Mitumba
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Mitumba means second hand and was initially used to refer to second hand clothing that was coming from Europe to Africa but also second hand vehicles, gadgets, equipment and books. The theory of mitumba came from this everyday use of the concept. Mitumba theory refers to second hand knowledge (philosophies, ethics, values, ideas, beliefs, culture, language, language accent, spirituality, religion, theories and literature), much of it coming from the West but also the East and Middle-East. Mitumba is an extension of aid and charity. The major challenge with mitumba is that it stifles local production, makes people dependent. Many people have contributed to this theory, notable being Ngugi wa Thiongo. Wa Thiongo refers to it as mitumba culture and classifies it as neocolonialism but also goes further to say we Africans are responsible for it, ‘we have exchanged made in Africa for used in Europe.’
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