Irabor, B.P. and Abhulime A. (2020). Henry Odera Oruka‟s “Trends in African Philosophy”
and the Question of Originality: An Eclectic Proposal. Nasara Journal of Philosophy,
(Department of Philosophy, Federal University Lafia), Vol.5, No.2, pp.97-119.
Henry Odera Oruka’s “Trends in African Philosophy” and the Question of Originality:
An Eclectic Proposal
By
Irabor, Benson Peter and Abhulime Andrew
Abstract
Henry Odera Oruka is one of the foremost scholars who were enthralled but engaged the metaphilosophical discourse on the question of African philosophy. Oruka is famous for providing
the various trends that reflects the activities that various philosophers participate in. In spite of
the strengths inherent in each of the trends initiated by Oruka, this research argues finds that it
makes African philosophy appear as though these scholars are working in a diverse field with
grossly unrelated thematic contention. This is also connected to the criticism that African
philosophy lacks originality and is merely a transliteration of Western philosophy. It is on this
showing that African philosophy has been questioned on the grounds of originality and
uniqueness. Following these prongs, using the method of critical analysis where the meaning
and logical implications of concept are given crucial space, this paper argues that eclecticism
can serve as a reconciliatory ground for improved and holistic Afro-indigenous episteme that
takes cognizance of what is truly African. This is significant because it allows Africans to be
able to showcase intellectual originality which can be useful both for them and other peoples of
the world in a world where epistemic marginalization is nearly replete.
Keywords: African Philosophy, Eclecticism, „Epistemicide,‟ Henry Odera Oruka, „Six Trends in
African Philosophy.‟
1
Introduction
Conventionally, scholars of African descent and others from Europe and America have engaged
over the question of meta-philosophical question of African philosophy. For the arm of scholars
who deny that there is an authentic African philosophy, the poser is rife: If there is African
Philosophy, who are the philosophers? And if there are, what ideas from within their community
of thought constitute African Philosophy? 1 In spite of the various ways and attempt to
demonstrate this existence, originality and nature of what kind of activities passes as African
philosophy, by the 21st century, Barry Hallen comes to the conclusion that “African philosophy,
as an autochthonous and important area of research in its own right, definitely has arrived, and it
deserves far more attention from the international academy than it is presently receiving.” 2 What
this pronouncement portends is that the existence of African Philosophy is no longer under
contention. In other words, the debate as to whether Africans have philosophy has ended.
Borrowing the words of Pantaleon Iroegbu:
African philosophy is now alive. It is even blossoming as thinkers,
African and non-Africans, are increasingly engaged in the rational and
systematic reflection of the African reality, the African experience, and
the African condition. This natural cum conscious project of the search of
being, knowing and having has various forms and variegated methods. In
contemporary times, there is a growing reflection of, and an expanding
literature on African Philosophy.3
However, what is contested is if what we are presented with in African Philosophy in terms of
contents and methodology merits the extolled name philosophy. The raging argument is
dipolaric. In one camp are those who think that the method of philosophizing in African context
up till now makes the discipline philosophic. By method here, what is meant is the ways and
contents of African philosophy in the likes of traditional worldviews, customs, mores, myths and
folktales of the African people. In the opposite camp are those who tagged African philosophy
with folk philosophy and considered it as pseudo philosophy mainly because it is reconstructive
and apologetic to the traditional worldview rather than antagonistic and destructive of it.4
In spite of the deadening of this debate and the subtle admission that strict African philosophy is
just emerging, we must not shy from the outlook that “torrent of scholars, both of African and
non-African roots have…successfully argued that Eurocentrism is an error in reasoning.”5
1
I.A. Kanu, African Philosophy: An Ontologico-Existential Hermeneutic Approach to Classical and Contemporary
Issues, (Jos: Augustinian Publications, 2015), p.46.
2
B. Hallen, A Short Introduction to African Philosophy, (Indiana: Indian University Press, 2002), p.48.
3
P. Iroegbu, Op. cit., p.283.
4
P. Bello, “African Philosophy: in a Crisis of Method” in NAPSSEC Journal of Philosophy, Vol.2, 2004, p.7.
5
E. Ofuasia, “Ori in Yoruba Thought System: A Humean Critique”. Africology: Journal of Pan African Studies. Vol
9 (10), 2016, pp.185-196.
2
Eurocentrism, was actually the main motivation for the denial of African thought owing to the
underlying assumption that knowledge is only restricted to the global north. With the
advancements in critical research from the global south, this excessive and absolute trust in
Euro-American ideals seems to be on the wane. It is on this note that this study seeks to revisit
the position of Oruka on the trends in African thought systems and argue for eclecticism as a
viable place upon which the originality and authenticity of African philosophy can be erected.
This eclectic perspective will show that even when the trends are diverse there is no doubt in the
fact that they are clear manifestations of the same African philosophy with the calculated
intention of presenting a status quo of African genius. Their main undergirding which points to
originality stems from the urge to dislodge the trend of casting the episteme of Africa and the
whole of the global south as imitation of Western ideas or at worst subaltern or inferior.
To attain the above research objective, the first task is to reconsider critically, Oruka‟s trends in
African philosophy and also the various flaws that have greeted it. Before going far, it is crucial
to note that reproaches and appraisals of Oruksa‟s ideas are recently gaining space and
consideration in contemporary African scholarship. For instance, Jonathan Chimakonam has
recently employed Oruka‟s ideas “to offer the Human Minimum Measure (HMM) as model that
might also be desirable if the reality of psychological deprivation is taken seriously.”6 This
research therefore seeks to extrapolate a similar convention from Oruka‟s ideas for development
via eclecticism to further the quest for originality and authenticity in African philosophy. So in
the next section, we consider the various trends that Oruka listed while in the last effort is made
to argue for the eclectic outlook which can facilitate original African indigenous episteme.
Henry Odera Oruka and the Trends in African Philosophy
In his most cited and renowned work, Sage Philosophy: Indigenous Thinkers and Modern
Debate on African Philosophy, the Kenyan erudite scholar Henry Odera Oruka (199) identifies
and differentiates six trends or schools of thought on what contemporary African philosophy
displays as follows: ethno-philosophy, philosophic sagacity, nationalistic-ideological philosophy,
professional philosophy, hermeneutic philosophy, and artistic or literary philosophy. So in this
section, the main kernel of each of them as well as the objections and shortcomings leveled at
each of them will be considered.
Ethno-Philosophy: The term Ethno-philosophy was successful in the euphoria subsequent to the
debate on the existence of African philosophy. The protagonists of this theory (such as John
J. Chimakonam. “Where are we in the Global Poverty Measurement?: The Human Minimum Model as a Veritable
Option” in Journal of Asian and African Studies. 2019b
6
3
Mbiti, Placid Temples, Barry Hallen, and Olubi Sodipo, to mention but a few), hold that the
different African worldviews properly constitute what could be regarded as African Philosophy.
They would define African Philosophy as the philosophical thoughts of Africans which can be
extracted from their various worldviews, myths, proverbs, etc.7 In this case, Ethno-philosophy is
based on the assumption that “there is a metaphysical system and an ideology, embodied in the
traditional wisdom, the institutions and the languages of Africa.” Thus for Maurice M. Makumba
having explored the possible options and arguments announces that what is studied under ethnoPhilosophy traditional thought and beliefs.8
Some scholars have rejected Ethno-Philosophy on some grounds. Fidelis Okafor notes that one
of the reasons for this is that “it is said to be that it deviates from the methodology and
framework that have been laid down by the Western philosophical tradition, whose origin is
traced back to Ionia in ancient Greece.”9 Over the course of time, the greatness of a philosopher
tends to be measured by the extent to which that philosopher loathed and criticized the
Weltanschauung; that is, the status quo of his place and time as expressed in the way of life of
the people. Hence, ethno-philosophy as expounded by this camp, mostly deracinated Africans,
when assessed in terms of the parameters of Western philosophy, is being judged unqualified to
bear the honorific title of Philosophy.10 This is why Pauline Hountondji, the foremost critic of
ethno-philosophy humorously remarks: “What may be superstition is paraded as „African
religion‟, and the white world is expected to endorse that it is indeed a religion but an African
religion. What in all cases is a mythology is paraded as „African Philosophy‟, and again the
white culture is expected to endorse that it is indeed a philosophy but an African Philosophy.”11
Hountondji continues that ethno-philosophy is no philosophy because it is communal and
collective thought and it is not written down. It important to state that based on Hountondji‟s
assertion that philosophy started with oral tradition before it was put down into writing,
philosophy is not philosophy because it has been written down; it is philosophy because it is first
an idea.12 While it is vital that writing is a crucial factor in the process of intellectual
development in any society, it is pertinent to note that though one of the Greatest Greek
Philosopher, Socrates never wrote anything, Plato his student put his thought into writings.
However, the emphasis on documentation is now rife as Bodunrin writes:
7
I.A. Kanu, Op. cit., p.48.
M.M. Makumba, Introduction to Philosophy, (Nairobi: Paulines Publications Africa, 2005), p.152.
9
F.I. Okafor, In defense of Afro-Japanese Ethno-philosophy. Philosophy Journal East and West, Vol.47, No.3,
1997, p.370.
10
Ibid.
11
P.J. Hountondji, African Philosophy: Myth and Reality, (Bloomington: Indiana Univ. Press, 1983), p.60.
12
I.A. Kanu,Op. cit., p.49.
8
4
The influence of writing...cannot be under-estimated. Writing helps us
to pin down ideas and to crystallize them in our minds. It makes the
ideas of one day available for later use. It is by its means that the
thoughts of one age are made available to succeeding generations
with the least distortion.13
The implication of the above is that even if writing is not a pre-requisite for philosophy, it is
doubtful whether philosophy can progress adequately without writing. He further argues: “Had
others not written down the sayings of Socrates, the Pre-Socratics and Buddha, we would today
not regard them as Philosophers, for their thoughts would have been lost in the mythological
world of proverbs and petty sayings.”14 This is why, according to him, a people without literate
civilization cannot really have a philosophy. Sale Mohammed in his “African philosophy” lends
weight to Bodunrin‟s submissions and adds another line of argument, the institutional prerequisite. The written tradition that is necessary for a philosophy, according to Sale Mohammed,
also goes with the institutional prerequisite, which is a pre-requisite for the establishment of any
intellectual.15
The consequence of no documentation gave rise to the denial of African Philosophy. Some
scholars are of the view that African Philosophy only started with the coming of formal
education which involves writing. Okoro for instance, argues that there was no African
Philosophy before the dawn of literacy in Africa. The dawn of formal education in Africa, which
coincided with colonialism may be the start of formal African Philosophy.16
No matter the argument, oral tradition is part of African Philosophy. While written
documentation is very important for posterity sake, it is also, important to state here that most
philosophical thoughts that we put into writing started with oral transmission before they were
documented. This is why Godwin Azenabor argues that writing is not the only form of
transmitting thought. Apart from written tradition, discussions, debates, conversations, oral
traditions, arts, symbols, etc., are all part of a philosopher‟s work. 17 So, if African philosophy is
to be appreciated and gain universal acceptance and recognition, documentation of African
Philosophers‟ thoughts is necessary, in whichever forms it comes: arts, symbols, pictures,
writings, crafting etc.
P.O. Bodunrin, “The Question of African Philosophy” in Journal of the Royal Institute of Philosophy, Vol.56,
No.126, 1981, p.177.
14
Ibid.
15
G. Azenabor, Understanding the Problems in African Philosophy, (Lagos: First Academic Publishers, 2002),
pp.21-22.
16
C.B. Okoro, What is African Philosophy? An Introduction (Enugu: Freemans Press, 1987), p.27.
17
G.E. Azenabor, Understanding the Problems in African Philosophy, p.29.
13
5
Philosophic Sagacity: The Sage philosophy is another trend of African Philosophy that was
developed by Henry Odera Oruka. In his view, philosophical sagacity is “the expressed thoughts
of wise men and women in any given community and is a way of thinking and explaining the
world that fluctuates between popular wisdom and didactic wisdom, an expounded wisdom and a
rational thought of some given individuals within a community.”18 It refers to the trend whereby
wise men who are reputed for unadulterated traditional wisdom, and/or who are independentthinkers are sought after and identified from within the society. The real purpose of the research
into Sage philosophy according to Oruka, was to help substantiate or invalidate the claim that
traditional African peoples were innocent of logical and critical thinking.19 In other words, Sage
philosophy is to depict the fact that even without literacy or Western influence, philosophical
reflection is possible.
A Sage, according to Oruka, is usually an opinion leader, who is frequently consulted by people,
because he is versed in the wisdom and traditions of his people and is wise within the
conventional and historical confines of his culture. A sage is usually a custodian of custom and
traditions of his people or society. Philosophic sagacity is a reflection of a person who is both a
sage and a thinker. A person can be a sage and not a thinker, this would be an ordinary sage,
while the one who is both a sage and a thinker is a philosophic sage.20
The Sage philosophy is mainly divided in two, namely, that belonging to the folk sage and that
of the philosophic sage. The folk sage may be uncritical about his folk-wisdom and beliefs and
his sagacity remains at the first-order level of philosophy. The folk sage takes refuge in authority
or behind the popular unexamined wisdom. This first order level philosophy, also called culture
philosophy, is mainly an exposition of the basic principles, which are regarded as absolutes that
justify and preserve a particular culture. Consequently, it has dogmatic truth claims and absolute
ideas because it is a Philosophy that is mainly representative of a particular culture‟s worldview,
without being thoroughly critical.21
Even though initially it appears that the sage did not simply want to be disturbed, his aggressive
attitude is symptomatic of the general tendency of folk sagacity. It is wary about questioning
established ways of doing things and therefore suspicious of anybody questioning established
ways of thinking. The sage‟s reference to the dead grandfathers is folk sagacity‟s typical way of
18
H.O. Oruka, Sage Philosophy: Indigenous Thinkers and Modern Debate on African Philosophy, (Nairobi: African
Centre for Technological Studies, 1991), p.28.
19
H.O. Oruka, Op. cit.,p.17.
20
G.E. Azenabor, Op. cit., p.99.
21
M.M. Makumba, Op. cit.,pp.153-154.
6
muzzling opposition by quoting authority. This is a good example of what Oruka himself refers
to as “die-hard faithful of tradition” for whom the only explanation for the maxims of tradition is
tradition itself. It is because of this uncritical spirit that the folk sage remains at the first order
level of philosophy because he heavily relies on the celebrated beliefs of the communal
consensus and explanation, and is completely unable to cope with the foreign innovations that
encroach upon it.22
The philosophic sage, who represents philosophical sagacity proper, can on the other hand,
make an independent and critical assessment of what others take for granted, and therefore
belongs to the second-order level of philosophy.23Accordingly, Oruka defines philosophy as a
philosophic wisdom and activity concerning the existence of things around us. It concerns with
what is, and why what is, remains, as well as a man‟s place in the universe of things. Philosophy
is therefore perceived as an attitude towards life, which makes it (life) become more intelligent,
more meaningful and purposeful.24Akinpelu holds that philosophy plays the roles of a mid-wife:
it helps in bringing ideas to birth in the way that midwives help in delivering babies.25
Like the other schools of thought in African Philosophy, philosophical sagacity has been
criticized. According to Godwin Azenabor, critics may want to point out that philosophic
sagacity reduces the whole idea of philosophy to Wisdom. It is true that etymologically speaking,
the idea of philosophy is “love for wisdom”, but then, wisdom is not necessarily philosophy,
rather, a philosopher must have wisdom or wisdom is part of philosophy. 26 And Oruka had
already pointed out that the aim of sage research is not to claim that sagacity is, by definition,
philosophy but to look for philosophy within sagacity.27
Nationalist-Ideological Philosophy: Even when various factors may account for the emergence
and struggle of the African independent fathers, Pantaleon Irogebu is convinced that:
The African continent has experienced much subjugation, domination
exploitation and manipulations as well as other inhuman conditions from
Western and advanced counties. Africa suffered in this way, under the
clutches of colonialism and today, under the guise of neo-colonialism. In
any case, the African‟s freedom, autonomy, dignity, integrity and the
22
Ibid., p.153.
H.O. Oruka, “Sagacity in African Philosophy” in International Philosophical Quartely, 23, 1983, p.386.
24
H.O. Oruka, “The Relevance of Philosophy of Education” in Nigerian Journal of Educational Philosophy, 2010,
1, 1-5.
25
J.A. Akinpelu, An Introduction to Philosophy of Education,(London and Bsintoke: Macmillan publishers, 1981),
p.167.
26
G.E. Azenabor, Op. cit., p.107.
27
H.O. Oruka, Sage Philosophy: Indigenous…Op. cit., p.41.
23
7
right to self-determination are degraded, it is not denied. This resulted in
the distortion of the picture of African personage and culture.28
It is such distortion that informed the coming together of African progressives. Their aim among
others was: first to resolve the seeming differences, development of an ending frame work for
the liberation of African people from the material and ideological clutches of Neo-colonialism,
and to re-establish African authentic self and way of life. In other words, it was in the light of
the above (subjugation, colonization and imperialism) that Africans began to clamor for freedom
and African socio-historical, political and cultural development. This of course gave rise to
thinkers like: Chief Obafemi Awolowo of Nigeria (theory of freedom), Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe also
of Nigeria (pragmatic federalism, neo-Welfarism and the establishment of democratic
institutions), Julius Nyerere of Tanzania (Ujamaa, Self-Reliance), Leopold Senghor of Senegal
(Negritude), W. E. B. Dubois and Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana (Consciencism), Sekou Toure of
Guinea, Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, Aimé Cesaire of Martinique, Ahmadu Bello of Nigeria,
Chekh Anta Diop of Senegal, and Albert Lithuli of South Africa et al, putting forward their
philosophical positions and ideologies, all of which were principally geared towards making
Africa truly free and develop. This struggle for liberation is not only physical but intellectual as
well.29
Thus, African philosophy is another way of discussing African Ideological Schools for
liberation. African Ideological Schools are movements or schools of thought which try to
provide the needed concepts for the reform of the African situation. Africa was by then and now
in bad condition due to exploitation and imperialism by foreign colonial conquering masters.
Africa therefore needed liberation from these foreign lords and exploiters. This triggered African
thinkers or Africans who tried to tackle those problems via the articulation of some set of
theories (philosophical, ideological, analytical and synthetic) in view of addressing pressing
social problems, as the colonial masters were still ruling, exploiting and dominating the African
continent. Needless to say, some of the theories were political philosophies turned ideological,
while some were outright full blown ideologies; and others still can be seen as practicable
political theories that were even tried and had varied successes or perspectives common to all of
them. One important thing stands outs in the midst of all these attempts and that is the desire and
passion for change of the colonial status quo. The desired change was to be from the slavery of
colonialism to the freedom of independence, from domination to autonomy.
28
P. Iroegbu, and M.A. Izibili, Kpim of Democracy Thematic Introduction to Socio-Political Philosophy, (BeninCity: Ever-Blessed Publishers, 2004), pp.57-58.
29
Ibid. p.56.
8
Thus, the nationalistic-ideological philosophy studies the thought of Africa‟s political leaders as
an important stage in the development of African philosophy. This is represented by the works of
politicians like Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere and Leopold Senghor. It is an attempt to evolve
a new and, if possible, unique political theory based on traditional African socialism and familyhood. It is also aimed at authentic mental liberation and return to true and genuine traditional
African humanism as a symbol of meaningful freedom and independence, as opposed to the
Western conceptual systems. They contend that the political independence of Africa can only
result into economic independence and mental freedom of Africans only from a unique political
theory that has root in traditional African cultural life.
Professional Philosophy: Since political independence in most of African states, it has been
witnessed a slow but steady growth in the establishment of a critical philosophical culture on the
African continent. There is the concerted effort to study philosophical ideas embedded in African
traditions with contemporary relevance. This work is being carried out by African academicians
who have received specialized philosophical training and are generally well versed in their
tradition; also referred to as professional African philosophers.30
Professional philosophy therefore, is the work of African intellectuals (academicians) who have
received specialized philosophical training and have for their object a wide range of issues,
including even specifically African themes.31 This is the work of many trained philosophers.
Many of them reject the assumptions of ethno-philosophy and take a Universalist view of
philosophy. Thus, it is a category that describes the identity of a group of philosophers, rather
than a specific style of philosophy. This orientation aims to purify African philosophy of the
“debased” form of philosophy atypical of ethno-philosophy, philosophic sagacity and, even,
nationalist ideology trend. Thinkers under this trend are of the view that African philosophy
must critically engage every aspect of the African culture and life using the philosophical tools
of conceptual and theoretical analysis. To them therefore, African philosophy, as distinct from
African traditional worldview, is the philosophy that is being produced by contemporary African
philosophers. In this vein, Kanu writes:
The contemporary period of African philosophy covers from the 21st
century to date. The contemporary age has marked a new page on the
discourse in African philosophy. It is a time when issues regarding the
nature of African philosophy and who should be considered an African
philosopher were raised and reflected upon, as well as issues regarding
30
31
M.M. Makumba, Op. cit.,p.157.
Ibid. p.152.
9
the schools of African philosophy. Philosophers who belong to this
period are many.32
Again, what distinguishes Contemporary African Philosophy (Professional Philosophy) from the
Ancient, Modern and Medieval periods is the methodology employed by their various authors.
On the whole, like the contemporary philosophers of Western philosophy, the philosophers
employed as much as possible modern tools for scientific analysis in the study of African issues.
They are rationally and critically analytic and aim at systematizing and synthesizing African
beliefs. They are also original in their proposals of solutions to contemporary African
problems.33
Works that belong to the contemporary period in African philosophy are innumerable and vary
according to the schools to which their authors belong and the trends adopted in writing them.
Although Oruka identifies four African philosophers: Kwasi Wiredu, Paulin Hountondji, Peter.
O. Bodunrin and himself, it is important to state here that they are not only four but are very
many. Others include: Innocent Asouzu, Godfrey Ozumba, Andrew Uduigwomen, J. O. Sodipo,
E. Edeh, K. Gyekye, B. C. Okolo, Oluwole Sophie, et cetera.
One of the criticisms leveled against Professional African Philosophy is that, it is metaphilosophical; that is, it is too preoccupied with what constitutes philosophy in general and
African philosophy in particular to have any bearing on the African continent. Together with
this, professional philosophy is seen mainly to be a critique of Ethno-philosophy, and therefore
having no history and lacking a literature of its own.34 The other criticism is that even though
these African academicians want to give theoretical expression to the contents of their African
culture, it is not always easy to do so because their academic status sometimes either requires
them to teach only Western thought or they find themselves in a condition of inferiority the
moment they attempt to produce something of an alternative to Western philosophy. 35
Hermeneutic Philosophy: This is another trend or orientation listed by Oruka (1991) as
characteristic of African philosophy. According to The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy,
Hermeneutics is the art or theory of interpretation, as well as a type of philosophy that starts with
questions of interpretation. Originally concerned more narrowly with interpreting sacred texts,
32
I.A. Kanu, Op. cit., p.134.
C. Okoro, Op. cit., pp.38-39.
34
D.N. Kaphacawani, “Bantu Nomenclature and African Philosophy” in O.H Oruka, Sage Philosophy: Indigenous
Thinkers and Modern Debate on African Philosophy, (Nairobi: African Centre for Technology Studies Press, 1991),
pp.190-191.
35
M.M. Makumba, Op. cit., p.158
33
10
the term acquired a much broader significance in its historical development and finally became a
philosophical position in twentieth-century German philosophy.36 Similarly, Kanu defines
Hermeneutics as a word which became a common language in the 17th century. It is derived from
the Greek word: Hermeneuein, which means to interpret.37Thus, Hermeneutic Philosophy is the
philosophical analysis of concepts in a given African language to help clarify meaning and
logical implications.38
Analysing in philosophy focuses on human language and our use of it in an attempt to clarify our
understanding of problems and how they might be solved. In analysis, the philosopher
scrutinizes the use of logic in an argument and examines such words as “liberal,” “good,”
“intelligence,” and “motivation” in an attempt to evaluate their meanings in varying contexts.
Again, in analysis, the philosopher operates on the assumption that basic misunderstandings in
regard to meanings might lie at the root of human problems.39 Analysis in African Philosophy
breaks down concepts and complexes into simple component. It unties and dissolves
complexities into simplicity for clear understanding.40 Certain concepts which are hitherto
muddled up are given clearer and refined meaning. As Moritz Schlick, an early member of the
analytic movement, put it, “Science should be defined as the „pursuit of truth‟ and Philosophy as
the „pursuit of meaning.‟41
Speaking on the nature of this trend in African thought, Pantaleon Iroegbu hints that
Hermeneutic or linguistic philosophy is a branch of African Philosophy that is advancing fast. It
is basically the analysis of African languages and linguistic, terms, proverbs, aphorisms, sage
sayings and formal cum institutional addresses to discover in them the underlying philosophical
sense pre-supposed or expressed or aimed at.42Thus, since there are so many concepts used in
African Philosophy because of the various languages in the continent, the Hermeneutic
Philosophy interprets the concepts, logically and systematically too for clarity.
36
R. Audi, (ed.). The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, 2nd Edition, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1995), p.377.
37
I..A. Kanu, Op. cit.,p.31.
38
H.O. Oruka, Trends in Contemporary African Philosophy, (Nairobi: Shirikon Publishers, 1990), p.11.
39
G.R. Knight, Philosophy & Education an Introduction in Christian Perspective, 4th ed. (Michigan: Andrews
University Press, 2006), p.6.
40
P.O. Akinsanya, Philosophizing About Education, (Lagos: University of Lagos Press and Bookshop Ltd, 2015),
p.34.
41
M. Schlick, “The Future of Philosophy”, in R. Rorty (ed.). The Linguistic Turn: Recent Essays in Philosophical
Method, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1967), p.48.
42
P. Iroegbu, Enwisdomization & African Philosophy: Two Selected Essays, (Owerri: International Universities
Press, 1994), p.137.
11
Literary/Artistic Philosophy: Artistic or literary philosophy is both the explicit philosophical
reflections volunteered by the creative spirits of contemporary Africa, and the philosophies
implicit in these works, be they poems, novels, plays, and so on. 43 So, the literary or artistic
school of African philosophy focuses on African thinkers who through their literary or artistic
works made reflections that are philosophical. These include: Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka,
Ngugi Wa Thiongo, Okotp‟Bitek, Taban lo Liyong, etc. For instance, Chinua Achebe in his
book: Things Fall Apart, reflects on the Igbo-African philosophy of life, kinship, death, the
afterlife, ancestors, etc., and expresses the essence of the Igbo-African philosophy of
belongingness.44 This school uses literary tools to establish the philosophies that undergird an
African culture. For example, in Things Fall Apart, after the feast, when one of the eldest men of
the umunna rose to thank Okonkwo, the Igbo philosophy of belongingness is further expressed:
A man who calls his kinsmen to a feast does not do so to save them from
starving. They all have food in their own homes. When we gather
together in the moonlit village ground it is not because of the moon.
Everyman can see it in his own compound. We come together because it
is good for kinsmen to do so.45
The literary and artistic works were also used to preserve history. This is true of almost all the
peoples of Africa. Important historical events and experiences were preserved in songs, as well
as proverbs, which remind people of their memorable past. Other means through which Africans
preserved their past in pre-colonial times included reenactment ceremonies, festivals and mock
ceremonials, all of which served as repositories of historical knowledge. According to Ademola
Ajayi, history was also recorded in art. For example, the coming of Europeans into the Benin
Kingdom and the introduction of firearms by them were all preserved in carvings, which still
exist today; some of these can be found in the palace of the Oba of Benin, as they are in kings‟
courts, palaces and museums.46
Eclecticism and the Quest for Authentic and Original African Philosophy
As already implied above, each of the six trends identified by Oruka can be and has been
criticized on a number of grounds by African and non-African scholars alike. Thus, there is the
need to develop a stronger trend which will combine the features of all six trends, thus
establishing a complimentary relationship among them. This is important owing to the recent call
by Jurgen Hengelbrock and Heinz Kimmerle that the discipline called African Philosophy is
nothing but an imitation and transliteration of Western ideas. In other words, there is a recent
43
M.M. Makumba, Op. cit., p.152.
I.A. Kanu, Op. cit., p.54.
45
C. Achebe, Things Fall Apart, (England: Heinemann, 2008), 133.
46
S.A. Ajayi, History, Historians and the challenges of Historical Education in Africa Through Changing Scenes
the Nigerian Situation, (Ibadan: BookWright Publishers, 2017), pp.7-9.
44
12
accusation or insinuation mostly by Western philosophers that African philosophy is a “copycat
philosophy” and that African philosophers are stealing European and Western ideas. Some
Western scholars like and Heinz Kimmerle have clearly suggested this and argued that African
philosophy was not yet mature to be regarded as a tradition in world philosophy. Both
Hengelbrock and Kimmerle doubt its creativity and originality. It is because of this accusation
that I undertake to map out the logic on which theories in African philosophy could be grounded
and I showed that this logic could be African culture-inspired thus quashing the suggestion of
lack of originality and creativity in African philosophy.
In a debate of 2002 between Kimmerle and Jurgen Hengelbrock Hengelbrock on the topic “The
Stranger between Oppression and Superiority,”47 Hengelbrock claimed that the philosophical
ideas in African thought are similar to those in what he calls the Westfalian country. This implies
that the so-called African philosophy is not true philosophy or philosophy in the „A‟ sense of the
term. It is a collection of African wisdom. He goes on to show that the attempts to create African
philosophy are fraught with lack of originality. He suggests that its creators merely ape and copy
their Western counterparts when he bemoans the absence of originality and the receding African
culture. As he puts it:
Indeed, arriving in Africa for the first time you feel a disappointment or even a certain shock.
You are looking for African culture and you don‟t find anything but western life style in its worst
form, and on the other hand terrible poverty and social disintegration. Speaking with African
intellectuals you notice their European education and formation.48 Hengelbrock in the above
suggests that African intellectuals and philosophers have lost connection with their cultures and
are more focused with copying Western cultures and life styles in their worst forms. This shows
lack of creativity and originality. Under this type of assessment, it is difficult to talk of a
thorough-going tradition of African philosophy especially where African cultures which are to
serve as the bedrock for the system of African philosophy are receding, abandoned and
neglected. Having observed the immense cultural dislocation, Hengelbrock claimed he was
pressurised to ask Paulin Hontoundji, a popular African philosopher: “where is Africa?” and the
latter replied, “in our hearts”.49 Disappointed, Helgelbrock exclaimed that “indeed, you must go
very far in order to find the genuine Africa, far not only in a geographical sense but first of all in
For this discussion, see Jurgen Hengelbrock. (2002). “You cannot free yourself from Hegel: An encounter with
Heinz Kimmerle.” Intercultural communication. http://www.galerie-inter.de/ kimmerle
48
Ibid
49
Ibid
47
13
a mental one.”50 Thus he suggests that the project of African philosophy is a sham with a
receding native cultural backbone and a dysfunctional imitation of Western culture.
Kimmerle also shows doubt in the authenticity or even existence of African philosophy tradition.
In the preface he wrote to Sophie Oluwole‟s book, according to Asouzu, “Kimmerle hardly
resists the temptation of pointing to the fact that the issues being raised by Oluwole have already
been raised in European philosophy. In other words, he appears to be claiming that there is
practically nothing new in Oluwole‟s contribution.”51 Kimmerle further drew the implication of
Hengelbrock‟s assertions especially his suggestion that African philosophy can be equated with
that of his Westfalian country. Kimmerle argues that Hengelbrock means to say that the so-called
African philosophy is at best cultural wisdom and at worst, poor imitation of Western
philosophy.
It is as a result of these prongs and challenges that have been leveled against African philosophy
that inspires the present research to therefore tinker and reconsider the trends of African
philosophy as highlighted by Oruka. It is pertinent because the question of originality and
peculiarity can be answered by delving into each of the various trends and show that they are
driven by one denominator – the quest of originality.
Eclecticism is a new philosophical outlook which a selection and merge of insightful ideas from
the various schools of thought on African philosophy into one coherent orientation. On this note,
Patrick Akinsayan defines eclecticism as:
The pulling together of viewpoints from different schools of
thoughts into one comprehensive whole. It simply means not
adhering to any specific school of philosophy as it enables
individuals or nations to adjust in the midst of disparate ideologies.
It has to do with a careful fusion of what is useful from various
philosophical traditions.52
In this wise, eclecticism as a trend in African philosophy which serves as the combination of the
six trends or approaches to African philosophy already discussed in the thought of Oruka. This
would involve sifting the philosophical thoughts of Africans as can be gotten from their various
world-views, myths, proverbs, etc., and reflecting on them professionally. At the point of this
romance, between the professional and ethno or folk philosopher an authentic African
philosophy is realized. More so, eclecticism argues that although the different schools of thought
50
Ibid
Innocent Asouzu. Ibuaru: The heavy burden of philosophy beyond African philosophy (Münster: Litverlag. 2007),
p. 32
52
P.O. Akinsanya, Op. cit., p.70.
51
14
discussed above are already doing African philosophy, they will do better if they join heads
together.53 The eclectic school of African philosophy can be referred to as a moderate trend, and
for many, it is a safer path to thread.54
The basis of eclecticism which this paper establishes is that there is no school of thought that can
stand out exclusively without some dependencies on other. A close look at the various trends of
African Philosophy shows their interrelatedness. This is to say that African philosophy, to
overcome the charges of transliteration of Western thoughts, cannot alone single-handedly
without some complimentary support from other orientations or aspects within its domain. This
means that all the existing systems of thought perform complementary roles rather than
contradictory.55The dominant characteristics of each of the philosophies are not to be taken
separately but rather combined to give rise to a functional, viable, practical and workable theory
which will improve African philosophy. If no philosophy can be comprehensively complete and
correct in every way, it would then be impracticable to think of a system of thought anchored on
a single philosophy.
A thorough exploration of the key ideas of the trends in African philosophy as highlighted by
Oruka is that all are looking critically at the idea of epistemic justice and recognition of African
indigenous episteme. This is what has come under different shade of epistemic violence,
marginalization or what some have called epistemicide.56
In some other quarters, epistemicide has been lauded as “the murder of knowledge. The loss of
epistemic confidence that currently afflicts modern science has facilitated the identification of
the scope and gravity of the epistemicides perpetrated by the hegemonic Eurocentric
modernity.”57 The verbosity of Bonaventura de Sousa Santos is not unrelated to the idea that
whatever passes as knowledge derives from the global north, with the intellectual bank of the
global south nearing extinction. From his orient that the “global north is intellectually exhausted
B.P. Irabor, O.O Olufowobi & D.G Ola-obitusin, “Nnamdi Azikiwe‟s Eclecticism, Pragmatism, Neo-welfarism
and the Quest for a Pedagogical and Self-reliant Template for Africa‟s Development” in Nasara Journal of
Philosophy (NAJOP), Vol.5, No.1, pp.136-155, 2020.
54
I.A. Kanu, African Philosophy: An Ontologico-Existential Hermeneutic Approach to Classical and Contemporary
Issues, (Jos: Augustinian Publications, 2015), pp.51-52.
55
P.O. Akinsanya, Op. cit., p.70.
56
Sunday Layi Oladipupo & Emmanuel Ofuasia. The Religious Foundation of Violence against Homosexuals:
Proposing a Relief from African Local Epistemologies.” In E.G. Konyana & D.O. Laguda (Eds.). Religious
Violence and Conflict Management in Africa: Phenomenological and Epistemological Engagements. (Harare:
Africa Institute for Culture, Peace, Dialogue & Tolerance Studies 2019), p. 185.
57
Bonaventura de Sousa Santos. Epistemologies of the South: Justice against Epistemicide. (London: Routledge
2019), p.135
53
15
and fatigued,”58 it is imperative for the global south, Africa inclusive to disinter her indigenous
epistemologies, which inadvertently, can serve as a dais for some of the challenges faced
globally.59 Speaking on the cerebral lassitude of the global north, Bonaventura de Souza Santos
amplifies better:
Historically, the journey of reason has stalled in Western
philosophy, when in the centuries following the 18th century,
actors engrossed themselves in the error of supposing that reason
has reached its highest manifestation in Greek-born Western
thought; that beyond Western thought, there is no and never will
again be a better manifestation of philosophical reason. In the
glory of this delusion, actors almost unanimously and, without any
form of logical justification, embraced the assumption that any
claim to a manifestation of reason in any world at all, actual or
possible, must not lack Western authenticity.60
This is an aspect of universalism – what is Greek-born or manufactured in Europe and by
extension, America is the archetype or paragon for civilization that has motivated the surrender,
or in the extreme, domination and expropriation of the global south on all fronts. The
consequence is therefore nuance but not perpendicular – the global south has tolerated
fundamentally, every aspect of her identity and existence to be neologized when nearly every of
her episteme has been branded as subaltern. This is the erroneous implication that the entire
trends listed by Oruka seek to dislodge and show that a proper African philosophy and the trends
hold a common denominator that seeks to correct the misleasing outlook that African philosophy
lacks originality.
Conclusion
Thus far, the onus of this research is to show that through a careful reading of Oruka‟s six trends
in African philosophy, an eclectic approach reveals the implications for the question of
originality in African philosophy. This study is pertinent in the light of the need to revise the
issues connected with epistemic injustice that has greeted the continent and the entire global
south since Western presence. On the surface it seems the six trends highlighted by Oruka are
independent, unconnected and diverse. A deeper look from the eclectic approach invoked in this
research however, reveals among many other factors that the epistemic marginalization of
indigenous African idea is the common denominator among them and unless the present
generation of African scholars doing philosophy acknowledge and confront this reality, then the
African project for originality would have been compromised and then necessarily miscarry.
58
Jonathan Chimakonam. Ezumezu: A System of Logic for African Philosophy and Studies. (Cham: Springer 2019a),
p.11
59
Sunday Layi Oladipupo & Emmanuel Ofuasia. Op. cit., p. 186
60
Bonaventura de Sousa Santos. Op.Cit., p. 475
16
17
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