What
could you consider to be the historic base for the myth in African philosophy?
Introduction
African philosophy
is a course designed to debunk the bases of the Eurocentric scholars on the
question of philosophy, but the issue to be discussed in this work is not the
question of an African philosophy but he historic bases for the myth in the
African philosophy. There is philosophy in Africa and the Africans have
philosophers for the singular virtue of the existence of their philosophy.
There
is a mythology in African philosophy and to this regard, the myths must have a
historical bases for existing as a part of the philosophy of the African man. [1]This
may be in contra-distinction to Odera Oruka and Kwasi Wiredu’s suggestion that
the mission of African philosophy in the contemporary world is a practical one.
It is not even simply a conceptual problem having much to do with the meaning
of cross-cultural concepts. [2]
Modern African thought, both in its imaginative ideological manifestations,
have been largely conditioned by the violent historical encounter of Africa
with the west. The formal can be as a result of the division between those
advocating for a strong western orientation in African philosophy, those that
held that the African system of thought cannot pass as philosophy because of
its lack of rigorous nature and criticality and those taking a deviant route,
advocating a strictly traditional and more indigenous approach in the sense
that their philosophical orientation is strictly African. [3]Up
to the present, ethnographers have denied all abstract thought to tribal
peoples. Cultures may be dear to the owners but the truth is dearest.
In
the course of my discuss in this term paper, I will state in elaboration what I
consider to be the historic bases for the existence of myth in the African
philosophy but before I proceed to the main concern of this discuss, it will be
of relevance if I clarify the concept of this term paper first, as to what each
meant in its usage in this paper.
Conceptual clarification
In
an attempt to clarify terms conceptually with regards to this term paper, I
need to make clarifications as to what is an African philosophy, what do I mean
by a myth and a historic base. I would say that the concept of an African philosophy is a philosophical
practice of the African people which to extents centers on or is faced with the
issue of addressing the problematic of the African mind. The question here is,
African philosophy in this context, is it referring to a particular group or
division of African philosophers, as there are ethno philosophy, sage
philosophy, nationalist-ideological philosophy and the professional philosophy.
African philosophy is not just a cultural enterprise of the Africans, it is a
discuss which constitutes the description of the African worldviews and
representing the African indigenous mode of thinking or philosophizing. It
contradicts the notion that it is a description of mere African cultural
practices.[4] I
state as a personal view that the myth in the African philosophy is not a
constituent of the four divisions of African philosophy. Taking for instance,
the belief, philosophy and thought system of the African professional
philosophy is subjected to the realm of critical and logic examination. Stating
this as a premise, I do not see the reason why a myth should exist in a
critically and logically examined philosophy of the African professional
philosophers. Myths are stories of
the event of ancient times especially the ones told to explain natural events
or early history of a particular people, place or culture. Myths in the African
context, offers insight to the nature of reality. [5]African
myths communicate an important paradox: the cosmos grounded in a fundamental
order and characterized by constant change and renewal. African mythology
depicts the cosmos as an entity; they express values, identify morals and embody
profound philosophical reflection. Myths retain their cultural importance, even
after they had come under attack from philosophers. Mythology is linked to
philosophy and other anthropology, it is a symbolic narrative usually of
unknown origin and at least partly traditional that ostensibly relates actual
events and it is always associated with belief. The historic bases, refers to those essential dynamic elements,
facts and forces that advocated or paved way for the mythical constituent or
for a mythology in African philosophy. Those are the forces that pushed it down
from the origin of it up to this contemporary period.
Another
question here is, the existence of myth in the African philosophy***
What I consider to be the
historic-base for the myth in African philosophy
*********The
influence of folklore elements straddles philosophical space in modern African
literature. Although Ben Okri and Ayi Kwei Armah represent a generation apart
in modern African literature, their creative sensibilities in their texts tilt
to a point of overlap when the contexts and thematic thrusts are placed in the
historical perspective. The two writers draw on the ancestral cultural artifact
and focus their creativity and vision in a way to re-engage and textualise the
dilemma of the present realities while centralizing African experience in their
philosophical endeavors. The element of myths, legends and related oral texts
that embed contemporary African literary texts are sustained by the creative
imagination and firm grasping of the cultural order, skillfully invoked to
energize the eloquence needed to articulate and engage the memory of the post
colonies.[6]*********
The
historical-base for the myth in African philosophy resulted as a result of
series of debates that ensued with regards to knowing if there is actually an
African philosophy or a mere story told, a myth. The existence of myth in the
philosophy of the African man is not as a result of ignorance, it is clearly
deliberate. With regards to the usual and exact sense of the term ‘myth’, it
clearly can be said to have its origin from the African ancestors but the
question here remains, what could be its historic-base, the origin from which
it emanated.
In
a personal opinion, after a clear and critical examination of some texts
writing about myth in African philosophy, I will state below what I consider to
be the historic-bases of the myth.
Factors
responsible for mythic representation of African philosophy
Problems of what is called African
philosophy
There are certain problems inherent in the
African philosophy and these problems contributed to the myth in the African
philosophy thereby making it look as a non-existent philosophy.
The unwritten nature of African
philosophy: there is no proper documentation of the
ideas of African philosopher before independence and immediately after
independence for present and future purposes as a reference point. This problem
has motivated the denial of the existence of African thought system or
philosophy.
The problem of language: the African philosophy as it is claimed to be
African in nature is not always presented in an African language but often
presented in a foreign language. If this is to be the case, nothing authentic
African would be presented because the language it is being presented is not
African. African thoughts in foreign language seem more or less a non-African;
it loses the African nature of it.
The problem of logicality and rationality:
what
is believed to be a traditional African thought always does not follow the
rules of logic; it is always does not pass critical evaluation and rationality.
On the bases of this problem, going with the formal principles of Aristotelian
logic, ‘it is the only way through which all human experiences across cultures
should be assessed and examined. Using this as criteria to judge
intelligibility and rationality, the human society is divided into those with
primitive mentality and those with civilized mentality. On the bases of this,
those who operate within the principles and laws of formal logic are mentally
advanced, and those who do not operate within the principles of formal logic
are not mentally advanced. Since Africa obviously falls to the later group, the
argument is that they are not mentally developed, they cannot be philosophical,
and they can rather be mythological.
Debate by ethno-philosophers and
professional philosophers
The
debate on the existence of African philosophy revolves around the intellectual
exchanges between those that argue that there is nothing like African
philosophy and those that argue contrary that there is an African philosophy.
The
myth in African philosophy is as a result of the debate that ensued between the
ethno-philosophers and the professional philosophers as to what shape or form
will what is today referred as African philosophy take. What determines the
contents of an African philosophy; is it an integration of different
traditional norms, values and beliefs systems as propounded by the
ethno-philosophers, or is it a critical and logical analysis and debates about
the African belief and thought system.
As
a matter of presentation, “the ethno-philosophers as termed by Paulin Hountondji
are those anthropologists, sociologists, ethnographers and philosophers who
present the collective world view of the African peoples, their myths and folk-lore
and folk-wisdoms, as philosophy. They try describing a world outlook or thought
system of a particular or whole African society. They perceive African
philosophy as communal thought and give it emotional appeal as one of its
features”[7].
This is opposed and in contradistinction to seeing African philosophy as a body
of logically and critically argued thoughts and debate by individuals as
propounded by the professional philosophers of Africa. The professional
philosophers took a universal view of philosophy, arguing that it must have the
same meaning in every culture though the subject of priority may be dictated by
cultural biases and existential situations and conditions within which a
philosopher airs his views. Some representative authors that wrote within the
confines or category of ethno-philosophy are Tempels, Senghor, Mbiti and Kagame.
This argument of consideration puts to question the real nature of what is
called African philosophy.
Man
in his nature is a thinker and from his thoughts about his environment and
otherwise, he raises fundamental questions. The myths also results as a fact
that the life of a society is organized according to what are accepted as the
answer to the fundamental questions raised. These answers may in fact be
grounded in error and ignorance though they are usually not questioned. Rarely
do men turn around to criticize them or feel the necessity to provide
justifications for these beliefs and thoughts without challenge. In Africa, the
challenge to the traditional worldviews and belief system came chiefly from
contact with western Europeans.[8]
“Another
factor, which stimulated the debate on African philosophy, had to do with the
process of social transformation in Africa. This process of modernization,
which, according to Kwasi Wiredu, “entails change not only in the physical
environment but also in the mental outlook of our peoples[9],
generated a debate on the adequacy or inadequacy of African traditional
world-views for contemporary existence. At issue here are the questions of the
cultural and epistemological requirements for economic growth and social
development and the extent to which the intellectual resources of traditional
thought and culture could meet these requirements. It was the attempt to answer
these questions, which led to the general discussion on the role and direction
of African philosophy. It is this aspect of debate on African philosophy, which
has generated, at least for now, the most formidable literature in
post-colonial African philosophy.[10]
Hence,
prior to the contemporary African scholars’ exemplar works or writings on what,
indeed, qualified to be African philosophy, mere descriptive accounts and
typical generalizations about ‘the traditional world-views of African people,
which were predominantly communal and largely unwritten,’ were taken as African
philosophy. In fact, as Wiredu puts it, the conception of African
philosophy, which is largely christened ‘ethno-philosophy’, was “implicit in
the life, thought and talk of the traditional African”. The statement of this
conception of African philosophy is found in the works of John Mbiti, who notes
that “‘African Philosophy’ here refers to the understanding, attitude of mind,
logic and perception behind the manner in which African peoples think, act or
speak in different situations of life.[11]”
This is the conception of African philosophy challenged by Oruka, Wiredu,
Bodunrin, Hountondji and Makinde, to mention a few. Arising from this challenge
is the debate on the possibility of African philosophy, a debate that took the
central stage in the larger part of the 1970s through to the 1990s. The
orientation of the contemporary African philosophers is based on the assumption
that philosophy is “a rational, critical study of which argumentation and
clarification are essential elements”. Hence, since the documentation and
records of African traditional thoughts, beliefs and world-views do not share
these essential elements; they are not ‘African philosophy’. However, this does
not suggest the denial of these thoughts, beliefs and world-views as nonexistent,
what is denied is that “the unanalytical narratives of these (thoughts, beliefs
and) world views given by the scholars of the first orientation in African
philosophy can produce an authentic modern African philosophy”.[12]
The
debate about African philosophy being a real philosophy or a myth is based and
primarily under the influence of what one understands to be a myth and a
philosophy in the actual sense of the terms as they are being used.
African Sense of duty
This
is the need felt by the Africans of being duty-bound to reconstruct the
thoughts of their fore-fathers because the Europeans never expected anything
from us in cultural terms except that we should offer her our civilization as
showpieces and alienate ourselves in a fictitious dialogue with her over the
head of our own people.[13]
Motivated by the genuine need for an African philosophy, they have wrongly
believed that this philosophy lies in our past needing only to be exhumed and
then brandished like a miraculous weapon in the astonished face of colonialist
Europe. They did not see that African philosophy like African science or
African culture in general is before us not behind us and must be created today
by decisive action. Nobody would deny that this creation will not be effected
ex nihilo (out of nothing), that it will necessarily embrace the heritage of
the past and will therefore rather be a recreation.[14]
In
an attempt to preserve the African believe and thought system, they were
petrified and mummified into myths and presented as philosophy and topics for
external consumption. It is an objective of describing the features of African
civilization for the benefits of the European counterparts to secure a respect
for African originality. In the proves of these, an African philosophy
concocted from extra-philosophical materials consisting of tales, legends,
dynastic poems etc were formed by aggressively interpreting these cultural
data, grinding them down to extract their supposedly substantive marrow,
turning them over and over in order to derive what is possible.[15]
The inability of the Bantu philosophy
to give a philosophy of an African origin:
The
Bantu philosophy of Placide Tempels which is said to be the first formal
philosophy of the African was not and did not address the Africans; it was
rather focused to an European audience. In an attempt to rehabilitate the
notorious Bantu philosophy and produce a philosophy strictly African, myths
were employed. In trying to define the African thought system and trying to
codify a strictly African thought system, African philosophy literatures were
written but in an alienated from which did not even solve the problem created
by the bantu philosophy. The myth is as a result of the need; not just to talk
about Africa but also to talk among Africans. There is need to first and
foremost write for an African public and no longer an European public.
Deviating
from the inspirations of Tempels’ works, philosophic debates in Africa was
divided into different currents according to different authors. Olusegun Oladipo
made divisions of what he regarded as the analysts and traditionalists. For
him, the traditionalists are those who uphold the presence of philosophy in the
African tradition in general, including religion, proverbs, folk-lore and myth. [16]
While the analysts are those that held that philosophy is a special kind of
academic discipline that is not to be sought wherever there is culture. Odera
Oruka made a detailed division, while including the earlier mentioned two,
expanded it to four, including ethno philosophers (traditionalist),
professional philosophers (analysts), nationalist ideologists and sage
philosophers. These are intellectual classifications in contemporary African
philosophy[17].
*************
The first African philosophers were
not professionals: [18]the
post colonial era in African philosophy was a period of professionalism. Yet,
paradoxically, the philosophical doctrines of this period have been propounded
by non-professionals than professionals. These philosophies of the
non-professionals have influenced the thought system of many Africans before
and after independence, while those propounded by the professionals after
independence is still struggling to make its way to the African thought system.
Most of the non-professionals are termed philosophers due to historical
circumstances. The philosophy thought by the non-professional philosophers
before independence, had myths as a constituting factor and one of the major
elements of it. ****
Myth
in the African philosophy also as a result of clarifying the origin of
philosophy whether philosophy originated from Greek or ancient Egypt. This is a
case for the myth of the stolen legacy. Trying to explain and clarify the fact
that philosophy actually started on the African continent and specifically in
Egypt. The formal is on the bases of the claim that philosophy was taught in
temples by ancient Egyptian priests were the first Greek philosophers are said
to have studied. ****
[1]
Idea of an African philosophy pg 112
[2]
African philosophy down the ages p.g 361
[3]
The African mind p.g 12
[4]
Four decades of philosophy p.g 78
[5]
Microsoft encarer 2009
[7]
Paulin hountondji. Le mythe de la philosophie spontance. In cahiers
philosophiques African . no 1 (lumbumbashi, 1972).(question of African
philosophy, handout.
[8]
The question of African philosophy, hand out.
[9]
Kwasi Wiredu, philosophy of an African culture (Cambridge university press,
1980)p.g x
[10]
Core issues in African philosophy, edited by olusegun oladipo
[11]
H. Odera Oruka, “The Fundamental Principles in the Question
of African Philosophy”, Second
Order, Vol. IV.
No.
1, 1975. Here, Oruka argues that ethnophilosophy is not philosophy because it
does not meet some
characteristics, which constitute the
necessary conditions in determining what is philosophy in the exact sense.
[13]
African philosophy p.g 52
[14]
African philosophy p.g 53.
[15]
African philosophy, myth and reality p.g 50.
[16]
Philosophy and the African predicament
[17]
V. Y. Mudimbe, the intention of Africa: philosophy, Gnosis and the order of
knowledge, Indiana Univ. press, 1988,pp. 173-174.
[18]
Conceptual decolonization in African philosophy. 4 essays pg 11
