Navigating the Coloniality of Identity in an African -Asian Encounter

Paper Abstract: The article Navigating the Coloniality of Identity in an African-Asian Encounter offers a reflective account of an African Catholic missionary’s 17-year experience in Mongolia, highlighting the complexities of identity alienation and the enduring impact of colonial legacies. The author’s interactions with Asian communities exposed hidden colonial elements embedded within his personal identity—elements that had gone unnoticed in encounters with Europeans due to shared cultural assimilation. Positioned in a liminal space, the author was viewed by locals as African, yet also represented Western identity through his association with Christianity, a colonial institution.

Key themes explored include the disconnection between personal names and African heritage due to colonial influences, the use of French as a colonial language, and the absence of indigenous African writing systems. The article also discusses the cultural dissonance between representing a Westernized Christianity that does not align with African spiritual traditions, while noting surprising parallels between Mongolian spiritual practices and African cosmologies. Additionally, the author reflects on the significance of local traditions in shaping identity and the sense of fragmentation experienced by colonized identities that lack continuous cultural heritage. This work underscores the subtle ways colonial legacies shape individual identities, offering insights into how cross-cultural encounters can both alienate and foster self-rediscovery.