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What example does Soyinka give in Chapter 8 of "Of Africa" to symbolize the need to "depolarize cultural combatants" in the struggle to have Africa and African people emerge as full human participants in world societies?

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Final answer:

Soyinka uses the example of African American prizefighters as a symbol to illustrate the need for depolarizing cultural combatants, helping Africa and its people to emerge as full participants in the global society.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Chapter 8 of Of Africa, Wole Soyinka provides the example of the postwar African American experience in the realm of sports as a form of cultural diplomacy. Spotlighting the lives of three African American prizefighters, this example symbolizes the need to depolarize cultural combatants in order to allow Africa and African people to fully participate as human entities in world societies. These prizefighters became not only a potent symbol of defiance against racial stereotypes but also a testament to the potential for depolarization and unity amongst diverse cultural combatants.

Soyinka's narrative stresses the importance of understanding and celebrating African identity while also illustrating the destructive nature of cultural polarization. This content loaded narrative exemplifies the struggle for African and African-descended people to claim their rightful place within global geopolitics and culture, and is seen as a call to diminish the divide between contrasting cultural and political ideologies which have historically marginalized African perspectives.

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