Micas Antonio Zandamela African Philosophy 110

Micas Antonio Zandamela
African Philosophy 110
Fr. Amadeus Shirima, S.J
17 February 2016

The aim of this essay is to reflect, discuss, and evaluate the claim according to John Mbiti that 'to understand African Philosophy one has to understand African Religion since African Religion enters all the departments of life in Africa'. In addition to find out whether such a claim is still relevant.
African Philosophy is an African way of expressing thoughts. African people have transmitted African thought from one generation to another. They always had a method to think reasonably. Accordingly, Joseph I. Omoregbe in his book African Philosophy; yesterday and today, says that African philosophy reflects the 'fundamental issues and problems of Africa or about Africa' (Class Lecture). Whatsoever, the definition of religion is contextual; many scholars have realized that the African religions by their nature are more complex to define.
Moseley commenting on Mbiti's theory says that 'He adopted an explicitly ethnographic approach to demonstrate that there are certain basic similarities between ethnic groups throughout Africa, and that these similarities manifest a concept of time which differs radically from that characterizing of modern Europe' (5). According to Mbiti, both African religions and African Philosophy deal exclusively with tradition (Preface X).
African religion and African Philosophy use the same tools to achieve their finalities. However, we should avoid generalization. Africa has a vast cultural diversity within its peoples. In many African societies, we shall find some similar ways of understanding the diverse African thoughts and the ways the thoughts are processed within their customs. From this standpoint, we can argue that religious practices, beliefs and culture in Africa are more diversified, depending mostly on the people's boundaries.
The different locations in Africa will determine how people defined their costumes and beliefs. Accordingly, Kalumba agrees with Oruka on the fact that some works are focused on the clear explanations of traditional individuals and ordinary categories of African thought; therefore, J. S. Mbiti's claim is discussable.
Kalumba continues quoting Griaule (1965) saying that, 'our understanding of traditional cultural thought is extensive as do those works focused on collective and presupposed traditional beliefs and customary classified as ethno philosophy' (11). According to the actual claim, we can say that African peoples although, not having written records about their traditional forms of living, they were faithful to the transmission of their costumes and beliefs.
Moreover, highlighting from this point of view, by saying that Mbiti is correct when saying that 'each people have their own religious system, and a person in order to participate and be part of this religious system has to be born in the particular society' (101). Furthermore, in order to prove whether Mbiti's contention is still relevant or not, we can advance that every conclusion drawn in a singular perspective of an African religion point of view is valid as long as it is possible to show by factors, and places of certain historical factors of what happened.
Henceforth, Mbiti says that 'the studies of African religious beliefs and practices show that there are probably more similarities than differences' (101) meaning that in his point of view, we mostly have an African religion rather than African religions. However, Mbiti parts from particular practices that are frequently done in some ethnic groups in Africa where he had made his research. Africa is a continent whereby it is not possible to talk about one same African religion and Africa is a continent with dynamic changes.
According to E. Bolaji Idowu in his book titled African Traditional Religion; a definition, says that 'religion, can be expressed in different ways such as a belief in God, in spirits, in ancestors, or by a practice of magic and medicine' (137, 89). From this point of view, religious beliefs are defined from an individual point of view and in the ways they are transmitted and processed in public.
John Mbiti divides the concept of spiritual beings in three groups as follows: Divinities and God's associates, the spirits, and the living-dead (74, 81). Moreover, the African traditional approach of these spiritual beings can be determined by the customs of a certain group of people and the way that group performs its own rites. These aspects can be cultural, economic, social, political, and religious.
Moreover, we possibly affirm that African peoples always transmitted from the generation to another generation different ways of beliefs, and practices; symbols, and rituals. Thus, those different ways of beliefs, and practices; symbols and rituals, were used by Africans in order to communicate to the divinities in different manners of dealing with spiritual realities. By agreeing with this last account, we are also affirming that there is a direct link between philosophy and religion.
Mbiti talks about time reckoning and chronology, maintaining that 'when Africans reckon time, it is for a concrete and specific purpose, in connection with events but not just for the sake of mathematics' (17). In other words, Mbiti is saying that Africans did not have the culture of time reckoning, unless they connect with the events that happened within cultural boundaries.
The important question concerns to either the singularity or plurality. According to Laurent Magesa in his book entitled African Religion: the moral traditions of Abundant Life, on the issue of the plurality or singularity he suggests that 'perhaps we will decide that there is no such thing as African religion but only African Religions' (24). Magese and many other scholars are almost at the agreement that the evidence that shows the non-existence of one basic, universal African religion is that the 'labels Africans are attached to their religious phenomena called animism or fetishism' (25).
According to the above account, animism or fetishism is the multiplicity of ritual actions by utilizing natural objects to approach the divinities. These actions have a logical consequence as Magesa agrees with Mbiti in the same particular point of view that 'one has to speak about African religions in the pluralistic approach' (25).
Mbiti in a book titled African Religions and Philosophy maintains that 'religion can be discerned in terms of beliefs, ceremonies, and rituals' (1). Therefore, the way we can consider different religions in terms of their similarities and differences is by looking at the overall situation in Africa. The main argument is that different African people have their own ways to bear relationship with the divine realities.
E. Bolaji Idowu in his book African Traditional Religion a definition says that 'the universe has always presented man with a hydra-headed riddle which alarms him, with the notion that there is more to the universe than to the visible and tangible' (49). African religion is a practice, in which the African beliefs and rites are performed in an African way of doing things.
We cannot shorten African religion as their spirituality. The correct way to go about it is by seeing the religions of Africa as not only the beliefs and rites. In African religions, we have to bear in mind that we are referring to every sort of approach to communicating to the divinities such as: Spirits of the ancestors, the mother earth, and the living dead who are part of Africans' daily lives.
For instance, religion forms one aspect of an African individual. To make an African whole, social, physiological, and psychological aspects influence his or her life. These three aspects can have a greater influence on African philosophy as much as it can do so to African religions. According to J. S. Mbiti in all African practices, the African Religion is there naturally, but African Philosophy do not manifest itself in the same way as the African religions do.
African religion is a practice which involves the beliefs and rites performed by African people in an African approach of doing things. We cannot shorten African religion as their spiritual dimension. The way we can talk about African religion is by seeing every African person as marked by his historical background. The Spirits of the ancestors, the earth, and the living dead who are part of his daily life; considering that all these involve the whole humaneness of an African.
The fact that African religion and African Philosophy use the same tools to achieve their finalities is true. Africa has a vast cultural diversity within it. In many African societies we shall find some similar ways of comprehending the African thought and the ways how they are presented.
Likewise, African religion is still containing an African understanding of seeing the African realities in the same way as a Philosophical approach. Horton quoted by Kalumba in a book entitled African Philosophy, a classic approach, while comparing the Western science with traditional African religions and considering the consistence of differences in a certain kind of model of unobservable entities so, he concluded that 'the theoretical scientific thinking and religious thinking are similar to one another' (194).
African thinking is transmitted by stories tellers, the myths that are the teachings of the elders to the youth, a wisdom which normally is accredited to the spirits of the ancestors and the living dead. Therefore, by supporting Mbiti's claim we automatically have to bear with him that the rules of the elders in the society were always the same even in religious part. In religion the beliefs are for everyone but the duty to perform the rites in order to please the spirits are done by the elders. In some cultures the dilemma will be the feminist. There are some cultures whereby women are put in the same place with the young people as such; men have a more relevant role to play in some African societies.
In some societies in Africa the female elders have the duty to transmit the African though to the young female and the male elders to the young male, but when you go to religious aspect you will find that the indigenous witchcrafts, the priests, the indigenous doctors are in many cases working together depending of the gifts of the person who is entrusted one of this duty in an African society.
It is true that in order to know African philosophy one has to know African religion, which is the reason why when we want to know the facts of a certain society the right people are the elders and the young male people. Due to this fact, J. S. Mbiti's claim, parts from the generalization can be consider relevant even in nowadays. The indigenous authorities always taught to the following generation the wisdom of the ancestors and also transmit the religious practices. Every African is affected by his own past, by the religious beliefs, though not everyone can perform the rites. For instance when an African gets ill, the indigenous traditional healers have their own methods to deal with the illness.
In conclusion, we are saying that, African philosophy is also a practical knowledge, for instance, it is a taboo to see a nude woman within their periphery early in the morning. The understanding is that she would be a witch. Either the African traditional religion and or philosophy is determined by the way in which African people correlate with their experiences and how they respond to them in their daily lives.
We can say that Mbiti's claim is still relevant because the Africans are essentially religious by their nature. In order to support this claim of Mbiti, I looked at religions from a phenomenological approach. The phenomenologist's who presented their study on African religion, considered religion as phenomena. The phenomenological perspective says that in order to study African religion one has to clean up his mind from any preconceived idea which can disturb his understanding of an African religion.
Additionally, the ethno philosophers in their turn presented a scholarly study of African Philosophy as part of the Africans daily life. The study of African Philosophy, involves the African mythology, the communities, and the symbols. The African Philosophy in order to be understood one has to understand at least the three elements above suggested as the feature keys which provide the really African traditional thought.
Bibliography
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