The legacy is reinforced by the assumption that requires a tradition of written communication which is foreign to Africans. ; According to Cottage and Roux (Des) (2002) African philosophy can be identified as constitutive as a post-colonial question for African identity for a uniquely African identity which has been lost amid the brutality of the European rape of the African continent.
Basic Tenets/Philosophical Principles of African Philosophy African Philosophy has Its own philosophical foundations namely, African holism, minimalism, essentialist, instrumentalist (functionalism) and humanism (humanness). 1 . African Holism ; Is based on the African philosophic thought of community living. ; The term is derived from the African metaphysic that states that reality is whole and there are no parts to it. Atkinson (1991) further alludes that African holism is a belief that the collective influence of social movements and social groups is more important than that of the individuals within them. ; I. E. African holism is a belief in the interconnectedness of social, religious, political and economic aspects of life. Thus, reality is whole, a unitary entity and not fragmented and the African view of education was of a unitary entity rather than a compartmentalized curriculum. The same view Is shared by Western Philosophy where the Gestalt Theorists propound that, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” (Weaken, 1992). 2. Communality Emphasis on group solidarity, collectivism and cohesion. ; safety (1994) argues that African Philosophy holds the view that an Individual should have a context by identifying himself with both a family and a community. ; Deep kinship ties ere maintained and the upbringing of a child was the responsibility of the community in a collective manner. ; The society had primacy over the individual.
That Individual identity emerges from communion with others, I. E. The concept of self only makes sense within the concept of community. ; Ambit (1970:14) expresses, “l am because we are, since we are, therefore I am. ” ; Thus, ‘To be human is to affirm one’s humanity by recognizing the humanity of others In Its infinite variety of content and form’. ;This implies that, the person is because of the significant others’. A canny Is Door Into ten community Ana Deletions to ten community I. E. Communality Is collateral and is underlined by a sense of belongingness. Geeky (1987) postulates that the community takes precedence over the individual because the individual is only existing and recognized as long as s/he fulfils the communal goals of struggle and survival. ; So the totality is more important than the individual. The communal spirit was reinforced by the collective way tasks were done through ‘Imbibe’. Communality and African Religion Africans are typically a religious people. Temples (1959) in Geeky (1987:71-2) notes that, For the Bantu, man never appears, in fact, as an isolated individual, as an independent entity.
Every man, every individual, forms a link in the chain of vital forces, a living link, active and passive, Joined from above to the ascending line of his ancestry and sustaining below him the line of his descendants the Bantu is quite unable to conceive an individual apart from his relationship 0 This implies that the community is both physical and metaphysical – I. E. A community of visible and invisible beings (ancestral spirits). Leonard (1968:409) says, They are in the strict and natural sense of the word, a truly and deeply religious people, they eat religiously, dress religiously, or sing religiously.
In a few words, the religion of these natives is their existence, and their existence is their religion. I. E. Religion permeates and transcends all that Africans do. Banana (1991:23) argues, 0 Within the African traditional life, the individual is immersed in religious environment, religion permeates the whole of life. To almost every African, the whole life Journey is religious drama. Human kind lives in a religious universe, practically, very aspect in the cosmos, every activity, space and time is experienced and expressed religiously.
The African person is ontologically linked to nature, fellow men, the ancestors and to God at all times. Thus, Communality of Africans is only understandable if viewed in the auspice of African religious beliefs and practices. 3. Humanness (Humanism) 0 Considers human values and regard for human dignity to occupy the central and highest place in the universe. 0 The human being by virtue of being human, occupies a place of higher priority over materialistic flora and fauna values I. . Any person whether poor deserves respect. Temples (1959:43) says, “The created universe is centered on man,” and “Man is the supreme force, the most powerful among created beings” (Ibid:46). 0 The same view is further supported by Watt (1996:34) who argues, “Creation is man centered and man is socially directed. ” The most important thing about a person is that, ‘He is a human being,’ thus, he deserves dignity of high regard. For Safe-Die (1994) the indigenous African sense of being human constitutes aspects of wholeness of relationships, compassion, hospitality and enormity.
Chitchat (2010) argues that the humanistic ethic developed a hospitality consciousness or mentality. 0 African humanness values the importance of relating to rather than mastery over nature and environment. Maxims of Humanness 0 Geeky (1987) argues that ‘All persons are children of God; no one is a child of the earth. ‘ 0 Anywhere (1968) echoes in a Swahili proverb, – ‘Ala wakeup wicket needy ala Henley ml Kumar’, literally meaning, ‘He won gave you a crown Is ten same as won gave you a coconut husk. ‘ I. . In Shown they say, ‘Kappa damn endowed. ‘ Wear en and should share and respect life. 0 Menu menu hennaing newbie incendiary sad, Muezzin happened durra, or a Zulu maxim, Mount unguent ungallant, (Shuttle, 1993:46). 4. Essentialist 0 Atkinson (1991 1) defines essentialist as, “The philosophy which maintains that the fundamental purpose of education is to provide knowledge and understanding of certain essential values which have emerged from the experience of successive generations from the past. 0 I. E. In any society, there are certain essential values which have emerged from the experience of the past generations and have proved to e vital. 0 Chitchat (2010:84) tongue of the majority of the residents is Shown. Prior to the fourth grade, either Shown or Needle may be used as the medium of instruction. O Harmonious living in society was cherished and any absence of these social harmonious skills made someone an educated stranger in his community, more of an outcast in one’s society, I. E. An educated uneducated person. REFERENCES Atkinson, A. D. (1991) Readings in Philosophy of Education, Hare: UZI Dept of Educational Foundations. Banana, C. S. 1991) Theology of Promise: The Dynamics of Self-Reliance, Hare: College Press. Cottage, P. H. And Roux, A. P. J. (2002) the African Philosophy Reader: A Text With Readings (2nd De. ), London: Rutledge. Geeky, K. (1987) An Essay on African Philosophical Thought, Cambridge: University Press. Low, D. J. (2006) Bunt, on www. [email protected]. Co. AZ, Accessed on 15/08/2007. Ambit, J. S. (1990) African Religions and Philosophy, (2nd De. ), London: Henchman. Enjoy, M. W. (1996) Education for Liberation, London: Scottsdale. Zombie Education Act (Chapter 25:04) Revised Edition (1996)
