非洲民族主义先驱阿弗里卡纳斯·霍顿

Africanus Horton,a Pioneer of African Nationalism

阿弗里卡纳斯·霍顿是非洲近代史上颇受争议的一位知识分子。不仅同时代的人对霍顿的评价褒贬不一,后人对他也是毁誉参半。由于对英国抱有不切实际的幻想,加之对殖民主义持肯定态度,霍顿由此成为近代非洲知识分子中受非议最多的一位思想家。一些人批评霍顿是一位"受西方文化毒害已到无可救药地步"的"死不悔改的亲英派",是"黑皮肤的英国人"。另一种看法则与之相反,认为霍顿是西非的科学家、爱国者、泛非主义者、西部非洲"知识革命"的先驱和"非洲人尊严的捍卫者",并将他誉为"非洲的现代政治思想之父"。

Africanus Horton was an intellectual much in controversy in modern African history. He had won praises and disparages not only from people in his time but also those after. Horton became the most reproached thinker of the modern African intellectuals for his unrealistic illusion on the United Kingdom and his affirmative attitude towards colonialism. Some criticized Horton as one who had been contaminated by the west culture to an incurable degree, one absolutely refused to repent and the black-skinned Britishman. But some viewed him as the west Afrcian scientist, a patriot, a pan-Africanist, a pioneer of the 'intellectual revolution' in west Africa, 'aguarder of African dignity' and 'father of modern African political ideology' .