Essences of presence in the construction of identity (original) (raw)

This article scrutinizes the role of, and abiding significance of, totems in the expression of individual and cultural identity, by examining the various trajectories and nuances central to identity and identity formation. Predicated on African humanism, as a lived experience and philosophy of human interaction, the article further hopes to vividly evoke a socio-cultural consciousness and a non-essentialist pride hitherto ‘silenced’ by hegemonic cultural discourses inherent in both colonialism and apartheid, by exposing the role and cultural relevance of totems in reasserting and articulating an ‘othered’ identity, an identity that has, over the years, been subjected to malicious diminution. It is hoped that the employment of the psycho-social, spiritual-cultural approach to the discussion will help in determining the usefulness of totems as tools for self-definition and a relevant vehicle towards signification and the affirmation of regenerated forms of individual and national identities