny.

Contemporary African Thought and Philosophy

These more recent references illustrate the vitality of contemporary African thought, which is actively building new models for the continent.

• Sarr, F. (2019). Habiter le monde: Essai de politique relationnelle. Paris: Actes Sud. Felwine Sarr proposes a vision of politics based on relationship, interconnection, and reciprocity, in stark contrast to the logic of domination.

• Diagne, S.B. (2013). Comment philosopher en islam?. Paris: Philippe Rey. Diagne examines the history of philosophical thought in Africa, showcasing the richness and diversity of intellectual traditions that can serve as a foundation for a "Localstrategy."

References on Western Geopolitics (for Critique)

These works are cited for their classic definitions of geopolitics, which the article then proceeds to critique.

• Cohen, S.B. (2003). Geopolitics: The Geography of International Relations. Rowman & Littlefield.

• Gray, C.S. (1999). Modern Strategy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

• Lacoste, Y. (1976). La géographie, ça sert d’abord à faire la guerre. Paris: Maspero.