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EVAIA: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ETHICS AND VALUES Volume 1, NO. 1,  July, 2020 

 

Mmoneke, Samuel Ifeanyi (PhD)                                                                                                                            Page 80 

 

AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY AND INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES: THE 

CRITICAL NEXUS 

 

Mmoneke, Samuel Ifeanyi (PhD) 

Department of Philosophy, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu 

UniversityIgbariam Campus 

Email: si.mmoneke@coou.edu.ng 

 

Abstract 

African philosophy is the way of life and thought pattern of the African 

people. These African lives and thought pattern could extent to the African 

worldview, African culture and tradition. They were all derived, defined and 

expressed in the African indigenous languages. As such, African indigenous 

language goes a long way in promoting and unveiling the secrets of African 

philosophical worldview, extending to the African culture and tradition. In the 

light of these, a critic of the nexus of African philosophy and African 

indigenous languages, became necessary, so as to discover the relevance of 

African indigenous languages in the changing society. Comparative analytic 

method was adopted for a proper examination. The study discovers that no 

meaningful understanding will be made of African philosophy and worldview 

without the peoples’ indigenous language. The paper also determines that the 

problem of interpretation of African philosophy and worldview lay most on 

the inadequate use of African indigenous languages. Based on this, the paper 

opines that African indigenous languages should be given its proper place in 

the interpretation of African philosophy, African cultural, traditional activities 

and African worldview. As such, the paper recommends that scholars should 

be thought their indigenous languages. Africans must be more interested in 

their indigenous languages so as to be properly guided in the interpretation of 

not only African philosophy but also African culture, tradition and worldview. 

 

Key words: African Philosophy; Indigenous Languages; Critical; Nexus; 

Worldview 

 

 

Introduction 

The emergence of African Philosophy as an academic discipline is an 

important development in African intellectual history. Africans’ have suffered 

so much humiliation and violation in the hands of the racist western powers. 

These powers dominated, distorted and devastated African lives, cultures and 

identities for centuries. The African philosophical discipline provides Africans 

with a frame work to explore and explode those western framed myths, 

misconception and misrepresentation of African personality. Some of these 

prejudices include the notion that Africans are inferior in thought, and 

therefore lack the capacity of rational thinking or philosophy. 



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Mmoneke, Samuel Ifeanyi (PhD)                                                                                                                            Page 81 

 

 

However, time and events since 1990s has taken over the question of the 

existence and nonexistence of African philosophy. Since then, African 

philosophy has gone beyond folklores and myths otherwise referred to as 

ethno-philosophy. African philosophy as accomplished numerous works in the 

political, social and economic areas of Africans. As we appreciate the debate 

on the existence and nonexistence of African philosophy, it was particularly in 

the case of a discipline that is seeking for recognition or relevance. African 

philosophers, haven moved beyond debates on the idea itself into actual 

philosophizing, should acknowledge that indigenous languages remain the 

best option for the interpretation of African philosophy, culture, tradition and 

worldview. Especially at this juncture that much of what we are seeing now 

are real philosophizing in the African context. Africans are naturally 

communalistic and as such should instill a new interpretation into African 

philosophy by moving away from imitational Western individual 

philosophizing to “group philosophizing” or hard thinking ethnic, tribal or 

traditional philosophizing, which is purely communalistic. Otherwise the 

problem of interpretation occasioned by the application of foreign language 

into African philosophy will persist. 

 

The deficiency in African philosophy as a result of inadequate grasp of 

African indigenous languages usually occur each moment foreign language is 

preferred to indigenous language in interpretation of African philosophy. 

Scholars still view African philosophy with the eye of Western philosophy 

and as such fail to present African philosophy as “group philosophy”, not 

even minding the communal affiliation that enable us refer to it as African 

philosophy. African philosophical thoughts are often presented in the form of 

personal or subjective philosophy as a result of the language application. The 

mode of philosophizing remains stagnating and inhibitive of the needed 

individual, in order to be part of communal decision in a critical perspective 

on wide range of issues. Therefore, there is the need to liberate African 

philosophy from the slavery of western philosophical thought. Such liberation 

that will instill indigenous African spirit into the discipline. This can only be 

achieved through proper use of indigenous language. 

 

Furthermore, African philosophy will experience a new lease if African 

scholars can get rid of certain stereotypes and mental blocks that undermine 

genuine philosophizing like the idea-of presenting or insisting that everything 

African philosophy is to be based on religion or on one god or spirit or the 

other.  Most Africans in the course of their lives, history and upbringing come 

under diverse religious influences or non-religious, theistic, atheistic, 

naturalistic, and super-naturalistic. These serve as raw data for philosophical 

enterprise. It is on these raw data that this, work hope to base its critical nexus.  

So there is need for a new conception of African philosophy that recognizes, 



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Mmoneke, Samuel Ifeanyi (PhD)                                                                                                                            Page 82 

 

admits and acknowledges the diverse philosophical experiences of African 

people in their diverse indigenous languages. 

 

Conceptual Analysis (African Philosophy) 

A number of vital concepts will at this point be briefly define for a better 

understanding of the topic under discussion. These concepts include: 

Philosophy, Africa/African, Indigenous Language, Critical, Nexus and 

Worldview. Onyibor Marcel among numerous philosophers saw philosophy 

as, “some form of rational activity, a critical examination of all reality, of all 

areas of human experience including man himself”, (2003, p,94).Philosophy 

in most philosophical discuss usually asks the question ‘why’. The ‘Why’ of 

philosophy remains the ultimate philosophical question and preoccupies itself 

with the nature, meaning and essence of all that is in the past, present and 

future and of all that can be said to be in one way or the other.  This is both in 

their particularities (as beings), in their relationships to one another and in 

their totality (as being).  There is a natural quest in man to discover the inner 

reality of things both in themselves and as they confront reality.  This natural 

quest is a universal phenomenon.  It is found in all cultures, in various 

manners and at all times.  The African participates in this search for meaning 

and coherence and only by the application of their indigenous language can 

these be attained. 

 

On the part of African as a concept, Iroegbu opines that the true Africans must 

include the African geo-political and socio-cultural entity englobed by the 

continent of Africa.  It should also include the old Afro-Islamic Egypt, sub-

Saharan black central as well as White South African in this geo-political 

definition. Equally included are the historically Afro-African originators. 

Although they no longer leave in African continent, yet they are tied by 

history, language and origins to Africa. They are part and parcel of African 

reality, (1994, p.121).Other Africans involved and those who can do African 

philosophy are those who, though not Africans by geo-political delineation 

but are sufficiently informed, versed and interested to reflect on the African 

mystery just as some non-westerners do reflect on the western reality. With 

the above “As” African” Iroegbu actually told us who really African 

philosophers are. 

 

African philosophy on the one hand, according to Iroegbu, is a reflective 

inquiry into the marvels and problems that confront one in the African world, 

in view of producing systematic explanation and sustained responses to them, 

(1994, p.116).On the other hand, it is a critical investigation into the ultimate 

cause of reality in the African world; the way through, which Africans both 

pre-modern and contemporary look at the problems in their world and finding 

solutions to them. K. C. Anyanwu in Okolo (1993, p.12) saw African 

philosophy as that “which concern itself with the way in which African 



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Mmoneke, Samuel Ifeanyi (PhD)                                                                                                                            Page 83 

 

peoples of the past and the present make sense of their existence, of their 

destiny and of the world in which they live”. Okolo, (1993), saw it as “a path 

to a systematic, coherent, discovery and disclosure of the African as a being in 

the African world. Though this knowledge and disclosure of himself and his 

world by critical reflection, Okolo continued, the African grasp reality, that is 

to say, attains the truth about man and the cosmos in its entirety”, (p. 8). As a 

creative rational inquiry, African philosophy seeks to understand, clarify and 

explain every aspect of African experience. It was Kwame Gyekye in Okolo 

(1993) who maintained that African philosophy held the view that 

“philosophy of some kind is behind the thought and action of every people. It 

constitutes the intellectual anchor of the life in its totality. African philosophy 

in this context was then referred to as ethno-philosophy, folk-philosophy, 

traditional thought of the African peoples’, mythical folklores”, (p.8). 

 

As it were, no meaningful explanation would have been given to any system 

of a people without their language. Those philosophical ideas must be 

expressed in the peoples’ indigenous Language toenhance meaningful 

understanding. Again Iroegbu, (1994, Pp.118-121)insisted that theseinquiries 

must be of two aspects, philosophical and African. As philosophy, hereferred 

to it as a philosophia, meaning a quest for (African) wisdom. It is the 

reflective and systematic investigation into the fundamental questions that 

touch on African reality as a whole, empirical and meta-empirical.  Those 

include questions concerning the universe, humanity, the neighbor, the self, 

life and supernatural beings, such as God, the spirits and the afterlife and only 

by the application of the peoples’ indigenous languages can the answers to 

these fundamental questions be found. 

 

In summary, African philosophy remains a critical inquiry into the being of 

the African people, their culture and tradition as well as their experience of 

reality.It“is philosophy done in African context such as; Mythico-Religious, 

Historio-Political-moral, Ethnic-linguistic, existential, phenomenon, logical 

pragmatic, etc contexts”, (p.121), Iroegbu added. 

 

Indigenous Languages 

Every people have something that is theirs, that which is indigenous to them: 

their Worldview, their philosophy, their culture and tradition. The only means 

through which to express these indigenous principles to the people is with the 

peoples’ indigenous language. Indigenous language is therefore that language 

that is generally used and understood by the people. That which is theirs and 

can freely be applied in the interpretation of any indigenous concept. It could 

be spoken language signs and symbols. It becomes indigenous if and only if it 

is understood by the people who make use of such language. It is used in 

reaching out to the people, in communicating to the people as well as passing 

any form information to the people. It is therefore proper to use the peoples’ 



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Mmoneke, Samuel Ifeanyi (PhD)                                                                                                                            Page 84 

 

language in reaching out to the people and as far as African philosophy, is 

concerned African indigenous language is the most suitable in the expression, 

communication and interpretation.  

 

Critical  

Advance Learners Dictionary*, saw a critic as one who expresses opinion 

about the good and bad qualities of an establishment. It could be a book, a 

theory, a culture or tradition. This expression could also be an approval or 

disapproval of such establishment. 

 

Critic is a noun form of the adjective, Critical, which could be defined as the 

expression of disapproval of something or somebody and saying what one 

think is bad about them, in other words, disapproving an established fact and 

stating the reasons for the disapproval. Critical could also be seen from the 

point of extreme importance meaning, the subject is extremely important 

because a future situation will be affected. Critical could mean serious, 

uncertain and possibly dangerous, thus a critical moment in the history of 

Country or Community, as is the case with Nigeria since 27th February, 2020 

with coronavirus pandemic. Critical could also mean a situation involving 

making fair, careful judgement about the good and bad qualities of somebody 

or something. As such African philosophy and indigenous language require 

such a fair and careful judgement, to avoid accepting opinions without 

questioning. They should be given unprejudiced, dispassionate and unbiased 

critical attention so as to buttress the huge importance of indigenous language 

in the interpretation of African philosophy. 

 

 

Nexus  

African philosophy is vast. It cuts across every aspect of African life and 

events, which cuts across their social, political, religious and economic 

conduct rooted in the African culture and tradition. As sucha complicated 

series of connections between these ideologies become very necessary in the 

treatment of African philosophy. To make it truly African, it has to be in her 

indigenous language. Nexus simply put is a complicated series of connections 

between different things. It is therefore our arm in this paper to critically 

connect African philosophy and African indigenous language to the above 

aspects of African life and events. 

 

African World-view 

Like every other conceptual definition as was above, African worldview will 

be defined in two parts: “world – view” and “African world view”. World-

view according to Onuoha is “a conceptualization of the Universe providing a 

structural and unified picture of the cosmos and defining man’s place and role 

in it.  It comprises a set of values, perception and interpretation of facts and 



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Mmoneke, Samuel Ifeanyi (PhD)                                                                                                                            Page 85 

 

events”, (1987, p.11). Ikenga Metuh on his part saw world-view as “the 

complex of people’s beliefs and attitudes concerning the origin, the nature, 

structure of organization and interaction of being in the universe with 

particular reference to man”, (1998, p.50).In all, world-view has to do with the 

idea of man and the universe, the picture of cosmos and man’s place in it. 

 

African world-view is therefore seen as “something natural coeval and 

peculiar to pre-modern African man. It comprises of their beliefs, origin, 

nature, structure of organization and interaction in the world handed down as 

the sum total of assumptions entertained from one generation to another”, 

(Mbaegbu,2004, p.129). Following the assertion of Mbaegbu, African world is 

not to be seen as a global world but the world around them. It could be a 

family or a community, village, town, thus their worldview could be handed 

down from one generation to another. It is the world conceived as 

contemplated, perceived by people who live in it especially within the ambit 

of human environment.  He also maintains that it is a body of beliefs about the 

universe which are common among the members of any society and 

existentially demonstrated in their value systems, such as their philosophy of 

life, social conduct and morality, folklores, myths, rites and rituals, norms, 

rules, ideas, cognitive mappings, theologies etc., (2004, p.129). 

 

Worldview is said to be the blue print upon which a people’s activities are 

based. It contains the totality of all the things that give sense of direction and 

purpose to the peoples’ lives, which enable themto act purposefully in, and 

exercise a measure of control over their environment.  It is our sub-conscious 

guide through life. 

Furthermore, the worldview is said to be the blue print which a 

people’s activities are based because it contains the complex of people’s 

beliefs and attitude concerning the origin, the nature, the structure, 

organization and interaction of beings in the universe with particular reference 

to man. It is upon this worldview that the peoples’ philosophy depends.  A 

people’s philosophy is actually that which makes them who they are.  It is the 

about the people.  It is sometimes difficult to differentiate a people’s 

worldview from their philosophy.  Thus the peoples’ worldview could also be 

their philosophy and as such seriously require the peoples’ indigenous 

language  

 

Cradle of African Philosophy and African Indigenous Language 

(Thought) 
Africa as a continent were never acknowledged as a people by the European. 

For them Africa had no history. Instead of appreciating and recognizing 

Africa as the cradle of world’s civilization, Eneh, remarked that Africa was 

rather labelled as a dark continent influenced by hot weather, infested with 

hunger, mosquitoes, diseases, superstition and stagnation, (1999:1-2). That the 



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Mmoneke, Samuel Ifeanyi (PhD)                                                                                                                            Page 86 

 

Western world found it difficult to acknowledge Africans as a people, did not 

put to doubt the existence of Africa. As a people that they are, they are ways 

of life and philosophy. 

 

African philosophy had been defined as the way and method of African’s 

thinking about issues that concern their culture and tradition. These ways and 

methods were seen and described by African philosophers as ethno-

philosophy, philosophical sagacity, nationalist ideological philosophy and 

professional philosophical thought.  It should be noted that most of these 

African thoughts or philosophies before now were not written in any papyrus 

or paper. It is in-fact oral thought/philosophy that was embedded in oral 

literature, myths, rituals, proverbs, name, socio-cultural and religious 

institutions.  These thoughts were just moved from hand to hand orally until 

the recent past when they were documented in papers and today they have 

moved from being analogue to being digitalized, yet nothing African was 

removed. 

 

African philosophy began as a myth, just as every other thing thatis, has a 

beginning. Anowai, (2014:4), is of the opinion that, “the pre-philosophical 

thought can be characterized as ‘mythopeic’, ‘mythopetic’ or ‘mythic’ 

thought. Mythopeic, taken from its root, means making,(poien, from which the 

word poet is derived)”. Anowai, (4), went on to say that “Myths are stories 

about persons, who may be gods, heroes or ordinary people”. 

 

Mythology before the digital era in history was the only means through which 

African philosophy could better be expressed to the African people, of course 

in their native language. It was with this mythology that the various African 

beliefs, traditions and cultures were being expressed. With mythology their 

philosophical thoughts were being expressed as proverbs, folktales and even 

in the derivation of African names etc. To understand the African 

philosophical thoughts therefore one need to also understand African 

mythological stories. 

 

The nuances of definitions above showed that what we generally designate as 

the African world-view evolved from a particular situation. That a world-

view, in each case, is as a result of the effort of a people and a community to 

understand the world, or the reality around them.  Thus its outcome is always 

context-dependent and that explains the wide variations and the narrower 

nuances that are comparative features of different world-views.  The effort at 

interpretation that gives rise to a worldview is characterized by a primordial 

attempt to react to the uncontrollability of nature. In the interpretation of 

peoples’ world-view, what differentiate one from another is the application of 

the people’s language. According to William Abraham;  

 



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Mmoneke, Samuel Ifeanyi (PhD)                                                                                                                            Page 87 

 

The primordial reaction to this reality is two-

fold: on the theoretical level there is a 

projection of origin in which the situation was 

much different, a sort of paradise that was 

lost. This is usually represented in idyllic 

myths of origin. On the practical level, there 

is ritual, which tries to project man beyond 

here and now on the ideal Original situation, 

to symbolically bring him in contact with a 

world that was more predictable. Such 

conceptualization and ritual projection are 

therefore primarily aimed at survival, (1985, 

p.19). 

 

The theoretical explanation for the difficulties of nature or life contains 

explanation, which at the same time reveals the finitude of man in finding 

answers. Worldview represents the sedimentation of a people’s conception of 

the way things are and how they should be. 

 

More specifically, the African worldview emerged from a situation of relative 

poverty and development. It is a worldview marked by survival, which is an 

outcrop of relative poverty with some characteristics.  Among these is 

coalescence of the divine and the human, the supernatural and the natural. The 

division between heaven and earth becomes less and less clear, so is the 

separation between dead and living, and those yet to be born.  Life becomes a 

huge circle in which each of these dimensions is strongly linked with the 

other. A possible explanation of these coalescence is the factor of inter-

dependence.  This is in turn born of the vision engendered by life threatening 

situation, which has been described as precarious vision.  In turn such a vision 

gives rise to the quest from all conceivable sources, divine and human. This 

presupposes a conception of the sources of trouble, which can also be taken to 

be both terrestrial (human) and supra-terrestrial (spiritual).  It is thus not 

surprising that the traditional African religious world is the one peopled by a 

number of deities detailed to take care of specific aspects of life.  These also 

serve as counter forces against other spiritual beings that are considered to be 

life threatening.  There is usually the Supreme Being and also the cosmic 

forces, the numerous lesser spirits or deities, as well as the ancestors.  

Working in opposition to all these are countless evil spirits.  Even lower 

beings, animals and plants are not use in the struggle for survival and well-

being.  They are usually imbued with power or influence, and the rational 

being can manipulate these powers to influence the life of another rational 

being. Only indigenous language is capable of driving home all the African 

worldview had to offer.  



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Mmoneke, Samuel Ifeanyi (PhD)                                                                                                                            Page 88 

 

Such a vision also gives human beings certain clout and independence.  The 

deities and the ancestors to a certain extent are dependent on them for their 

“well-being” and continued relevance in the affairs of men.  Humans can turn 

their attention to ineffective deities and ancestors.  These are mainly relevant 

because of their ability to provide protection for the living.  It means that 

worship is not primarily aimed at spiritual beings.  It is not for the ultimate 

aim of praising them that the votary takes his pain, but to obtain his needs and 

be liberated from his numerous problems.  That is why the deities could be 

discarded or even punished.  Thus interdependent of deferent spheres of 

reality entails that each sphere has its function, and it is on account of that 

function that it is recognized in the life of humans. 

 

The background of this attitude is the readiness to believe untested 

explanations.  Let us name it credulity for want of better word. Credulity 

results from the failure or inability to investigate in any modern scientific 

conception of the word.  It involves complete trust on the powers and 

effectiveness of experts like the diviner and the medicine men who are ready 

to attach unnatural cause to unwanted phenomena, occurrences and situation.  

The unwanted is usually due to wicked ancestors, angry gods, jealous or 

envious neighbors, colleagues or cheer evil men.  This in turn overflows to the 

confidence in the power of the deities to purvey the only possible solace 

before the enormity of life-problems.  It is possible to interpret some of the 

practical effects, this belief on the level of psychological satisfaction, 

nevertheless what underlies such satisfaction of the confidence in the power of 

the deities. Such powers are often viewed in a magical way, depending on the 

manipulation of certain physical objects, accompanied by incantations by 

experts to bring the desired effects.  But this is not always so. In many cases, 

prayer to the divinity in question accompanies the offering of the votary, with 

the promise of even better sacrifice in future if the supplication is heeded.  

This touches on the question of the difference between magic, which in 

subjection to the will of the absolute is implicit. What is notable, is the view 

of the supernatural as intervening, directly and constantly, to make 

determinant difference in the day-to-day lot of man. 

 

Finally, such feature we mention above are the coalescence of the divine act, 

human inter dependency of all realities, the central position of man, the 

functionality of all levels of being, divine and human, the disinclination to 

seek for natural causes, the attribution of these cause to magico-religious 

beings which tend to stop all scientific inquiries, the belief in the efficacy of 

the spiritual beings and also in the manipulation of these lower creatures to 

effect harm on rational beings, inclination to believe in the presence of 

uncanny inferences in native without sustained search for attentive possible 

cause. The interpretations and better understanding of all these must be done 



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Mmoneke, Samuel Ifeanyi (PhD)                                                                                                                            Page 89 

 

only in African local languages otherwise, the philosophical thought behind 

the African world view will not receive the desired treatment.  

 

African Philosophy and Indigenous Languages: The Critical Nexus 

African philosophy in the various definitions we had already concerned itself 

with who the Africans are, their practices, what realities are for them and the 

interpretation of the world around them. The African worldview cuts across 

the ambient of the African culture, tradition, religious practices, belief system, 

social contact and morality. Language, according to Ozumba is defined as “a 

means of communicating ideas and thought”, (2004, p.18). As such, African 

language can be defined as a means of communicating African ideas and 

thoughts.  Moreover, language is an essential tool in the constitution, 

transformation, and expression of people and cultures.  The most 

distinguishing mark of any ethnic group is its language or dialect.  Following 

the communicational role of language some go to the extent of identifying 

language with the essence of a people or of a person.  In fact, some think that 

the most universal element in all humanity is the power to communicate 

through language. It is through language that all the ambient of African life 

could be transmitted to the Africans 

 

However, different African languages, belong to different language family, 

within each family. There are many language groups in Africa and each have 

a language through which they can be reached. The Niger-Congo family for 

instance has such language group as Benue-Congo, Mande, Kwa etc and each 

are identified with a particular language group.  Each of the African languages 

belong to one of the language family group. Interestingly, the African 

languages that belong to a particular language group exhibit some 

characteristic features in their phonology, morphology, and/or syntax that are 

glaringlysimilar.  This fact makes one confident to generalize, and with a high 

degree of precision too that certain findings in an African language indicate 

that others that belong to the same language group possess the same language 

characteristic features. 

 

Interestingly, African ethnic groups numerous as they are and African 

languages and dialects as various and varied as they are, constitute according 

to Iroegbu, “very fundamental philosophical point-de-depart for African 

philosophy”, (1994, p.120)7.  But one unfortunate handicap that persists in this 

area according to H. Odimegwu in his inaugural lecture is “the use of foreign 

languages to undo African philosophy. Until this handicap is overcome, 

African philosophy will not actualize its originality  

 

 

 



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Mmoneke, Samuel Ifeanyi (PhD)                                                                                                                            Page 90 

 

Rationale behind the Centrality of African Indigenous Language in 

African Philosophy  

Haven seen philosophy as a critical enquiry into nature or realities, through 

their ultimate causes, African philosophy on the other hand remains a “relative 

inquiry in to the marvels and problems that confront the African world in view 

of sustained responses to man”, Iroegbu, (1994, p.116).Again language is a 

symbol through which ideas and thoughts are communicated. Indeed, through 

African philosophy ideas and thoughts must be communicated by mean of 

African languages to the African man.  This is because one cannot possibly 

comprehend ideas or philosophical thoughts if they are not communicated 

through language, be it sign language or any other form of language that can 

be used to relate the ideas to the audience or people that are around. 

 

The rationale behind the centrality of African Indigenous Language in African 

Philosophy will be based from what is said so far. That the relationship 

between African philosophy and language lie in the communication skill 

applied. This means that the person who is philosophizing can apply those 

communication skills to relate the ideas and thoughts such that one can easily 

understand the views being communicated. Until every philosophical thoughts 

and ideas are properly related or communicated, such ideas or thoughts do not 

qualify to be called a peoples’ philosophy and no meaningful philosophy 

could be communicated without a language which may be oral, written or 

through signs or symbols. 

 

However, it will be salient to know that this relationship between African 

philosophy and language as we mentioned above is not peculiar to African 

philosophy alone rather it is general to every philosophy and African 

philosophy being part of the general philosophy has the same relationship 

with African language.  As such every philosophy needs to be communicated 

before people can understand its content so as to appraise or criticize it or 

accept or reject it. Language is the only means through which the above 

exercise could be attained. 

 

However, the fact that African philosophy is being done in foreign language, 

is a very big problem, which African philosophy is having in relation with 

language today. Here, we should note that the linguistic expression of a people 

is definitions of their essential being and action. Language is therefore the 

soul of culture, the heart of the environment and the spirit that motivates and 

directs a people’s life.  Thus, Iroegbu remarked that, “The dynamism of the 

German language and emotivism of the Italian portray, remains the being and 

character of the two people.  African philosophical thought in a foreign 

language is not fully African thought.  African philosophy done in a foreign 

language is not yet authentically African philosophy”, (1994, p.116). Makinde 

in his final remark, stated that until philosophy is written and taught in an 



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Mmoneke, Samuel Ifeanyi (PhD)                                                                                                                            Page 91 

 

African Languages African philosophy may turn out to be nothing but 

Western Philosophy in African guise, (1988, p.56).We must therefore learn to 

appreciate our language for that is our identity and bases of our African 

culture. 

 

African Philosophy without Indigenous Languages 

Like Makinde posited, African philosophy will definitely turn to western 

philosophy if the African indigenous language is not acknowledged in its 

interpretation. It is obvious that a people’s language interprets their 

philosophy and to loose one’s language is as good as losing not just the 

philosophy but also the identity. In the definition of African worldview, a 

number of issues were mentioned as contained in the worldview, things like 

African social conduct and morality, the folklores, myths, rites and rituals, 

norms, rules, ideas, cognitive mappings, theologies as well as African 

metaphysics, epistemology. These issues can only be properly expressed and 

communicated in African language. 

 

To teach, express and communicate the above African issues as may be found 

in the African worldview in a foreign language is to make African philosophy 

appear as a foreign or western philosophy. It will also be difficult to 

comprehend. The true philosophy behind each concept will be lost. It will lose 

the true African meaning behind each of the concepts. Africans will begin lose 

interest in the whole concept and as such the basic African values found 

therein will be lost. These will amount to a complete loss of African 

philosophy. Indeed, we cannot afford to discuss African Philosophy without 

the indigenous African Languages. It is African identity, it is African 

philosophy and it is the reason why Africa is called and are referred to as 

Africa. 

 

The Philosophical base of the Argument 

Philosophy being a critical inquiry into reality involves a critical thought 

before one is said to be philosophizing. Indeed, every philosophy involves 

some thinking and African philosophy being part of the universal is not an 

exception. No matter the mode, way and style of thought used to portray the 

philosophy of a people, philosophical thought or thinking must be involved in 

the philosophizing, in the case of African philosophy and indigenous 

language. 

 

Again among the problems of African philosophy is that the thoughts or the 

philosophy of pre-modern African man was not documented but were 

embedded in oral literatures, myths, rituals, proverbs, names, socio-cultural, 

religious, institutions and maxims.  We must note here that most oral 

messages have no concrete evidence unless they are documented. It was as a 

result of this problem of African philosophy that most non-African and some 



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Mmoneke, Samuel Ifeanyi (PhD)                                                                                                                            Page 92 

 

African philosophers’ got involved in the debate on the existence or non-

existence of African Philosophy. 

 

However, the debate on existence or non-existence of African Philosophy, 

remains that African Philosophy like all other world philosophies exists,and 

the ways it is being portrayed through all the above mentioned means and 

modes, which stipulated what really is African philosophy is not lacking. This 

is to show that there is no race so back ward, in advance, so primitive or 

illogical as not to have some conception/thought or philosophy of the universe 

and its wonders. African philosophy was being transmitted from one 

generation to another through oral representation thereby encouraging and 

sustaining African philosophy not lose its originality, following the 

modification of some vital facts as it moves from one generation to another. 

This is the reason behind Hountondji’s assertion that, ‘a text is African 

philosophy only if … (it is) a written text’ and unless that is done, it does not 

qualify to be philosophy and what is not philosophy can never be African 

philosophy, (1974, p.1). 

 

The philosophical base of our argument as it concerns world-view, lay mainly 

on the fact that it has been described as people’s complex beliefs and attitudes 

concerning the origin, the nature, structure, organization, and interaction of 

being in the universe with particular reference to man.  A world-view seeks to 

answer fundamental questions about the place and relationship of man with 

the universe.  Answers to these fundamental problems provide man with the 

blueprint for controlling his environment and for establishing his social and 

political institutions.  Conversely, knowledge of a people’s world-view is a 

key to the understanding of their social, political and even psychological 

problems. 

 

On the other hand, a people’s worldviews are not only the multiplicity of 

beings, concepts, beliefs, and attitudes which they share, but also the 

underlying thought-link (Philosophy) or logic which holds them together. 

Soan adequate view of people’s worldview can only be obtained by 

description of their whole life especially in its social context. As such, 

whatever is done by a people is based on their world-view. 

 

Again, considering African philosophy and worldview, our argument is that 

philosophy must have its originality from the people’s worldview i.e. it must 

originate from the peoples’ opinion or view of the cosmos. Like all other 

Philosophies, Africa Philosophy originates from the African Worldview, 

which remains the way Africans perceive reality and everything around them. 

 

The interpretation African philosophy is not just by how one perceives reality 

but a hungry man’s philosophy is never sound as a result of his worldview.  



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Mmoneke, Samuel Ifeanyi (PhD)                                                                                                                            Page 93 

 

Above all, African philosophy is based on the African worldview. We must 

recall that Africa was at a time in history besieged by hunger, hardship, 

poverty and under-development; it will not be surprising to note that African 

worldview cum philosophy then could have emerged from a situation of 

relative poverty and under-development. Hence, the quest for survival was 

what occupied the African mind rather than philosophical thoughts or 

worldview. It has also been observed that a worldview and philosophy that is 

marked by the quest for survival is in most cases an outcrop of relative 

poverty and it has some unique characteristics. Among the characteristics is 

the readiness to believe untested explanations.  It could be referred to as 

credulity since credulity is as a result of failure or inability to investigate in 

any modern scientific concept an idea before putting it into action. 

 

In all African Philosophy according to Bodunrinhas what may be called 

“Magico-religions conception of the world”, (1991, p,158) and the philosophy 

that arises from such worldview has some negative practical effects that puts 

an end to further inquiry into things, which is the function of philosophy.  

Many phenomena that are otherwise explicable by deeper knowledge of the 

operation of nature are attributed to the machination of super-natural causes.  

The continuous presence of water in a spring or river, crop failure, famine and 

other natural disasters such as cyclone, flooding, and storm, death of young 

people; problem in conception or childbearing, lack of males offering and 

failure in business, inability to find a suitable husband or wife, family 

quarrels, in more modern times, failure in examination, difficulty in bagging a 

job, dismissal from a job already bagged, etc, are all attributable to 

machination of one of the numerous inhabitants or the creatures, animals and 

plants in the form of charms. 

 

It has become clearer now that all beings known to Africans are based on their 

worldview. The being could be visible world or the invisible world.  The 

visible world, ‘terra firma’ (solid earth) is populated by men and all material 

surrounding man, such as sky, earth, rivers, forest, mountains and so on are 

things that are familiar to man.  The invisible world on the other hand, consist 

of the heavenly realm and is said to be the home place of the creators and 

deities which is thought to be located somewhere in the sky; and the ‘Spirit 

land’, is the home place of the ancestors, the spirits, disembodied spirits, 

located somewhere inside the ground.  Interestingly, Africans see no wall of 

demarcation between the two worlds.  The two realms shade into each other.  

Still the thinness of the dividing line between the two world of humans and 

that of the spirit does not mean that there is a clear explanation of the later.  

The Spirit world is always inscrutable, near as it may be. Though, at some 

important stage of one’s life, the will of its inhabitants is required to be 

ascertained through divinations like Afa, Ifa, and Oracles.  These mediate the 

intentions and the designs of the world.  The importance of these means of 



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Mmoneke, Samuel Ifeanyi (PhD)                                                                                                                            Page 94 

 

knowledge is dependent on certain factors, where scientific knowledge is 

comparatively very limited, many incomprehensible things are attributed to 

the subra-natural. It is upon the above that the philosophical argument on 

African philosophy and indigenous language based its critical nexus. 

 

Evaluation and Conclusion 

 

It is obvious that there is a continent called Africa. It is also a fact people live 

in this African continent. Those who live in this continent, have a way of life. 

As such they have a philosophy they call their own. It is in this their 

philosophy, the African philosophy, that they live and hold their being. No 

amount of debate by philosophers can deny Africans their philosophy. The 

relations among African Philosophy, language, thought and worldview has 

been identified as something that is not so easy to detect except for analysis of 

this kind. This is because all of the concepts involved intermingle with one 

another and carry one another along. 

 

Our conceptual considerations were aimed at helping us to easily see the 

various differences among these concepts since it has been observed that 

whatever must be related must have difference between them and it is only be 

identifying the differences that a better relation could be easily attained in 

other to get a positive result. 

 

Finally, it has become clearer that no meaningful analysis could be achieved 

in the interpretation of any peoples’ philosophical thought and worldview 

outside the peoples’ language. As such we must appreciate and promote 

African indigenous languages not just by speaking it but also by applying 

them where necessary in those areas of need, especially as it affect issues 

concerning the African culture, tradition as well as social, political and 

economic life of the African people. 

 

Even in the areas of philosophizing or any form of intellectual exercise 

without letting people know in a clear language what one is philosophizing on 

or about either through sign, oral or written language so that there will be a 

clearer understanding of what is being communicated, the philosophizing is 

simply a waste of mental activity. That which one attempts philosophizing on 

or communicating is thoughts and worldviews of those individuals he is 

philosophizing to and what is being philosophized is the people’s philosophy. 

As such, it must be based on their views about the universe, which is their 

worldview. These relationships to the thought, language and worldview are 

not only peculiar to African philosophy but all other philosophies of the world 

experience a similar relationship. No wonder African philosophy being a part 

of the world’s philosophy is also considered in relation to its indigenous 

language, thought and world-view. We are therefore being encouraged to take 



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Mmoneke, Samuel Ifeanyi (PhD)                                                                                                                            Page 95 

 

more seriously our language, which incidentally is our identity, in our social, 

political and cultural activities. We must finally note that a people without a 

language are no people. 

 

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