The five networks described in the essay, mapped to Uganda’s and Africa’s identity negotiation, unfold as follows: First, the Pericentral network (sensory-motor) governs reflexive responses, reacting to \"nonself\" threats like colonialism with immediate, physical action. Second, the Dorsal Frontoparietal network (goal-directed attention) focuses on detecting and prioritizing nonself entities, potentially faltering in Africa’s blurred boundaries with foreign influence. Third, the Lateral Frontoparietal network (flexible decision-making) navigates ambiguity, reflecting the continent’s struggle to balance tribal diversity and imposed systems. Fourth, the Medial Frontoparietal network (self-referential identity) turns inward, emphasizing self-coherence over external rejection, perhaps overly so in Africa’s history. Fifth, the Cingulo-Insular network (salience optimization) integrates these, ideally balancing self and nonself for efficiency—a convergence Africa might yet achieve. The order—from reflex to attention, ambiguity, identity, and optimization—mirrors a progression from instinctive reaction to reflective synthesis, suggesting a natural arc of development, though not necessarily a hierarchy; Africa’s “error” may lie in stalling at ambiguity or self-focus, short of full convergence.
\n", "