The Problem with Wokeness | Africa Brooke
in this EPISODE…
I sit down with Africa Brooke to break down wokeness, identity politics, self censorship, and the way our current society often engages with each other on social media. The term “wokeness” was initially a good idea - it’s good to be awake and aware. But what started out as progressive has turned into something extreme and often regressive instead. By critically thinking and allowing for nuance we can find common ground and positively move forward, taking care to see what is happening as a collective. And hopefully, by shedding the obsession the mainstream has with identity politics, we can become more unified rather than divided.
Africa is from Zimbabwe and resides in Britain. She’s a writer, speaker and consultant. Her work focuses on self sabotage and self censorship, which began when she got sober 5 years ago after 7 relapses. In 2016 she became curious about human behavior and the concept of self sabotage…
After taking from her own subjective experience she began to look at these things through the lens of the collective, which led her to writing a now viral open letter called “why I’m leaving the cult of wokeness” which has been read by almost 5 million people.
WE ALSO COVER:
Africa’s transformation story to sobriety
How self sabotage and self censorship effects us on an individual level as well as the collective
The evolution of wokeness
Africa’s viral open letter called “Why I’m leaving the cult of wokeness”
The break down of identity politics and if the mainstream’s obsession with it is progressive or actually regressive
Our personal experiences during the social media blow up of BLM in 2020
Healthy social filters versus unhealthy self censorship
Identity group think, racism, and tokening
The importance of intellectual diversity
WHERE TO FIND AFRICA
Her podcasts Beyond the Self and Unfiltered with Africa
Read her viral open letter “Why I’m leaving the cult of wokeness”
WHERE TO FIND ME
Instagram