Kobi K.K. Kambon’s African/Black Psychology in the American Context: An African Centered Approach is an essential read for African people worldwide. He purposely uses the term “African/Black” throughout the book to psychologically heal African people who have been strategically taught by our enemies to balkanize and identify ourselves based on false nationalities that are defined on the basis of who kidnapped or colonized us. Brother Kambon uses these specific terms so we can begin to see ourselves for who and what we are; which means there is no dichotomy between being “African” and being “Black”, the two are synonymous.
Brother Kambon makes the accurate point that psychology comes out of a historical/cultural basis of a particular people, therefore, if psychology is to be effective in healing people, it is necessary to use the correct historical/cultural basis of the specific group when applying a psychological program. Under European/Eurasian supremacy, their historical/cultural experiences have been made to appear as if they are “universal”. The result is that any psychological program based in European/Eurasian historical/cultural experiences that are applied to African people will have deleterious effects because their history/culture are the antithesis of African history/culture. Hence when an African is said to be “normal” based on “universally accepted psychological standards”, that means this African is positively and absolutely KRAZY when evaluated from a logical sense of our historical circumstances!
And this is where Brother Kambon came up with the term cultural misorientation. Brother Kambon defines cultural misorientation/psychological misorientation, as “Eurocentric cognitive structure and behavior pattern in African people. A type of functioning in African people that involves thinking, feeling and acting in the manner of a European person, according to Eurocentric assumptions, values, beliefs and attitudes. It results in African people pursuing/projecting the European Survival Thrust.” It is this inculcated cultural misorientation that ultimately hampers African people worldwide from proper nation building. As Brother Kambon’s opening salvo of the book accurately states, “Thus, the liberation of African people ultimately requires a psychological solution at its foundation, i.e., in the broader sense of cultural restoration.”
So much more we could say about this book, so do yourself a favor and pick it up. We know this book is hard to find because it is no longer in print, so if you can’t obtain a copy from Amazon (because the price is too high or it is no longer available), we suggest you check your local library. They have interlibrary loans that can help you get your hands on almost any book.
