ENTRY DESCRIPTION
It is easy to see the effects and the impact of colonization in the culture and architecture of the colonized peoples but it is difficult to see the mental and psychological ramification of it. Our ancestors witnessed multiple military invasions which pushed them to lose their cherished lands. Unable to push away the invaders, they chose to work with the colonizers to avoid mass extinction. Although, their forced collaboration bought them time and guaranteed their physical survival, they didn’t anticipate a multidimensional disorientation which heavily impeded their road to prosperity. Learning the language of the colonizer paved their way to the dominant culture. Alas, this hegemonic culture prides itself on dehumanizing "the other". In “Peau Noire Masque Blanc” (White Mask, Black Skin) the Martinican/ Algerian psychiatrist describes in his book the impact of deculturation and assimilation on West Indians in France. Albert Memmi develops this idea even further in more details in his book “Portrait du Colonisé”. The Tunisian thinker says that when the colonized starts to accept his/her imposed new inferior status, his/her self-worth and confidence deteriorate. The photo is a portrait of a colonized person who faces a existential crisis. He/she is stuck in the present and is unable to see the future. To be able to embrace what he/she once was, she/ he needs to break the shackles of psychological and cognitive slavery.

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