ABSTRACT
For the intellectual of the African diaspora however cutting the cord with the motherland even after centuries of literal separation, in some cases, can still be deeply problematic. His or her image of Africa might be irrelevant to the development needs of the continent, but it is still relevant to the intellectual and not so intellectual in the search for identity in the fragmented post-modem world. Notions of self-esteem and combating racism are linked inextricably to positive images of the African continent and conversely the opposite is true. Constant negative perceptions of Africa and African people attack the self-esteem of the intellectual of African descent in the West.
