Colonialism did far more than strip away land, sovereignty, and physical wealth, it waged a psychological war that fractured identity and erased historical memory.
Speaking on the Unpopular Opinion Podcast, prominent South African legal figure Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane delivered a sobering critique of the enduring mental architecture left behind by empire. His core message addresses a profound psychological reality: Black people have been taught to see themselves, their beauty, and their worth through the eyes of those who colonized, despised, and dehumanized them.
Sikhakhane argues that generations of exposure to anti-Black narratives and distorted representation did not simply disappear with political independence. Instead, these systemic biases were gradually internalized, causing communities to adopt the very lenses used to oppress them.
The primary victim of this process was historical memory. By severing people from the deep memory of who they were prior to conquest, colonial institutions created an identity vacuum, one filled by subtle, pervasive ideas of self-doubt and inferiority.
Perhaps the most tragic consequence of this inherited trauma, according to Sikhakhane, is where that pain gets directed.
Instead of targeting the historical systems that constructed these prejudices, the resulting self-hatred is frequently turned inward. This manifests as a distinct form of lateral violence, where members of marginalized communities treat one another with a level of harshness, judgment, and cruelty they would rarely direct toward the original architects of those systems. The cycle perpetuates itself as communities police and diminish one another using the oppressor’s standards.
“We see ourselves through the lens of people who despise us.” Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane
Sikhakhane’s commentary is ultimately a call to action. To break the cycle, he emphasizes that true liberation cannot be limited to economic or political reform; it must include a profound psychological unlearning.
Reclaiming autonomy requires three critical steps:
- Reclaiming Memory: Actively seeking out, preserving, and honoring pre-colonial histories, values, and identity.
- Restoring Pride: Dismantling internalized biases about beauty, intellect, and social capability.
- Rejecting Self-Destruction: Actively refusing the learned belief that anything reflecting Black identity must be diminished, punished, or destroyed.
True sovereignty, Sikhakhane suggests, begins when a people finally shatter the distorted mirror handed to them by history and reclaim the right to define themselves.
Watch the full episode below: