The Wretched Of The Earth

The book “The Wretched of the Earth” written by Frantz Fanon, focuses on the impacts of colonialism on countries, that experienced colonisation and the social, cultural and political repercussions of a social body geared towards decolonisation and a sense of independence. Fanon also addresses themes that arose from colonisation such as oppression, independence, sustainable economic growth, capitalism etc. He delved deeply into the psychology of paradigms used by colonists and colonizers, to subtly deceive the marginalised, lower class population into moulding an oppressed, naive society.

Fanon used his ability to write and intricate vocabulary to express his experiences. Born in the Caribbean island of Martinique, Fanon grew up to be a psychiatrist,

He placed a lot of emphasis on the land, as it was a major resource during colonial times. Fanon said in his book, “For a colonized people the most essential value, because the most concrete is first and foremost, the land: the land which will bring the bread and above all, dignity.” The indigenous peoples lived off the land before coming into contact with their European conquerors. He also said, “The arrival of the colonist signified syncretically the death of indigenous society, cultural lethargy and petrifaction of the individual.” They practiced sustainable farming and cultivation methods which in turn left the land very fertile and productive. When the colonizers from metropolitan countries realized they could profit from the land’s fertility, the striped it from the indigenous people and abused it to their benefit without remorse. Countries such as Spain and the British Empire owed their acquired wealth, power and prosperity to the destruction, misuse and abuse of land that did not belong to them. The fertility of land the land drove the economies of many European countries and Fanon realized its importance and value. Seeing that there were not many avenues in which the colonized peoples could escape colonialism, Fanon emphasized the role in which land could play in which the colonized peoples could live relatively comfortably. Fanon suggested in the quote that the colonized would be able to live off the land and sustain themselves while keeping their dignity. One can say by providing for oneself, there is no need to turn to external sources to meet the basic needs of a human. As such, one would then have their dignity as he or she would not have to look toward charitable entities and serve their every whim and desire in order to