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DEMANDS OF AN AFRO-BRAZILIAN 
THOUGHT: PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECTS 

 

 

 

 

Abstract: 

The main objective of this paper is to discuss the role of 

African philosophy, in view of the links between Africa and 

Brazil, at a time marked by a reorganization of social life on 

the planet. This, of course, is a qualitative research. Our 

investigation will focus on the current situation of these two 

regions, the historical elements that draw them together. 

One of the conclusions of this paper affirms that Brazil 

should give due attention to the philosophical production in 

the African continent. 

 

Keywords: African philosophy; 21st century; philosophy of 

education; Brazil; conceptual decolonization. 

 

Introduction 

The reflections presented here are grounded in a past that unites 

Brazil and Africa strongly. This connection is marked by pain and 

joy. As a birth that brings to the world a new being, the encounter 

that took place in these lands between three cultural matrices 

(indigenous, white and black) is the origin and source the modern 

Brazilian people. As such, a Brazilian is neither European nor 

African. However, his thinking is undoubtedly marked by Western 

influence. 

In Max Weber's view, Western rationality has as its main 

characteristic the desire to dominate the world. So, from an external 

perspective, we must consider our relationship with nature and with 



46      |      Ekpoma Review, Volume. 5 No. 1., 2019 
 

other people as objects and adversaries that exist to serve us; from 

an internal perspective, the "I" channels its efforts towards profit. 

These Weberian considerations are basic to explain the existence of 

capitalism. 

The main purpose of this paper is to reflect on the importance 

of African philosophical thought in times of restructuring of social 

life at planetary level. In addition this research also deals with the 

following scopes: discussing African philosophy as a problem for 

philosophy itself; discussing the philosophical production under 

development on the African continent; African philosophy as a 

source for education in the 21st century. 

In this academic exercise, we shall deal with African 

philosophy as a philosophical problem; the main currents of African 

philosophical thought since Placide Frans Tempels; some of the 

most important issues facing philosophy in Africa today; and finally, 

the relationship between the discipline Philosophy of Education and 

African philosophy. 

 

1. The existence or not of philosophy in Africa 
In my writing África e filosofia, I present considerations on African 

philosophical thought as an issue to be confronted by philosophy 

itself. 

No século XVIII, em um contexto histórico de colonização, 

aparece na Europa para a Filosofia o seguinte problema: há ou não 

uma filosofia africana? A resposta que o debate vai produzir reflete 

a visão de mundo e a compreensão de homem que possui o 

colonizador europeu à época. Posteriormente, no século XX, esse 

problema será levantado outra vez, graças à obra La 

PhilosophieBantoue de l´Être do missionário franciscano 

PlacideTempels, publicada em 1945. Nela o missionário belga 

argumenta que as categorias metafísicas do povo Bantu estão 

refletidas em suas línguas, isto é, em categorias linguísticas. 

Finalmente, nasúltimasdécadas, o debate se intensifica.1 

In fact - it cannot be denied - there is a philosophical thought 

in intense activity, in the African continent; but in addition there is 

a philosophy that can be termed African. 



Demands of an Afro-Brazilian Thought: Philosophical Aspects     |     47 

 

 

 

The philosophical work elaborated here can be organized 

into two groups: a traditional (not Western) philosophy, linked to 

folklore; a modern (western) technical philosophy.2 Thinkers like 

Anta Diop, Odera Oruka and Théophile Obenga represent the first 

group; the second consists of intellectuals such as Paulin 

Hountondji, Kwame Appiah and Kwasi Wiredu. Let's pause a bit in 

this last one. 

Wiredu, graduated in Philosophy, at the University of Ghana 

and then went on to Oxford University in England for his 

postgraduate studies. For 23 years, he taught at the University of 

Ghana, but also worked as a teacher at some Western institutions of 

higher learning, especially at the University of South Florida in 

Tampa, United States. Certainly, his training possesses strong 

western traits. This Western foundation of his training must be taken 

into account for one to understand the conception of this theorist 

regarding the definition of African philosophy. 

For him, this kind of philosophy must be studied, using 

modern, logical and conceptual technical tools of Western 

philosophy. He advocates a rational method used scientifically, but 

also recognizes the need of African philosophers to relate to the 

traditional basis of their philosophical thinking3. 

In his view, it is up to philosophy to perform an important 

social task. Although philosophical ideas are theoretical and 

abstract, they are necessary for our well-being. He argues that this 

kind of knowledge is indispensable to modern life.4 Wiredu 

recognizes, preserved in the oral tradition of African peoples, a 

popular thought that is present in proverbs, adages and folklore. For 

him, good philosophy, be it African or Western, is one that is 

rigorous, constructive and critical. In this direction, he raises the 

following criticism: Many identify the communal philosophy with 

the folk philosophy. According to Wiredu, regardless of how we 

denominate it, it is no more than several aspects of traditional 

philosophy put together. The more technically elaborated 

philosophy is, the more philosophical it is considered to be in 

relation to its communal variation, explains the author.5 



48      |      Ekpoma Review, Volume. 5 No. 1., 2019 
 

However, this distinction does not resolve the issue. Wiredu 

considers the definition of Paulin Hountondji, according to which it 

would be the set of philosophical texts produced by Africans. 

However, this definition has the limitation of not accounting for the 

traditional orality-based thinking produced in Africa. Indeed, 

Wiredu defends the thesis that writing is an indispensable condition 

for African philosophy in the modern world. Even so, he recognizes 

in the traditional thinking of staple societies the existence of both 

irrational and rational elements6 . 

Concerning his understanding of African philosophy, he 

insists on the distinction mentioned above between: philosophy as 

popular thought preserved in the oral tradition of the African peoples 

and, philosophy as individual and critical reflection, aided by 

modern conceptual and logical techniques. We must emphasize: for 

him, the popular thought of the African continent should not be 

confused with African philosophy.7 The identification of the sayings 

of some traditional philosophers as a technical philosophy, however, 

represents an evolution in their conception of African philosophy8. 

He observes as a positive fact that, at present, there is a disposition, 

on the part of philosophers of that continent, to carry out studies on 

individual indigenous thinkers considered traditional technical 

philosophers. According to Wiredu, this is a critical and 

reconstructive philosophy.9 

Indeed, the conception elaborated by Wiredu as to what 

philosophy is, expresses his understanding of what African 

philosophy ought to be. Fundamental, in this sense, is to define what 

philosophy can do for Africa. In fact, he considers philosophy as 

theoretical knowledge, but emphasizing its practical function.10 

In O despertar filosófico em África11 (2014), the Congolese 

Pene Elungudefends similar position. In his view, the main role to 

be played by contemporary African philosophy has nothing to do 

with either traditional Africa or European modernity. Their task is 

tied to what Africa and Africans want to do. 

  



Demands of an Afro-Brazilian Thought: Philosophical Aspects     |     49 

 

 

 

2. Some Chains of African Philosophy 
In view of this dual conception of African philosophy, we will 

present three of the most significant currents of active philosophical 

thought on the African continent, from Tempels to our days. 

 

- Ethno-philosophy: 

This chain has as important reference point the work of Frans 

Tempels A filosofia bantu.12 He worked as a missionary in the 

Belgian Congo for years. The occasion allowed him to carry out 

philosophical studies from an African perspective. The cited work: 

tornou-se um clássico do pensamento filosófico africano como 

etnofilosofia. Filósofos como A. Kagame ou J. Mbiti têm seus 

nomes ligados à etnofilosofia. Vale salientar que este modelo 

filosófico logo encontrou uma dura crítica. Críticos dele são Césaire 

e EboussiBoulaga, por exemplo. Se a filosofia africana termina 

sendo uma etnofilosofía (para estudo e análise dos de fora), se iria 

aniquilar tanto a existência como a identidade filosófica da África. 

É o que defendem. Assim, segundo eles, a filosofia bantu seria 

reduzida a um intento por parte dos europeus de explicar a 

idiossincrasia dos africanos.13   

In fact, Kwame Appiah, in his book In My Father's House 

(1992), claims to be the Franciscan priest's text the founder of ethno-

philosophy. 

He also criticizes this stream of thought that deserves to be 

recorded: “Though much ethno-philosophical material is indeed 

very interesting – at least where it is not, as it too often is, woefully 

inaccurate – we should go carefully in discussing how to put it to 

philosophical use”14 He goes on to denounce the philosophical 

ingenuity of anthropological accounts by ethnographers. And he 

condemns it by explaining: we could say that it is only a question of 

criticism, if there were not the thesis defended by many, according 

to which African philosophy is ethno-philosophical.15 

Moving forward in his reflections on ethno-philosophy, he 

says that it is supported by two assumptions: 



50      |      Ekpoma Review, Volume. 5 No. 1., 2019 
 

The first, which Paulin Hountondji has dubbed ''unanimism,'' 

is the factual assumption, which I have already rejected, that there 

is some central body of ideas that is shared by black. Africans quite 

generally. The second is the evaluative assumption that the recovery 

of this tradition is worthwhile.16 

The author cites some important works that critique 

ethnophilosophies: African Philosophy: Myth and Reality (1976) of 

Paulin Hountondji; Essaisür la problema de philosophique dans 

l'Afrique actuelle (1971) of Marcien Towa; and Philosophy and the 

African Culture (1980) of Kwasi Wiredu. 

 

- The sage philosophy: 

What is sage philosophy? The "philosophy of African wisdom" (also 

called "philosophy of wisdom" or "philosophy of sagacity") is the 

common name given to the body of thought produced by people 

considered wise in the communities of the African continent and, 

more specifically, to those who seek a rational basis for ideas and 

concepts used to describe and visualize the world, critically 

examining the justification of these ideas and concepts. This strand 

of thought has its origin in Odera Oruka, whose main objective was 

to establish, with evidence, that critical reflection on issues of 

fundamental importance has always been the concern of a few in 

African societies. These themes involve questions about the 

Supreme Being, person, freedom, equality, death, and the afterlife. 

The evidence that Oruka collected about the rational elaboration of 

such themes by indigenous sages is contained in dialogues, many of 

which appear in his work Sage Philosophy: Indigenous Thinkers 

and Modern Debate on African Philosophy, published in 1990. In 

the essay Filosofia da sagacidade: sua metodologia, resultados, 

significância e futuro, Kibujjo Kalumba comments: 

A maioria das pessoas concorda que um sábio é uma pessoa 

excepcionalmente inteligente. Além dessa sabedoria, Henry 

OderaOruka sugere um segundo critério sobre a sagacidade. Um 

verdadeiro sábio, ele diz, deve usar habitualmente o dom da 

sabedoria para o aperfeiçoamento ético de sua comunidade. Por isso, 

ele ou ela tem que ser constantemente preocupado com os problemas 

éticos e empíricos provenientes de sua comunidade, com a intenção 



Demands of an Afro-Brazilian Thought: Philosophical Aspects     |     51 

 

 

 

de encontrar soluções interessantes para elas. Na visão de Oruka, o 

segundo critério é o que distingue um sábio de um sofista17 

This proposal of Odera Oruka received criticism from many 

intellectuals, including the philosopher himself. Next, to illustrate, 

we will present Gail Presbey’s criticism. She shows fragile points in 

the project of the Kenyan thinker. She starts by considering Odera 

Oruka's self-criticism. For Presbey,18 Odera Oruka doubted his own 

Sage's philosophy project. In Philosophy in East Africa and the 

Future of Philosophical Research in Africa (1997)19, Oruka admits 

the limits of his project from the point of view of the historical 

context and soon will give rise to tendencies that he considers central 

to the future of the African philosophy (the professional philosophy 

and the nationalist-ideological philosophy). Moreover, although he 

criticizes the work of Tempels and that of other ethnophilosophers, 

the author confesses that his own is a combination of anthropology 

and philosophy. 

Oruka says that he began his Sage Philosophy20 as a 

contestation to the thesis defended by some Europeans that the 

Africans are not able to philosophize. However, he continues to 

suggest that his project serves only as a "base" or "raw material" for 

other forms of philosophy that must emerge in the future. In his 

view, professional academic philosophers must focus on African 

indigenous texts. In them, these philosophers can base their 

research, instead of always choosing the European texts for their 

future works. In addition, he notes that the beliefs of African 

populations would have little or no impact on the modern debate on 

philosophy or science. In other words, Oruka seeks to reinforce his 

modernist position by asserting that the ethnological beliefs 

personified by those he calls "popular sages" would hardly have 

much impact on modern science and philosophy.21  

According to Presbey, Oruka's criteria for the eligibility of 

someone as wise are discriminatory. He insists on the prudent 

philosophy that neither age nor gender is a necessary condition for 

becoming a sage. However, in his book Sage Philosophy (1991), we 

see that of the twelve sages, there is only one young man and one 



52      |      Ekpoma Review, Volume. 5 No. 1., 2019 
 

woman. This credits Presbey's critique and demands suspicion as to 

why the wise are generally referred to as "wise old men," in line with 

the general cultural bias that men are superior to women.22 

Thinkers like Wiredu believe that it is not enough to limit 

themselves to data collection of what was thought or said by 

ancestors. Part of the Wiredudian critique of ethnophilosophical 

relies on this. In the philosopher's view, Odera Oruka's Sage 

Philosophy represents an individualistic version of 

ethnophilosophy.23 As previously noted, it can be said that Wiredu 

does not agree to identify philosophy with traditional philosophy.24 

This makes us realize that in Kwasi Wiredu the problem of whether 

or not an African philosophy exists is as follows: Is it correct to 

speak of African philosophy as a contemporary discipline? In his 

work Philosophy and an African Culture, mentioned above, we find: 

"African philosophy, distinct from traditional African views of the 

world, is the current philosophy of production by contemporary 

African philosophers”.25 

 

- The formal African philosophical model: 

The position of Kwasi Wiredu, posed above, on African philosophy 

as a technical and professional philosophy enables the reader to have 

a reasonable idea of this current of thought. Paulin J. Hountondji26 

and Marcien Towa27 ask whether it is really possible to speak of an 

African philosophy (alongside the Western model) in the strict 

sense. For them, this is not possible. They deny, therefore, a strictly 

African philosophy. However, for the question of the existence of 

an African philosophy to find a solution, it must take into account 

the emergence of the spontaneous and autonomous development of 

African society. In this way, African philosophers are forced to 

invent their own definition of philosophy by virtue of their time and 

place.28 

To end this topic, I would like to add, in terms of 

provocation, an element that seems to me indispensable in this 

debate. This is the role of the University for the development of 

Africa. I am convinced that it does not make much sense to raise the 

problem of the definition of African philosophy without connecting 

it to the question of what task the University should carry out on that 



Demands of an Afro-Brazilian Thought: Philosophical Aspects     |     53 

 

 

 

continent, for as, for example, chemistry, physics, mathematics and 

medicine have a contribution to the development of Africa, and for 

this to happen, these areas of knowledge need a well-structured 

university system, academic philosophy also has work to do not 

least important for the continent in question . In fact, this leads us to 

an old debate that goes back to Plato, that is, to see if everyone can 

be philosophers or if, on the contrary, this would be the privilege of 

only a few. 

This debate is also of interest to Brazil. There are issues to 

be resolved: What role should philosophy play in our country? Is 

there a philosophy, effectively Brazilian? What does it consist of? 

 

3. Some questions of African philosophy in recent decades 
The current philosophical debates that take place on the African 

continent revolve around topics such as identity, culture, religion, 

human rights, democracy, modernity, development and conceptual 

decolonization. It should be emphasized that, in Brazil, they are also 

an object of interest in philosophy and the humanities in general. 

As an example and suggestion of consultation on the 

thematic identity, we present the Congolese philosopher 

Mudimbe.29 

A obra A invenção da África: Gnose, Filosofia e a Ordem do 

conhecimento, de Valentin Yves Mudimbe, caracteriza-se por 

abranger uma perspectiva historicista que problematiza os conceitos 

e discursos do que conhecemos como uma África mitificada. As 

verdades veiculadas por filósofos, antropólogos, missionários 

religiosos e ideólogos, bem como imagens ocidentalizadas e/ou 

eurocêntricas, inerentes aos processos de transformações dos vários 

tipos de conhecimentos, são desconstruídas por Mudimbepari passu 

aos padrões imperiais ou coloniais. Para tal empreitada, vale 

ressaltar as inúmeras referências que compõem um sólido corpus 

documental utilizado pelo autor em sua investigação, ou seja, estas 

transitam da filosofia romana ao romantismo alemão. Ou ainda, o 

questionar e investigar através do termo gnose, cunhado com o 



54      |      Ekpoma Review, Volume. 5 No. 1., 2019 
 

intuito de erguer uma arqueologia do(s) sentido(s) do Pensamento 

Africano. 30 

He is influenced by thinkers such as Eboussi-Boulaga, 

Bimwenyi, Foucault, Lévi-Strauss, Ricoeur, among others. The very 

debate about which definition to give to African philosophy throws 

us directly into the heart of discussions about identity in general and 

about the identity of Africa in particular. The same can be said in 

relation to thinking about these topics. As you can see, the problem 

of African identity has many nuances. One of them are the languages 

spoken on that continent. 

Kwame Appiah, in his book My Father's House: Africa in 

the Philosophy of Culture, right in the first chapter, faces this 

question of identity. He calls it The Invention of Africa (1992). The 

author begins his reflections by problematizing the multiplicity of 

languages and dialects spoken on the continent. The first element 

that he throws in the discussion is the predominance, in African 

countries, of the languages of the settlers (English, French, 

Portuguese and Arabic). Africa, as a concept, is one of the main 

points of this book. Defining what it is represents a central aspect of 

the debate about its identity. 

The philosophy of culture elaborated there is vigorous, and 

has provided good reflections so far. This text by Appiah is an 

example of this. It is a recommended reading for anyone interested 

in the study of African culture. Another notable author in the field 

of philosophy of culture in Africa is Kwasi Wiredu. In this sense, 

famous is his already cited book Cultural Universals and 

Particulars: An African Perspective (1996). It starts from the 

universals and particulars in human culture to gain a better 

understanding of what Africa means. 

As for religion, it can be said that this is an element that 

attracts, more and more, the interest of African philosophers. This 

assertion applies both to indigenous religions and to their 

relationship to both Christianity and Islam. To clarify these 

discussions, let us look at the text of Wiredu African Religions from 

a Philosophical Point of View (2010). 

The author points out that the term "religion" does not 

originate in Africa. In addition, he adds that, according to Mbiti, 



Demands of an Afro-Brazilian Thought: Philosophical Aspects     |     55 

 

 

 

there may not be an equivalent word in African languages. However, 

in African Religions and Philosophy, we read that not only are 

African peoples known to be religious, but they are said to know not 

how to live without religion.31 Wiredu provokes: to have a religion 

isn’t necessarily a moral or intellectual advantage.32 

Wiredu, a confessed atheist, criticizes the fact that many 

African scholars strive to prove that a belief in God has arisen in 

Africa. According to him, this results from the idea that religion is 

an achievement. The thinker points out: This assumption, 

unfortunately, is capable of undermining a dispassionate 

examination to clarify the role played by religion in African culture 

(2010). In his view, "the concept of religion applies to African 

culture, in most cases only in a minimal sense".33 He goes on treating 

the Supreme Being for African populations. The author seeks to 

clarify: 

African worldviews usually, though not invariably, feature a 

Supreme Being who is regarded as responsible for the world order. 

Generally, that being is explicitly conceived to be omniscient, 

omnibenevolent, and, subject to a rider to be entered in due course 

omnipotent […]. A sense of dependency, trust, and unconditional 

reverence is almost everywhere evident in African attitudes to the 

Supreme Being.34 

Wiredu emphasizes an element that deserves to be 

mentioned in these reflections, that is, "strikingly, however, rituals 

of God-worship are often absent from African life".35 

Let's talk a little about human rights. Law professor Fischel 

Andrade, in hisessay O sistema africano de proteção dos direitos 

humanos e dos povos, talksaboutthe Banjul Charter. 

A entrada em vigor da Carta Africana dos Direitos Humanos 

e dos Povos, também conhecida como Carta de Banjul, aos 21 de 

outubro de 1986, consolidou o terceiro sistema regional de proteção 

internacional dos direitos humanos. Trata-se, sem lugar a dúvidas, 

de um marco nos esforços que vêm sendo feitos, tanto a nível global 

quanto regional, com vistas à promoção e ao respeito dos direitos 

humanos. Não obstante, o sistema africano encontra obstáculos de 



56      |      Ekpoma Review, Volume. 5 No. 1., 2019 
 

ordem histórica, política, estrutural e jurídica que podem 

comprometer sua eficácia36. 

Three decades after the promulgation of this document, the 

following testimony of Achille Mbembe, in a way, justifies this fear: 

Eu estava aqui durante o último surto de violência contra esses 

“estrangeiros”. A caçada atual por “estrangeiros” é o produto de 

uma complexa cadeia de cumplicidades. O governo sul-africano 

tomou, recentemente, uma posição dura sobre a imigração. Novas 

medidas draconianas têm sido aprovadas. Seus efeitos são 

devastadores para as pessoas já estabelecidas aqui legalmente. 

Algumas semanas atrás, eu assisti, em uma reunião de equipe 

“estrangeira”, na Universidade de Wits, histórias horríveis. Licença 

de trabalho não renovada, vistos recusados para membros da 

família, crianças no limbo nas escolas… Por meio de suas novas 

medidas anti-imigração, o governo está mudando os migrantes, 

anteriormente legais, para ilegais37. 

He is not reporting any developments in Europe as a result 

of recent waves of migration of Africans to that continent. On the 

contrary, it refers to what is being experienced in South Africa. In 

fact, the Cameroonian philosopher is denouncing human rights 

violations that are currently taking place in the country that had its 

name associated with the struggles against apartheid. 

Indeed, this continent is the scene of countless disregard for 

human rights. Wiredu believes that governments are his biggest 

violators. For the thinker, this results from the moral degeneration 

of some politicians or failures in the very system of majority 

democracy.38 

Of the suggested themes, the next three (democracy, 

modernity and development) will be treated together as a bloc 

because they have strong connections to each other. 

Held (1996)39 and Robert Dahl (1989)40 present four 

historical models of democracy: a) participatory or classical 

democracy; b) republicanism; c) liberal representative democracy; 

d) Marxism and single-party democracy.41 However, for many 

African intellectuals to propose democracy to that continent is 

something viewed with reservations or even reprehensible. Already 

among the supporters of democracy for Africa there is a problem to 



Demands of an Afro-Brazilian Thought: Philosophical Aspects     |     57 

 

 

 

be solved at the outset, that is, to define which model of democracy 

would be most appropriate there. The divergences are several. 

However, Kwasi Wiredu condemns both democracy by 

majority (proposed by the West) and that of a single party 

(inheritance of the former Soviet Union). The philosopher proposes 

a new model, that is, democracy by consensus. It is a system not 

anchored in political parties. This proposal has as reference the 

concept of community consensus, present in Akan populations, in 

the pre-colonial period42. 

Another relevant point for understanding Kwasi Wiredu's 

social philosophy is his contributions to the African development 

project. In this sense, a major challenge is the problem of self-

definition, because, in that continent, the traditional and the modern 

coexist with difficulties.43 

But what exactly does developed Africa mean? For him, the 

development of Africa demands technical-scientific knowledge, but 

he warns: “It would profit us little to gain all the technology in the 

world and lose the humanistic essence of our culture”.44 Of course, 

developing it suggests modernizing it. This implies recourse to 

modern science to improve the living conditions of Africans. 

In relation to the development of this continent, Wiredu 

indicates two indispensable elements: Technical-scientific 

knowledge and education. However, he makes an important 

clarification: the knowledge required by the continent is not that 

offered by the hard sciences, but the knowledge of the social 

sciences and philosophy, as these will contribute to defining how to 

apply scientific and technological resources properly.45 

On conceptual decolonization, we will discuss in the next 

section. 

 

4. The discipline Philosophy of Education and the African 

philosophy 

In Brazil, we have in Bachelor’s Degree Program under the 

discipline of Philosophy of Education. The idea is to provide future 

teachers with a minimum philosophical basis to better perform their 



58      |      Ekpoma Review, Volume. 5 No. 1., 2019 
 

activities as education professionals. However, very often, the 

philosophical source that feeds this discipline is Western philosophy 

(authors, theories, categories and concepts). We can say without fear 

of making mistakes: African philosophy is almost never considered 

when it comes to preparing the menus and, hence, the course plans 

of the discipline under analysis. 

Looking briefly at the history of our country, we find without 

difficulty the neglect to which education was relegated from Tomé 

de Sousa to Michel Temer. One of the consequences of this is to 

have an elitist educational system (conscious, for most of its 

history). This is the first phase of a system whose landmark is the 

arrival of the Jesuits to the Land of Vera Cruz46. 

Another important element is the fact that the constitution of 

Brazilian society was marked by a terrible misunderstanding, that is, 

the attempt by the white matrix of anthropological negation of two 

of the three matrices responsible for the formation of the Brazilian 

people (indigenous and Afro). This was decisive in order to have, 

until the beginning of the twentieth century, a consciously elitist 

educational system, which made little or no case for indigenous and 

Afros and their descendants. 

In the 1930s, due to the elaboration of the new constitution, 

we have a strong debate surrounding the theme of education. This is 

one of the highlights of the philosophy of education in our country. 

From these debates, there is certain hope that Brazil needs an 

educational system open to all Brazilians. So this is a new element. 

Although, in practice, the country continues to have an educational 

system focused on the dominant elites, at least theoretically, we have 

a new concept. We can say that this is the second phase of the history 

of this system. 

With the departure of the military from power, in 1985, the 

period of redemocratization began in the country. In 1988, the new 

Federal Constitution, denominated as Citizen Constitution, was 

elaborated. This could be set as the beginning of the third phase of 

the Brazilian educational system. The source that gives life to the 

discussions about education, in this third moment, is the notion of 

"democracy". In the years that follow, several practical measures are 



Demands of an Afro-Brazilian Thought: Philosophical Aspects     |     59 

 

 

 

taken with the aim of achieving the goal of providing quality 

education for all Brazilians. 

However, since the end of 2014, we have been experiencing 

regression in educational policies, although we were still far from 

achieving the aforementioned scope. Even so, it should be noted that 

there have been some advances regarding the integration of 

indigenous people, Afros and their descendants. In this context of 

redemocratization, in spite of immense difficulties related to ethno-

racial issues in Brazil, there is maturation in some sectors of 

Brazilian society capable of producing laws of the scope of the 

10.639/200347 and 11.645/200848. 

Certainly, in the country, one of the characteristics of Basic 

Education is inequality. It is in the racial field that these asymmetries 

are more blunt. Ins fact, in Brazilian society, those who are most 

affected by prejudice, racism and discrimination are those belonging 

to the Afrodescendant population. As for the constitution of 

Brazilian society, as mentioned earlier, the great misconception of 

the white matrix was to have expended a terrible effort with the 

objective of annihilating the other two matrices. Indeed, this error 

contributes to a better understanding of the prejudices directed at 

blacks and Indians in our country. If we consider the pre-colonial 

period, it is worth emphasizing that in the content taught in Basic 

Education, there is an almost absolute silence about the Indian and 

the Negro before his contact with the white in terra brasilis. Inthe 

bookCasa grande e senzala (1963),theIndians are describedby 

Brazilian Gilberto Freire as "Bandos de crianças grandes; uma 

cultura verde e incipiente; ainda na primeira dentição; sem os ossos 

nem o desenvolvimento das grandes semicivilizações americanas"49 

(Freire, 1963: 150). In a general way, the authors portrayed the 

Indian and the Negro, since the arrival of the Europeans in our land. 

Some of the themes visited by African philosophy today are 

of great interest to countries like Brazil. Among them we can 

emphasize those mentioned in the previous section. They involve 

issues that directly concern us. Therefore, they are also interested in 

philosophical thinking that deals with Brazilian educational issues. 



60      |      Ekpoma Review, Volume. 5 No. 1., 2019 
 

Therefore, in Brazil, the discipline Philosophy of Education must 

seriously seek to carry out dialogues with the philosophers of Africa, 

because for us, these are categories of the first order. 

One of the advantages that deserves to be highlighted in 

consulting these thinkers on these issues lies in the fact that we have 

in common with them the peripheral regions of the world. Among 

so many traits that approach us this is quite significant. Thus, in 

addressing these issues, observing the treatment given to them by 

Africans will certainly be of benefit to us Brazilians. 

Here it is not suggested, of course, to give up the Western 

classical philosophical tradition, when we approach the themes of 

interest in the Philosophy of Education. Far from this, what we 

propose has to do with aggregate and not substitute. We defend the 

thesis, according to which, given the nature and proximity of the 

problems theoretically faced by the Brazilian Philosophy of 

Education and those discussed by the African philosophy, we will 

only have to win if we are bold and able to include in the classes of 

said discipline, given for us in the courses of teacher training, the 

contributions of the African philosophers. 

As an example of the contributions that can be obtained by 

visiting the philosophical production of African intellectuals, 

researchers in the field of philosophy, let us cite the "conceptual 

decolonization", since it is a good category for dialogue with those 

mentioned above or with others of the interest of Philosophy of 

Education. For decades, this theme has been intensifying in that 

continent, involving several of its thinkers. 

In this direction, Mbembe (2001) criticizes the fact that in 

Europe, with the end of the slave trade, the doubts about whether 

Africans can be able to govern or not to govern themselves.50 This 

negative view of the colonizer over the African ended up being 

assimilated by this. The result of this was the strengthening of 

something that was long gone, that is, the epistemic temptation of 

the African (and us Brazilians) to think the world using European 

categories and concepts. 

Hountondji is another author concerned with this subject. In 

Conhecimento de África, conhecimento de africanos (2008), he 

argues in favor of the thesis, according to which it is necessary to 



Demands of an Afro-Brazilian Thought: Philosophical Aspects     |     61 

 

 

 

strengthen in that continent an autonomous, self-confident 

epistemological tradition of research and knowledge that responds 

to problems and questions directly or indirectly, by Africans 

themselves. 

The debate on the decolonization of thinking relies on the 

remarkable presence of Kwasi Wiredu. In hisview, conceptual 

decolonizationreferstotwocomplementaryactions: a) “Evitar a 

assimilação sem verificações em nosso pensamento [...] de 

esquemas conceituais fixados nas tradições filosóficas estrangeiras 

que tiveram um impacto sobre a vida e sobre o pensamento 

africanos”51; b) “Em nossas meditações filosóficas, desfrutar o 

máximo possível [...] dos recursos dos nossos esquemas conceituais 

originais, inclusive em setores altamente especializados da filosofia 

contemporânea".52 

For the author, colonialism led to the overlapping of foreign 

categories over African thinking systems. Basically, this is why it is 

necessary to carry out the task of conceptual decolonization in 

Africa53. His research in this respect highlights his studies in the 

field of language and culture. In this direction, one of his works that 

deserves prominence is Philosophy and an African culture. For him, 

there is a danger to be faced, that is, the “de-africanization”.54 

 

Here I turn to the words of Kwame Appiah In My Father's House, 

which deals essentially with the philosophy of culture: 

When I argue that ideological decolonization is bound to fail 

if it neglects either endogenous ''tradition'' or exogenous ''Western'' 

ideas, and that many African (and African-American) intellectuals 

have failed to find a negotiable middle way, I am talking about 

friends and neighbors and I am talking about how we deal with our 

shared situation”.55 

Bringing African philosophy into the Philosophy of 

Education will be helpful, as it will help us, as a Brazilian people, to 

build our worldview (though open and attentive to the classical 

Western tradition) from within ourselves, leading us to assume, in 

this process, an active role. In addition, it will produce, among 



62      |      Ekpoma Review, Volume. 5 No. 1., 2019 
 

others, the following fruits: It will inform the new teachers in 

formation in Brazil about the philosophical production, in the 

African continent; will move towards overcoming Eurocentrism; 

will contribute to the enrichment of the content worked in the 

discipline Philosophy of Education; will collaborate for the 

implementation of Laws 10.639/2003 and 11.645/2008; will enrich 

and deepen the debate on the Brazilian identity. 

 

Final considerations 
Brazil should pay more attention to the philosophical work that, 

especially in the last decades, has been developed in Africa. In my 

judgment, it is good that this happens for three main reasons: a) 

existence of a serious and quality work, in the field of philosophy, 

being elaborated in that continent; b) like us, they are seen as the 

periphery of the world; c) there are deep historical ties that bind us 

to them. 

As we have seen, Wiredu takes the term "philosophy" in two 

distinct meanings: academic discipline and habit of reflection. The 

first is a relatively recent experience in sub-Saharan Africa; the 

second, in turn, is not something new on that continent.56 Since the 

last decades of the twentieth century, humanity has been 

experiencing profound changes in social design. As in the fifth, 

fifteenth, and eighteenth centuries AD, we are experiencing another 

kind of society. Put differently, we are undergoing a social 

restructuring. This time the process of transformation is marked, 

among others, by two new elements, that is, the highest level of 

technological development and a globalization that makes the planet 

a village. 

These changes bring before us a series of difficult 

challenges. I conclude these reflections by bringing to light one that, 

in my judgment, is central to this process. It is a question of the 

necessity of conducting, as humanity, this passage in such a way that 

we have as a result an organized society, where the humanity is 

given the greatest emphasis. It is worth clarifying that this does not 

imply taking it as master of nature, but, on the contrary, to consider 

it an integral and inseparable part of it and to understand it as a sine 

qua non condition of human existence. 



Demands of an Afro-Brazilian Thought: Philosophical Aspects     |     63 

 

 

 

To do this requires great effort and dedication from us. Two 

things are indispensable: to be aware of this process; to resort to a 

type of rationality present, for example, in Ubuntu that expresses 

itself in the "I am because we are". We should note the following: 

the "We" indicated here signifies not only the human collectivity 

(muntu) but also communicates nature (kintu). After all, we exist 

because we are also nature.57 

 
END NOTES 

1 Translation: In the eighteenth century, in a historical context of colonization, the 

following problem appears in Europe for Philosophy: is there an African 

philosophy or not? The answer that the debate will produce reflects the world 

view and the understanding of man that the European colonizer has at the time. 

Later, in the twentieth century, this problem will be raised again, thanks to the 

work La PhilosophieBantoue de l'Étre of the Franciscan missionary 

PlacideTempels, published in 1945. In it the Belgian missionary argues that the 

metaphysical categories of the Bantu people are reflected in their languages, that 

is, in linguistic categories. Finally, in the last decades, the debate intensifies” 

Vasconcelos, Francisco Antonio de (2015),“África e Filosofia”. In 

ENCONTRO INTERNACIONAL DE LITERATURAS, HISTÓRIAS E 

CULTURAS AFRO-BRASILEIRAS E AFRICANAS UNIVERSIDADE 

ESTADUAL DO PIAUÍ, IV, Teresina. Anais IV Encontro Internacional de 

Literaturas, Histórias e Culturas afro-brasileiras e africanas Universidade 

Estadual do Piauí - Identidades e Diásporas: afrodescendência, africanidade, 

educação e cultura indígena. Teresina: NEPA/UESPI, 187-194. Accessed 

September 15, 2016.  

http://s3.amazonaws.com/nepa2015/ckeditor_assets/attachments/56/africa_e_fil

osofia.pdf. P. 1 
2 Ibid 
3 Ogbenika, Gregory Ebalu, Democracy and Development in the Socio-political 

Philosophy of Kwasi Wiredu. Roma: Pontificia Universitas Urbaniana, Facultas 

Philosopiae, 2008. PP. 14-15 
4 Ibid. P.16 
5 Ibid. P. 21 
6 Mozzato, Diletta (2011),Filosofia (africana) in progress: Studio 

suKwasiWiredu. Milão: Mimesis. (Coleção La scala e l’album, 16). Pp. 32-33. 
7 Ogbenika, Gregory Ebalu, Democracy and Development in the Socio-political 

Philosophy of Kwasi Wiredu. Op Cit. P. 31 
8 Wiredu, Kwasi (1980),Philosophy and an African culture. Cambridge: 

Cambridge University Press. P. 36 

                                                      



64      |      Ekpoma Review, Volume. 5 No. 1., 2019 
 

                                                                                                                       
9 Ogbenika, Gregory Ebalu, Democracy and Development in the Socio-political 

Philosophy of Kwasi Wiredu. Op Cit. Pp. 32-33 
10 Ibid. 23. 
11 Elungu, Alphonse Elungu Pene (2014),O despertar filosófico em África. 

Luanda: Edições Mulemba; Mangualde, Edições Pedago. 
12 Tempels, PlacideFrans (1945). La philosophie bantoue. Paris: Présence 

Africaine. 
13has become a classic of African philosophical thought as ethno-philosophy. 

Philosophers such as A. Kagame or J. Mbiti have their names linked to ethno-

philosophy. It is worth mentioning that this philosophical model soon found a 

harsh criticism. Critics of it are Césaire and EboussiBoulaga, for example. If 

African philosophy ends up being an ethnophilosophical (for study and analysis 

of outsiders), it would annihilate both the existence and the philosophical identity 

of Africa.That's what they stand for. Thus, according to them, the Bantu 

philosophy would be reduced to an attempt on the part of the Europeans to explain 

the idiosyncrasy of the Africans”  Vasconcelos, Francisco Antonio de 

(2015),“África e Filosofia”. Op. Cit.. P. 4 
14 Appiah, Kwame Anthony (1992), In my father’s house: Africa in the Philosophy 

of Culture. New York/Oxford: Oxford Universit y Press. P. 94 
15 Ibid. 
16 Ibid. 95. 
17 Translation: “Most people agree that a sage is an exceptionally intelligent 

person. In addition to this wisdom, Henry Odera Oruka suggests a second criterion 

on wit. A true sage, he says, should habitually use the gift of wisdom for the 

ethical improvement of his community. Hence, he or she has to be constantly 

concerned about the ethical and empirical problems coming from their 

community, with the intention of finding interesting solutions for them. In Oruka's 

view, the second criterion is what distinguishes a sage from a sophist.” Kalumba, 

Kibujjo M. (2004),“Filosofia da sagacidade: sua metodologia, resultados, 

significância e futuro”,Translation for didactic use ofRenato Rocha Lima 

Marques.In WIREDU, Kwasi (ed.). A companion to African Philosophy. Malden, 

Oxord, Victoria: Blackwell, 274-281.Accessed April 6, 2017https://filosofia-

africana.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/2/1/13213792/kibujjo_m._kalumba_-

_filosofia_da_sagacidade._sua_metodologia_resultados_e_  P. 1 
18 Presbey, G.M. (1997), “Who Counts as a Sage?, Problems in the Further 

Implementation of Sage Philosophy”, InQuest: Philosophical Discussions: An 

International African Journal of Philosophy/Revue AfricaineInternationale de 

Philosophie, v.11, n. 1-2,  52-66. Accessed May 12, 2016. http://www.quest-

journal.net/ 
19 Oruka, Odera(1997), Practical Philosophy: In Search of an Ethical Minimum. 

Nairobi: East African Educational Publishers Ltd. 
20 Oruka, Odera (1990),Sage Philosophy: Indigenous Thinkers and Modern 

Debate on African Philosophy, Nairobi: African Center for Technological Studies 

(ACTS) Press; also published by Leiden: E. J. Brill 



Demands of an Afro-Brazilian Thought: Philosophical Aspects     |     65 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                       
21 Mosima.Pius Maija (2016), Philosophic Sagacity and Intercultural Philosophy 

Beyond Henry Odera Oruka. Leiden: African Studies Centre. Pp. 102-103 
22 Ibid. 
23 36 
23 Ogbenika, Gregory Ebalu, Democracy and Development in the Socio-political 

Philosophy of Kwasi Wiredu. Op Cit. P. 18 
24 Mozzato, Diletta (2011),Filosofia (africana) in progress, Op. Cit. P. 35 
25 Wiredu, Kwasi (1980), Philosophy and an African culture. Cambridge: 

Cambridge University Press. P. 36 
26 Hountondji, Paulin (2008),“Conhecimento de África, conhecimento de 

Africanos: Duas perspectivas sobre os Estudos Africanos”, In.Revista Crítica de 

Ciências Sociais. Ano 80, Março, 149-160. 
27 Towa, Marcien (2015). A ideia de uma filosofia negro-africana. Curitiba: 

NEAB; Belo Horizonte: Nandyala. 
28 Vasconcelos, Francisco Antonio de (2015),“África e Filosofia”. Op. Cit.. P. 5 
29 Mudimbe, Valentin Yves (2013),A invenção de África: Gnose, filosofia e a 

ordem do conhecimento. Mangualde (Portugal), Luanda: Edições Pedago; 

Edições Mulemba. 
30Translation:  Valentin Yves Mudimbe'sAinvenção da África: Gnose, Filosofia e 

a Ordem do conhecimento is characterized by a historicist perspective that 

problematizes the concepts and discourses of what we know as a mythical Africa. 

Truths conveyed by philosophers, anthropologists, religious missionaries and 

ideologues, as well as Westernized and/or Eurocentric images, inherent in the 

processes of transformation of the various types of knowledge, are deconstructed 

by Mudimbeparipassu to imperial or colonial standards. For this work, it is worth 

mentioning the innumerable references that make up a solid documentary corpus 

used by the author in his research, that is, they go from Roman philosophy to 

German romanticism. Or, to question and investigate through the term gnosis, 

coined with the intention of erecting an archeology of the meaning(s) of African 

Thought”  Weber, Priscila Maria (2014),“A África de Valentin Mudimbe e o 

descobrimento de uma ordem do conhecimento”,Anos 90: Revista do Programa 

de Pós-Graduação em História, v. 21, n. 40, 563-568. 
31 Mbiti, John. S (1990), African Religions and Philosophy.2. Ed. London: 

Heinemann. P. 2 
32Wiredu, Kwasi (2010), African Religions from a Philosophical Point of View. 

In Taliaferro, Charles; Draper, Paul; Quinn, Philip L. (eds.). A Companion to 

Philosophy of Religion.Second Edition. Malden; Oxford; West Sussex: 

Blackwell, 2010, 34-43, by Lana Ellen T. de Sousa.  P.10 
33 Ibid. P. 2 
34 Ibid. P. 35. 
35 Ibid. P. 36 
36 Translation: “The entry into force of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' 

Rights, also known as the Banjul Charter, on October 21, 1986, consolidated the 



66      |      Ekpoma Review, Volume. 5 No. 1., 2019 
 

                                                                                                                       
third regional system of international protection of human rights. This is 

undoubtedly a milestone in the efforts being made, both globally and regionally, 

with a view to promoting and respecting human rights. Nonetheless, the African 

system encounters historical, political, structural and legal obstacles that can 

jeopardize its effectiveness”Andrade, José H. Fischel de (1994),“O sistema 

africano de proteção dos direitos humanos e dos povos”,África: Revista do Centro 

de Estudos africanos, 23-57. Accessed November 23, 2016. 

http://www.revistas.usp.br/africa/article/view/96035/95278. P. 23 
37 Translation: “I was here during the latest outbreak of violence against these 

"foreigners." The current hunt for "foreigners" is the product of a complex chain 

of complicity. The South African government has recently taken a tough stance 

on immigration. New draconian measures have been passed. Its effects are 

devastating for people already established here legally. A few weeks ago, I 

watched, at a "foreign" team meeting at the University of Wits, horrible stories. 

Unrecognized work permit, refused visas for family members, children in limbo 

in schools [...] Through its new anti-immigration measures, the government is 

moving migrants, formerly legal, to illegal immigrants” (2015). Mbembe, Achille 

(2015),‘“Afrofobia”? Achille Mbembe escreve sobre xenofobia na África do 

Sul”’. InPor dentro da África. 19 abr. 2015. AccessedSeptember 3, 2016 

http://www.pordentrodaafrica.com/noticias/afrofobia-achille-mbembe-escreve-

sobre-xenofobia-na-africa-do-sul-2 
38 Ogbenika, Gregory Ebalu, Democracy and Development in the Socio-political 

Philosophy of Kwasi Wiredu. Op Cit. P. 80. 
39 Held, David (1996),Models of Democracy. 2 ed. Oxfor and Cambridge: 

Blackwell Publishers 
40 Dahl, Robert (1989),Democracy and Its Critics. New Haven and Lodon: Yale 

University Press. 
41 Ibid. P. 48 
42 Remember that Wiredu is of the Ashanti people, one of the Akan people. 
43 Ibid. P. 85. 
44 Wiredu, Kwasi (1980), Philosophy and an African culture. Cambridge: 

Cambridge University Press. P. 18. 
45 Ogbenika, Gregory Ebalu, Democracy and Development in the Socio-political 

Philosophy of Kwasi Wiredu. Op Cit. Pp. 88-89. 
46 This was the first name that the Portuguese "discoverers" gave to the lands that 

later would be called of Brazil. 
47 It imposes on the network of Basic Educationthe obligatory nature of the theme 

"History and Culture Afro-Brazilian". 
48 It imposes on the network of Basic Educationthe obligatory nature of the theme 

"History and Culture Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous". 
49“Bandos of large children; a green and incipient culture; still in the first 

dentition; without the bones nor the development of the great American 

semicivilizations”(Freire, 1963: 150). 



Demands of an Afro-Brazilian Thought: Philosophical Aspects     |     67 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                       
50 Mbembe, Achille (2001), Formas africanas da escrita de si.Accessed July 12, 

2016.  
51 Translation: To avoid assimilation without verification in our thinking ... of 

conceptual schemas fixed in foreign philosophical traditions that have had an 

impact on life and African thinking" 
52 Translation: In our philosophical meditations, enjoy as much as possible ... of 

the resources of our original conceptual schemes, even in highly specialized 

sectors of contemporary philosophy" Wiredu, Kwasi (2009), La necessità di un a 

decolonizzazione concettualenella filosofia africana. In: Rivista Semestrale di 

Filosofia, n. 6. Roma: Dipartimento di Filosofia  dell’Universitàde gli Studi Roma 

Ter. P. 97 
53 Ele aponta três canais responsáveis por essa sobreposição: a linguagem, a 

religião e a política. Sobre a descolonização conceitual numa perspectiva de 

Brasil, vale conferir o artigo Descolonizar o saber: Um tema da filosofia africana. 

[“He points to three channels responsible for this overlap: language, religion, and 

politics. Regarding conceptual decolonization from a Brazilianperspective, it is 

worth giving the paperDescolonizar o saber: Um tema da filosofiaafricana” 
54 Vasconcelos, Francisco Antonio de (2016b),“Descolonizar o saber: Um tema 

da filosofia africana”, In CONGRESSO SOBRE GÊNERO, EDUCAÇÃO E 

AFRODESCENDÊNCIA, III, Teresina. Anais III Congresso sobre Gênero, 

Educação e Afrodescendência: Direito de ser nas relações de poder, 

November09-11, 2016.  
55 Appiah, Kwame Anthony (1992), In my father’s house: Africa in the Philosophy 

of Culture. Oxford: Oxford Universit y Press. P. x 
56 Mozzato, Diletta (2011),Filosofia (africana) in progress: Studio 

suKwasiWiredu. Milão: Mimesis. (Coleção La scala e l’album, 16). P. 29 
57 Vasconcelos, Francisco Antonio de (2016a),“Jürgen Habermas e KwasiWiredu: 

Reflexões sobre o consenso”, In COLÓQUIO HABERMAS E COLÓQUIO DE 

FILOSOFIA DA INFORMAÇÃO, XII e III, Rio de Janeiro. Anais XII Colóquio 

Habermas e III Colóquio de Filosofia da Informação: Conflitos Contemporâneos 

– Direitos Humanos e solidariedade. Rio de Janeiro: SALUTE, 342-355. 

AccessedNovember 12, 2016. 


