{"id":1931,"date":"2025-06-28T21:24:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-28T19:24:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africawebtv.nl\/blog\/?p=1931"},"modified":"2025-06-29T02:16:44","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T00:16:44","slug":"the-joke-is-on-them-the-western-habit-of-rebranding-what-it-once-ridiculed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africawebtv.nl\/blog\/the-joke-is-on-them-the-western-habit-of-rebranding-what-it-once-ridiculed\/","title":{"rendered":"The Joke Is on Them: The Western Habit of Rebranding What It Once Ridiculed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why is it that until Western society figures out how to monetise<\/strong> something from Africa \u2014 or from the Global South in general \u2014 it’s labelled as primitive<\/em>, barbaric<\/em>, or backwards<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Because, simply put, the West has long thrived on a system where value only exists when they define it<\/strong> \u2014 and profit from it.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at the concrete examples:<\/p>\n

\"Great_Mosque_of_Djenn\u00e9\"<\/a><\/h3>\n

1. Mud Houses: From \u201cPrimitive Huts\u201d to \u201cEco-Luxury Living\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For generations, mud houses<\/strong> across Africa \u2014 from Mali\u2019s iconic Djenn\u00e9 structures to the round huts in Zimbabwe or Ghana \u2014 were labelled by Western media and education systems as signs of poverty and underdevelopment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

But in 2025, mud is suddenly chic<\/strong>. Those same structures are being rebranded in the West as \u201ccarbon-neutral earth homes\u201d<\/em>, \u201cbiophilic living spaces,\u201d<\/em> or \u201csustainable architecture.\u201d <\/em>In the USA, eco-conscious influencers are raving about rammed earth retreats<\/em> and sustainable clay compounds<\/em>. European architects are winning awards and magazines are calling it the future of green living<\/em>. Investors are pouring money into \u201cbioclimatic earthen dwellings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in Africa\u2014where for centuries entire communities have lived in mud homes shaped by sun, hands, and heritage\u2014people watch the trend unfold with a raised eyebrow and a wry smile. Because not long ago, that same West labelled those homes primitive<\/strong>, poor<\/strong>, and backwards<\/strong>. Western photographers snapped pictures of cracked mud walls to represent poverty in charity campaigns. Aid workers built concrete blocks and tin roofs, calling it \u201cdevelopment,\u201d even though they trapped heat and crumbled faster.<\/p>\n

But now, with the planet burning and modern housing failing under its own weight, the so-called \u201cprimitive\u201d solution has become the cutting-edge answer. It\u2019s ironic. It\u2019s absurd. It\u2019s poetic justice in earth tones.<\/p>\n

The same mud they mocked is now the mud they marvel at.<\/strong><\/p>\n

They mocked the mud until it cooled their overheating homes.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"White<\/a><\/h3>\n

2. Barefoot Walking: From \u201cToo Poor for Shoes\u201d to a 500-Euro Nature Retreat<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In many African communities, walking barefoot is a part of life \u2014 especially in rural areas. For centuries, Western visitors saw it as a sign of extreme poverty<\/strong> or neglect<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Now? In Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands, there are \u201cgrounding retreats\u201d<\/strong> where participants pay \u20ac300\u2013\u20ac500<\/strong> to walk barefoot on grass, sand, or earth for \u201cspiritual reconnection\u201d and \u201celectromagnetic balance.\u201d They\u2019re literally paying to do what African kids were once pitied \u2014 or mocked \u2014 for doing.<\/p>\n

They called it poverty, until they could sell it as wellness.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Moringa\"<\/a><\/h3>\n

3. Traditional Herbal Medicine: From \u201cWitchcraft\u201d to \u201cHolistic Healing\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

African herbalists have used plants like baobab<\/strong>, dongoyaro<\/b>, moringa<\/strong>, and hibiscus<\/strong> for centuries \u2014 not just for healing, but for everyday wellness. These practices were dismissed by Western medicine as superstition<\/strong> or folk remedies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to today: major Western companies now market these same herbs as superfoods<\/strong> and natural supplements<\/strong>, wrapped in sleek packaging and sold at supermarkets at premium prices.<\/p>\n

When the leaves were in African hands, it was myth. In a glass jar with a label, it became medicine.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

4. African Spirituality: From \u201cHeathen\u201d to \u201cMystical\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Indigenous African spiritual systems were demonised by missionaries, colonialists, and even post-colonial governments. Practices like drumming<\/strong>, ancestor veneration<\/strong>, and ritual dance<\/strong> were called pagan<\/em> or satanic<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Today, elements of those same traditions \u2014 rhythmic breathing, drumming circles, chanting, meditation \u2014 are being taught in yoga studios and mindfulness retreats across the U.S. and Europe, often stripped of their roots but sold as pathways to enlightenment.<\/p>\n

They burned the drum, then sold its echo back as healing.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"White<\/a><\/h3>\n

5. African Hairstyles and Fashion: From \u201cUnprofessional\u201d to \u201cRunway Chic\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Hairstyles like cornrows<\/strong>, locs<\/strong>, and Bantu knots<\/strong> have historically been criticised in Western settings \u2014 even banned in schools and workplaces. Black children were punished for wearing them.<\/p>\n

Yet now, these same styles are flaunted by celebrities on magazine covers and praised as boho-chic<\/strong> or Afro-futuristic<\/strong> \u2014 often without credit to their cultural roots.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t beautiful until it left Black hands and landed in fashion week.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Marie_Heinemann\"<\/a><\/h3>\n

So, Why Does This Keep Happening?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Because cultural theft becomes cultural \u201cinnovation\u201d once it\u2019s filtered through whiteness and wealth<\/strong>. The system rewards Western validation and punishes indigenous authenticity \u2014 until it\u2019s profitable.<\/p>\n

1. Colonial Mindset and Cultural Superiority<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For centuries, Western powers justified colonisation by labelling non-Western ways of life as inferior<\/em>, savage<\/em>, or primitive<\/em>. This narrative wasn\u2019t just propaganda \u2014 it was part of a larger psychological operation that allowed exploitation to happen with moral comfort. If a culture was seen as \u201cuncivilised,\u201d then taking its land, labour, or knowledge felt justified.<\/p>\n

So when Africans lived in harmony with nature, used herbal medicine, built with mud, or practised spiritual traditions, the West didn’t stop to understand \u2014 it dismissed and demeaned. The goal wasn\u2019t mutual respect \u2014 it was domination.<\/em><\/p>\n

2. Capitalism Doesn\u2019t Like What It Can\u2019t Profit From<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Western systems tend to ignore or devalue anything that doesn\u2019t generate profit for them<\/em>. If mud houses, traditional medicine, or communal farming couldn\u2019t be turned into a branded, scalable product, they were called backwards<\/em>. But the moment there’s a market \u2014 a way to sell it, patent it, or turn it into a trend \u2014 suddenly it becomes \u201cinnovative,\u201d \u201csustainable,\u201d or \u201cdisruptive.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is why yoga becomes a billion-dollar industry in the West, while its spiritual roots are sidelined. It’s why Shea butter gets rebranded as a luxury skincare ingredient, while the women who\u2019ve made it for generations remain underpaid. It\u2019s not about discovery \u2014 it\u2019s about ownership.<\/em><\/p>\n

3. Control of Narrative<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The West has long controlled the global narrative through media, academia, and industry. So when African cultures do something first, it\u2019s often ignored or vilified. When the West adopts the same thing, it\u2019s seen as a breakthrough<\/em>. The same mud house becomes a \u201ccarbon-neutral earth home\u201d in the U.S. but a \u201csign of poverty\u201d in Ghana.<\/p>\n

This narrative control has real consequences: it affects funding, reputation, and how people view themselves.<\/p>\n

4. Racism, Plain and Simple<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Underpinning all of this is a legacy of racism \u2014 the idea that African knowledge is less valuable, less rigorous, or less worthy of respect. It shows up in the way indigenous wisdom is dismissed until it\u2019s “validated” by Western scientists or institutions.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s the result?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Africans have often been made to feel ashamed of their own innovations \u2014 only to see those same ideas celebrated globally once the West finds a way to sell them. But times are changing. More and more Africans are reclaiming their narratives, protecting their intellectual property, and challenging the global system to give credit where it\u2019s due.<\/p>\n

But Now, the Joke Is on Them<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The world is burning, literally and metaphorically. And suddenly, the answers to climate resilience, wellness, and community \u2014 answers that African societies have held for generations \u2014 are being sought by the very cultures that once dismissed them.<\/p>\n

The lesson?<\/p>\n

Africa was never behind. The world just refused to listen \u2014 until it needed saving.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The mud, the barefoot path, the bitter leaf, and the drum? They\u2019re all still here. Still standing. Just like Africa.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And this time?<\/p>\n

We know who the joke\u2019s on.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why is it that until Western society figures out how to monetise something from Africa \u2014 or from the Global South in general \u2014 it’s labelled as primitive, barbaric, or backwards? Because, simply put, the West has long thrived on a system where value only exists when they define it \u2014 and profit from it….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1939,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[946,945,947,942,938,948,943,937,936,939,941,944,935,940],"class_list":["post-1931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-african-hairstyles","tag-african-spirituality","tag-bantu-knots","tag-baobab","tag-barefoot-walking","tag-boho-chic","tag-dongoyaro","tag-eco-conscious","tag-eco-luxury-living","tag-grounding-retreats","tag-holistic-healing","tag-moringa","tag-primitive-huts","tag-traditional-herbal-medicine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/africawebtv.nl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/africawebtv.nl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/africawebtv.nl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africawebtv.nl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africawebtv.nl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/africawebtv.nl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1931\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africawebtv.nl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/africawebtv.nl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africawebtv.nl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africawebtv.nl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}