From Harlem to Africa: The New Negro Movement and the Trans-Atlantic Vision for Black Education and Liberation

Abstract

This study argues the Trans-Atlantic connection between the New Negro Movement and the New Africa Philosophy. The New Negro Movement, or Harlem Renaissance as it is now more commonly called, ushered in a revolutionary era of African American art, music, and expression. The goal of which was to educate not just white Americans but the world on the rich history and cultural achievements that African Americans had made. Its intellectual spearhead, Alain Locke, a Howard professor of Philosophy worked to centralize the movement ideas in a compilation of works from Black writers and thinkers as a single book called The New Negro. While this movement was underway, Nnamdi Azikiwe, later the first elected president of the Nigerian republic, attended Howard University and studied under Locke. Through taking classes and learning from Locke, Azikiwe developed his own state philosophy, The New Africa Philosophy, later explained in his own work called Renascent Africa. By analyzing sources like Azikiwe’s writing during and after his stay at Howard, letters of correspondence between Locke, Azikiwe, and others, I argue that the Harlem Renaissance acted as the inspiration for the New Africa philosophy. This study also addresses how Locke influenced Zikism followers and supports of the New African philosophy like K.O Mbadiwe, Nwafor Orizu, and Mbonu Ojike. It discusses how Locke worked with the above mentioned to create Pan-African based organizations interested in promoting Black education which they believed could bring political liberation.

Plain Language Summary

From Harlem to Africa- how the New Negro Movement inspired the New Africa Philosophy

This study argues that a Trans-Atlantic connection existed between the New Negro Movement and the New Africa Movement. The New Negro Movement, or Harlem Renaissance as it is now more commonly called, ushered in a revolutionary era of African American art, music, and expression. One of the goals of the New Negro Movement was to educate the world on the rich history and cultural achievements of African Americans. Alain Locke helped centralize the movement ideas in a compilation of works from Black writers and thinkers as a single book called The New Negro. During this time, Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first elected president of the Nigerian republic, attended Howard University and studied under Locke. Through taking classes and learning from Locke, Azikiwe developed the New Africa Philosophy, later explained in his own work called Renascent Africa. By analyzing sources like Azikiwe’s writing during and after his stay at Howard, letters of correspondence between Locke, Azikiwe, and others, I argue that the Harlem Renaissance acted as the inspiration for the New Africa philosophy.

Keywords

New Negro Alain Locke Azikiwe New Africa Howard Nigeria

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