During this era a sense of local patriotism or nationalism took deeper root among African intellectuals and politicians.
And for the first time, African American intellectuals waded into the contentious debate.
He first rose to prominence as a critic of some of the accepted orthodoxies of African intellectuals in the 1960s and 1970s.
He is regarded by many as one of the most important African intellectuals of the 20th century.
And to the distress of many African intellectuals, both seem either unwilling or unable to fulfill their leadership potential.
Most African intellectuals don't do that.
"Twenty years ago African intellectuals didn't want us to treat malaria," he said.
However, among many African intellectuals it caused controversy and received harsh criticism.
Enwezor is also adept at playing the part of the hypersophisticated expatriate African intellectual.
Colonial boundaries shaped the way that African intellectuals put together political coalitions in challenging colonial domination.