Unit 1 - Essay - ‘Africanity’ of African philosophy PDF

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Discuss critically the criteria for determining the ‘Africanity’ of African philosophy by various authors. Introductions What then makes a philosophy African? This essay emphasizes that what makes philosophy African is its ‘Africanity’. It further critically discusses the criteria for determining the ‘Africanity’ of African philosophy by various authors What is ‘Africanity’ Africanity is a set of characteristics that distinguish African philosophy from Western or any other philosophies. Africanity speaks of the social context or 'life setting’ or the locale within which African philosophy is done, and is this cultural contribution to philosophizing is what particularizes philosophy as African. When we speak of culture of the African people it means that African philosophy must speak to African problems and situations, which provides the ingredients that defines it as African. While the ‘philosophicality’ of African philosophy speaks of the person or enterprise of doing philosophy. They must either come from African or an African person living in diaspora or someone not coming from Africa but living in Africa and involved in the life of the African people. Such a person can meaningfully and authentically contribute to the development of African thought. Who is an ‘African’ It is in this regard that Osuagwu (1999) speaks of Africans by association, law, enterprise and relevance and identifies the following “geo-ethno-technological” factors to be regarded as an African  

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The ethno-African, is identified by nature, origin, birth, ancestry, tribe, physiology, colour and culture The geo-temporal African: This category qualifies an African space and time within the African philosophy typically occurring. This is either by immediate physical placement within the African continent or by remote spatial presence anywhere the African find themselves present The lego-African, qualifies as an expatriate author, which becomes an African by virtual of a civil ecclesiastical or academic law which empowers or mandates them The techno-African: Identifies an expatriate African who becomes an African philosopher by interest or preoccupation, enterprise, research, literature, doctrine undertaken or produced. It clearly identifies any work produced as African philosophy

Ali Mazrui on the other hand has defined an African as:  

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Africans of the blood which are defined in racial and genealogical terms; they are identified with the black race, this is in comparison to Osuagwu’s Ethno-African. Africans of the soil, who are defined in geographical terms; they are identified with the Africans continent in nationality and ancestral location. this is in comparison to Osuagwu’s geo-temporal African. And lastly, Africans of soil by adoption - Non-black Africans by blood or soil, this is in comparison to Osuagwu’s Techno-African.

Both Osuagwu and Ali Mazrui’s association of an African, have inflated the definition of who is an African and not those just living on the Africa continent everybody can authentically contribute to the development of Africa. This brings about the universal spirit of philosophy. If African philosophy has to be genuine philosophy, then it must maintain both its Africanicity and its philosophicality as essential characteristics. A single characteristic such as colour, ancestry or geography does not settle the question of who or what is an African? but still makes difficult the question of which ideas are to be regarded as African philosophy.

What makes Philosophy African Strictly speaking, what African philosophy is, depends on the trend or approach that one is following. There are four schools as regards what African Philosophy constitutes 1.

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African Philosophy is the philosophical thought of Africans as could be shifted from their various world views, myths, proverbs, etc. it is the philosophy indigenous to Africans, untainted by foreign ideas. African philosophy as, the philosophical reflection on, and analysis of, African conceptual systems and social realities as undertaken by contemporary professional philosophers. This reduces African Philosophy to reflections by professionally trained philosophers who operate with the collaboration of traditional thinkers African Philosophy as the combination of these two approaches, without suppressing or looking down on any. African Philosophy is not any of the above; however, its proponents regard African Philosophy as any collection of texts produced by Africans and specifically described by their authors as Philosophy.

Conclusion In this essay, we discussed what makes a philosophy African. This essay emphasizes that what makes philosophy African is its ‘Africanity’. It further critically discusses the criteria for determining the ‘Africanity’ of African philosophy by various authors...