Сolonial Mentality in the Nigerian Fraud Format

Colonialism, as a phenomenon, has long been studied within the context of European research. In recent decades, African authors have also engaged in its study, focusing particularly on the transformation of identity, which is directly linked to the legacy of colonial history. This article examines colonial mentality or “colomentality” (as coined by the renowned Nigerian musician Fela Anikulapo Kuti (1938–1987)), who emphasized that, sooner or later, it may take on an anti-colonial character. Colonial mentality is a product of a relatively short historical period and, in the historical and cultural context of Nigeria, it can be considered an integral part of both national and individual identity. Essentially, it became a “response” to the “challenge” posed by colonial powers, a result of their civilizing mission, which aimed to enlighten the “savage” black populations. The flip side of this process was the destruction of the previous Afrocentric epistemology and mentality, along with the Afrocentric worldview. Alongside the embrace of European values, there was the imposition and acceptance of double standards, the development of a tendency toward parasitic existence, and the institutionalization of segregation and violence. As a result, within the bounds of colonial mentality, two vectors of development emerged — both positive and negative. In post-colonial Nigeria, these vectors were refl ected in the revitalization of the creative energy of the local population, which manifested, on the one hand, in the dynamic development of literature, journalism, science, and entrepreneurship, and on the other, in the evolution of protest movements, which took the form of schemes and fraud. Since the mid-1970s, these movements underwent signifi cant evolution, revealing a resemblance to traditional carnival culture, acting, and play. By the turn of the 21st century, Nigeria had gained a notorious reputation as one of the most criminally corrupt countries in the world, and “Nigerian fraud” — as both a colonial and national mentality — became one of the country’s peculiar “brands” — or rather, an anti-brand.