The Wretched of the Earth

Fanon explores the idea of a national culture and why it seems, on the surface, that colonized peoples do not have one or else have a very limited and primitive one. He concludes that since the very process of colonization entails dehumanization, Europeans dismiss and denigrate local customs and existing art forms. As a result, colonizers perceive African or Arab culture as one homogeneous entity and dismiss all preceding historical achievements as unimportant.

Additionally, the very idea of a national culture originates in the West and has limited application in the colonial context. Fanon suggests that artists residing in former colonies should attempt to see themselves within the greater global artistic landscape, which would allow them to revive their local culture in natural and productive ways, rather than try to imitate fossilized traditions that have lost their meaning. Thus, rather than thinking about Algerian or Moroccan or Madagascan national culture in a limited manner, artists from these countries should conceive of African culture, broadly, as a lived experience.

Fanon reiterates that colonialism obliterates local culture. It creates a vacuum in which nothing can change or grow. After a century or so the local culture is reduced to symbolic rituals or habits, folkloric dress, and a few institutions.