Okolo on the Question of African Philosophy and its Periodization

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to respond to Okolo’s position that African philosophy emerged at the African-European contact. For Okolo, there was what could be referred to, as expressions of philosophic tendencies which were not philosophy _per se_, called ‘Philosophy in Africa’ which has existed in Africa. They could be explained as basic cultural expressions of the people. But real philosophy characterized by critical reflection began after the Second World War when Africans must have attained some level of formal education and critical reflection, hence ‘African Philosophy’. But then, questions arise: ‘Why, in the first place, questioning African Philosophy but not religion, arts, politics, etc.? Why must African Philosophy, the expression of African-wisdom, be a product of African-European contact? A clear problem in Okolo’s position is the affirmation that everything African, especially the essence of being-African which he designates with the term ‘being-with’ is either non-African-originated, not really a humanistic philosophy or European originated. This paper defends the thesis that ‘being’ implicates the ‘facticity of existence’ which is the central focus of philosophy, and once there ‘is’ in Africa before the African-European contact, there ‘is’ ‘philosophy’ in its real sense. This paper is expected to (1) analyze and expose Okolo’s thought and weaknesses, (2) address the issue of periodization of the African Philosophy hence the position that philosophy has always existed but systems and schools of philosophizing can be found in times, (3) postulate that what is African can commendably sustain Africa. The paper shall adopt philosophical conceptual and contextual analysis and clarifications.