African Philosophy and an

African Philosophy of
Education

EDSA700: Unit 4
 What is African Philosophy?
African philosophy finds expression in four distinctive discourses:
• Ethnic philosophy: philosophy of Africa:
oThe religious and moral beliefs of the continent of Africa
oThe philosophy of Africa looks at the whole experience of human
beings (it is holistic)
• Sage, or wisdom, philosophy focuses on those individuals in
society who are known to be wise and far-sighted and who can
think critically
• Africa’s political philosophy is unique: it must be different from
capitalist, socialist or communist political philosophies
• Pure philosophy is the work of African philosophers in the
areas of Empiricism, Critical Rationalism and Existentialism
African philosophy and the history of Africa
• African written philosophy goes back to the time of the pharaohs
• St Augustine is the most prominent figure in terms of the Western
Christian faith which was brought to Africa
• Moses the Black is one of the best known desert fathers as he
espoused non-violence, the taming of one’s anger and harmony
• Africa’s history has been dominated by colonial occupation which
subjugated the cultural, scientific and economic life of Africans as
well as ignoring indigenous African knowledge systems
• In the era of post-colonialism (from the mid-20th century onwards)
many African scholars felt the need to develop philosophies that
would enable Africa to develop
• African people rejected capitalism and created various forms of
socialism based on traditional African social and political
communalism
Country Person Form of socialism

Tanzania Julius Nyerere Ujamaa

Zambia Kenneth Kaunda Zambian humanism
Guinea Sékou Touré Scientific socialism
Senegal Leopold Sédar Negritude
South Africa Steve Biko Black Consciousness
The African Renaissance
• This call for a renewal and resurgence of a truly African identity is
referred to as the African Renaissance which has been present for
40 years during post-independence from colonialism
• The aim was and is to move away from being seen through the lens
of the West

What does it mean when someone says: “I am an African”?

What does this mean to you?

Reflect on the readings and your own philosophy of being an African.

African philosophy and education
• Due to colonialism, the education system in Africa has been
westernised and given prominence to Western ways of
education and an ideology of the cultural superiority of the West
(Higgs & Letseka, 2022:17)
• “There needs to be return of humanism to the centre of the
educational agenda” (Hoppers cited in Higgs & Letseka, 2022:17

Do we do this in our current SA curriculum? Explain.

• This brings us to two important notions: ubuntu and

communalism
Ubuntu and education
• The central idea in traditional African thought is ubuntu which is
related to human happiness and well-being
• It is best described by looking at the Nguni expression Umuntu
ngumuntu ngabantu which loosely translated refers to
“humanity” but a wider explanation of this belief is the following:
• A human being is a human being through other human beings.
In other words: ‘I am because we are, and since we are,
therefore I am’ (John Mbiti in African Religions and Philosophy,
1975)
• Ubuntu recognises that a person exists at birth but can only
develop a sense of self through relationships with other people:
this sense of self is much more blurry than the Western idea of
self
• Ubuntu is about caring, sharing, compassion, generosity,
kindness, benevolence, fairness, courtesy, respect, forgiveness
and reconciliation (Higgs & Letseka, 2022, 2017:19)
• Ubuntu has a link with communal interdependence and the value
of tolerance (reciprocal altruism)
• The aim is for everyone to co-exist in a commitment to peace
despite differences

How can this notion of ubuntu be incorporated into the school and
classroom? What is the function of the teacher in this regard?

How can this notion contribute to reconciliation and nation

building?
Communality and education
• Communality is related to ubuntu as it refers to the
interdependence of peoples within a community and reflects a
notion of belonging
• The success of wider society is emphasised but not at the
expense of the individual
• Mbiti (cited in Higgs & Letseka, 2022:21) says “Whatever
happens to the individual happens to the whole group, and
whatever happens to the whole group happens to the individual”
• The notion of cooperation for the common good is highly
prized in this view

Can this notion of communality be realised in the classroom?

Indigenous knowledge systems
• Indigenous African knowledge systems (IKS) are regarded to be
unique to African culture and society
• They form the basis of decision making in agriculture, education,
health and nature resource management in rural communities
• They represent holistic knowledge because they express all
dimensions of being human
• They are derived from:
oOld knowledge that has existed for generations such as historical
events, ancestral wisdoms and genealogies of the clan
oEmpirical knowledge that has been learnt through daily observation
oRevealed knowledge acquired through dreams, visions and spiritual
institutions
• IKS has been historically pushed aside by colonialism and
globalisation
• The Eurocentric knowledge systems did not find them ‘scientific’
and therefore excluded them
• This has played into the concepts of ‘First World’ and ‘Third
World’ countries, and the idea of the ‘developed world’ versus
the ‘undeveloped world’: the ‘First World’ being seen as a sign of
the desirable way of living
• Progress is only achieved through the advancement of
Western/Eurocentric science and IKS were relegated to inferior
status
• Today, many scholars advocate that IKS should be integrated
into the education system as it will help in the reclaiming of the
African identity
African philosophy and African education systems
• Article 29 of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of
Indigenous People emphasises:
• “Indigenous people are entitled to the recognition of the full
ownership, control and protection of their cultural and intellectual
rights…They have the right to special measures to control, develop
and protect their sciences, technology, cultural manifestations,
including human and other genetic resources, seeds, medicines,
knowledge of properties of fauna and flora, oral traditions which
include education traditions, literatures, designs, and visual and
performing arts”

What does this mean to you?

• In some instances this is necessary, because knowledge can be taken
and reshaped so in a sense plagiarised, a form of intellectual
marginalisation as the source is not acknowledged
• Education systems need to recognise the diversity of African societies
when developing curricula
• In 1998, the Portfolio Committee of Parliament in South Africa
instructed the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology to
formulate a policy and bill on the recognition, promotion and protection
of IKS in SA
• The concepts of Afrocentricity and Eurocentricity in regard to SA is a
complex, critical one: each has a role to play depending on the context
(Higgs & Letseka, 2022:21)
• IKS also has a role to play in modern society
• A system that seeks the best of both Western and African knowledge
systems would be most beneficial in education
Education today
• Hoppers cited in Higgs & Letseka (2022:13) states that IKS can
complement some of the scientific capabilities of the West by
generating forms of creativity in education so all can benefit
• By including IKS, it ensures that it is acknowledged in the
curriculum
• Critical questions will be asked about Western and African
knowledge systems
• The inclusion of IKS will address issues of alienation and
dominance: learners get to see various view points
• The development of knowledge will be seen as a more holistic
journey e.g. prizing cooperation over competition
Some questions raised by Higgs & Smith (2022)
• Has African philosophy influenced education?
• Has African philosophy influenced teaching?
• What does African philosophy have to offer schools?
• What about science? Can you ignore it?

These questions require critical reflection now and as you work

your way through this unit.