African Legal Philosophy Characteristics
The Tanzanian philosopher Godwin Marcel Gunewe made a huge development in the world through the study of man`s purpose in life called coposology. The Kenyan philosopher Henry Odera Oruka distinguished four currents of modern African philosophy: ethnophilosophy, philosophical wisdom, nationalist-ideological philosophy and professional philosophy. [23] Indeed, it would be more realistic to call them candidates for the post of African philosophy, it being understood that more than one of them could enter into the calculation. (Oruka then added two additional categories: literary/artistic philosophy, such as the work of literary figures such as Ngũgĩ wa Thiong`o, Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Okot p`Bitek and Taban Lo Liyong, and hermeneutic philosophy, the analysis of African languages to find philosophical content.) In the African diaspora, the American philosopher Maulana Karenga also distinguished himself by presenting various definitions to understand modern African philosophy, especially in relation to its oldest sources. There is a discussion on defining the ethnophilosophical parameters of African philosophy and identifying what distinguishes it from other philosophical traditions. One of the implicit assumptions of ethnophilosophy is that a particular culture may have a philosophy that is not applicable and accessible to all peoples and cultures of the world. In A Discourse on African Philosophy: A New Perspective on Ubuntu and Transitional Justice in South Africa, Christian B. N. Gade argued that the ethnophilosophemic approach to Africana philosophy as a static group property is highly problematic. His research on Ubuntu presents an alternative collective discourse on africana philosophy that takes differences, historical developments, and social contexts seriously. According to Edwin Etieyibo and Jonathon O. Chimakonam in their article “African Philosophy: Past, Present, and Future”, historical context plays an important role in Africana philosophy. History provides the framework within which we can examine philosophical problems.
In terms of Africana philosophy, we must look at the situation as a whole through the prism of African history. “There are no facts without history. [4] African religion is an area where the philosophy of the life force is visible. Contemporary African philosophers have established a general structure of religions other than Christianity and Islam and are based on the following: a supreme being or force that created the world that depends on it for its continued existence; deities, spirits or forces active in the world; ancestors who are the deceased elders of the community and whose forces are still active (they attained the status of spirits after their death, and the custom of giving them löhners is still alive even in Christianized or Islamized groups); Living beings that are mineral, vegetable, animal or human forces. All these beings or forces together form a field of interaction. This explains the conventional view that The Worldview of Africans is essentially religious and shows why this religiosity has been misunderstood as magical thinking (according to which one “force” can act on another “force” to increase or decrease it, apparently without any real causal link). The concept of the life force is considered characteristic of African philosophy. According to Tempels and Alexis Kagame, a fundamental feature of African thought is to claim that the power of life is the highest value, and to postulate “being” and “power” as equals: such an ontology is called dynamic. Although Tempels and Kagame limited their description to the Bantuv peoples, this ontology was also considered valid for other African cultures and regions.
It is at the heart of the philosophy known as Negritude, which was created by one of its heralds, Leopold S. Senghor, defined as the concept of a specific black identity based on a set of core values shared throughout the black world. Another more controversial application of this approach is embodied in the concept of negritude. Leopold Senghor, a proponent of negritude, argued that the decidedly African approach to reality is based on emotions rather than logic, elaborates in participation rather than analysis, and manifests itself through the arts rather than the sciences. Cheikh Anta Diop and Mubabinge Bilolo, on the other hand, while agreeing that African culture is unique, questioned the view of Africans as essentially emotional and artistic, arguing that Egypt was an African culture whose achievements in science, mathematics, architecture and philosophy were of paramount importance. This philosophy can also be slandered as too reductionist because of the obvious scientific and scientific triumphs not only of ancient Egypt, but also of Nubia, Meroe, as well as the great library of Timbuktu, the vast trade networks and kingdoms of North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, the Horn of Africa and Great Zimbabwe and the other great empires of South Africa, South-East and Central Africa. In the Horn of Africa, there are a number of sources documenting the development of a distinct Ethiopian philosophy from the first millennium onwards. Among the most notable examples of this tradition are the works of the 17th century philosopher Zera Yacob and his pupil Walda Heywat. [19] Yacob discusses religion, morality, and existence in his writings. [20] He comes to believe that every person will believe that his faith is the right one and that all men are created equal.
[21] [22] Africana philosophy is a kind of Africana thought that includes the theoretical questions that arise from the critical examination of ideas in Africanian cultures and their hybrid, mixed or creolized forms throughout the world. Since there was no reason for the peoples of the African continent to consider themselves Africans until this identity was imposed on them by conquest and colonization in modern times. This field of thought also refers to the unique set of issues raised here by the advent of “Africans” and their diaspora, referred to as “Africana”. Africana philosophy refers to the philosophical dimensions of this field of thought. [11] A remarkable contribution to professional philosophy is Achille Mbembe. It interacts with a variety of modern themes, including reflections on the state, death, capital, racism, and colonialism. He draws attention to moral and political arguments through a tone of morality in his works. Many of Mbembe`s recent articles, including Critique of Black Reason, suggest that understanding Europe as a force that is not at the center of the universe is a point from which philosophy and society should look at the world. Mbembe claims that he positions himself in several worlds of existence at the same time. This method creates an empathic point from which the world can be seen. [24] African art is an important area of research in African philosophy, as it is arguably in the arts that Africa`s greatest contributions to world culture were recognized in the twentieth century. The use of stylization, the obvious symbolism of art objects that intentionally use disproportionate geometric figures, and the emphasis on specific parts of the body have had a global influence on contemporary art and are considered an expression of African metaphysics.
This also applies to African music and drums. The metaphysical significance of African dance as a means of participating in the life of the universe is at the heart of Senghor`s philosophy of African arts. “Africana philosophy” is to a large extent a heuristic term – that is, one that offers guidance for the philosophical efforts of professional philosophers and other intellectuals dealing with issues relevant to African individuals and peoples born in Africa. [9] Another example of such an approach is the work of Ebiegberi Joe Alagoa of the University of Port Harcourt in Nigeria, who in his article “An African Philosophy of History in the Oral Tradition” argues for the existence of an African philosophy of history derived from the traditional proverbs of the Niger Delta. Alagoa argues that in African philosophy, age is considered an important factor in acquiring wisdom and interpreting the past.
