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PDU EXAM REVISIONGood Evening Students
Below is feedback on Activity 1: Chapter 1
Activity 1: African Philosophy
Question 1
1.1) Explain using a paragraph why African philosophy has struggled to
establish an identity that is peculiarly African.
African Philosophy has struggled to establish an identity that is peculiarly African. This is largely due
to the fact that Western, or Eurocentric, ways of thinking enslaved the African mind during the
colonial as well as the post-colonial eras. However, African Philosophy in the 21st century is
increasingly making its presence felt in all spheres of life on the African continent, including
education.
1.2) Name and explain each distinctive course which African philosophy finds itself in.
African Philosophy finds expression in four distinctive discourses:
• Ethnic philosophy can be defined as the philosophy of Africa. It is distinctive, and consists of the
religious and moral beliefs of the continent of Africa. Given the vastness of this continent and the
diversity of the peoples of Africa, this philosophy should not be viewed simplistically. It encompasses
the African people’s view of life and Africa’s ability to criticise its own traditions. Essentially, the
philosophy of Africa looks at the whole experience of human beings (in other words, the philosophy of
Africa is holistic).
• Sage, or wisdom, philosophy focuses on those individuals in society who are known to be wise
and far-sighted and who can think critically. These are the people whose views challenge the
authority of the community’s decision. In the Western tradition of wisdom, historically, these people
have been social critics and innovators.
• Africa’s political philosophy is unique. Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Amilcar Cabral,
Le?opold Se?dar Senghor and Frantz Fanon are regarded as the main representatives ofAfrican
political philosophy.The assumption underlying this philosophy is that it must be a peculiarly African
political philosophy, different from capitalist, socialist or communist political philosophies.
• Pure philosophy is the work of African philosophers in the areas of Empiricism, Critical Rationalism
and Existentialism. Kwasi Wiredu, Peter Bodunrin, Henry Odera Oruka, Kwame Anthony Appiah and
Paulin Hountondji represent this type of philosophy.
1.3) Who has dominated the history of Africa?
Much of the history of Africa has been dominated by colonial occupation. Colonialism in Africa
provided the framework for the organised subjugation of the cultural, scientific and economic life of
many on the African continent. This subjugation ignored indigenous African knowledge systems and
impacted on African peoples’ way of seeing life and their way of being. In fact, to all intents and
purposes the African identity became an inverted mirror of Western identity
.
1.4) African written philosophy goes back to which time?
African written philosophy goes back to the time of the pharaohs
1.5) Name 3 Various forms of Socialism based on traditional African social and political
communalism which were formed.
Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, with his idea of ujamaa; Kenneth Kaunda’s ideas of Zambian humanism;
Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana; Se?kou Toure? of Guinea, who put forward the idea of scientific
socialism; Le?opold Se?dar Senghor of Senegal and the concept of Negritude; and Steve Biko with
his ideas on Black Consciousness.
,1.6) Why was there a need to call for African
Renaissance?
In reaction to the colonisation and subjugation of Africa, numerous attempts were made to reassert
distinctively African ways of thinking and of relating to the world. More recently, this was expressed in
the call for an African Renaissance. The call for an African Renaissance has been present in the
period, spanning nearly four decades, of African post-independence. The process of decolonisation
that unfolded during this period saw Africa assert its right to define itself within its own African
context. The Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong’o claimed this process was about people’s struggle to
claim their own space, and their right to name the world for themselves rather than it being named
through the colour- tinted glasses of Europeans (Wa Thiong’o, 1993).
Chapter 1: Activity 1.1
Question 1
1.1) Write a paragraph on central idea in African traditional thought.
The central ethical idea in traditional African thought is ubuntu. The idea of ubuntu is related to
human happiness and well-being. Ubuntu is usually translated into English as ‘humanity’. A fuller
meaning of the word ubuntu can be found in the Nguni expression Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu. This
means: A human being is a human being through other human beings. In other words: ‘I am because
you are.’
1.2) What does Ubuntu reject?
Ubuntu rejects the materialism of the Western world.
1.3) What does Ubuntu 'RECOGNISE'?
Ubuntu recognises that a person exists and develops only in relationships with other
persons.
1.4) List 5 African examples of
ubuntu.
Sharing
compassion
Generosity
Kindness
Benevolence
Courtesy
Respect,
Forgiveness
Reconciliation
Question 2
2.1) Write a paragraph on Joe Teffo- (A south African philosopher) argument that ubuntu
serves as.
South African philosopher Joe Teffo argues that ubuntu serves as a cohesive moral value in the face
of adversity. Although the policy of apartheid greatly harmed the overwhelming majority of black
South Africans, Teffo observes that: there is no lust for revenge, no apocalyptic retribution. A
yearning for justice, yes, and for release from poverty and oppression, but no dream of themselves
becoming the persecutors, of turning the tables of apartheid on white South Africans. The ethos of
‘ubuntu’ is one single gift that African philosophy can bequeath on other philosophies of the world.
(Teffo, 2000: 45)
2.2) Moeketsi Letseka (A south African philosopher) claims that individuals who strive for and
fully embrace notion of ubuntu are driven.
a) What are these individuals driven
by?
a South African philosopher of education, claims that individuals who strive for and fully embrace the
notion of ubuntu as their goal are driven by a humanist concern for treating others with fairness.
, b) Why should others be treated this
way?
A fulfilled and flourishing life ought to be one in which persons are reasonably well fed, well clothed
and housed, in good health, loved, secure and able to make a conscious effort to treat others with
fairness and humanness because they in turn are treated that way.
2.3) As an educator, how would you embrace human values of ubuntu in the classroom?
Provide 2 examples
Examples should include Fairness, love, security, caring, sharing, compassion, generosity, kindness,
benevolence, courtesy, respect. In the classroom when interacting with learners (Any examples
accepted in classroom context)
Activity 1.2
Question 1
1.2.1) Write a paragraph on communality and education.
Another seminal notion to be found in traditional African thought is that of communality. Community
and the notion of belonging to a community of people constitute the very fabric of traditional African
life. This stands in contrast to the Western liberal notion of the individual as some sort of entity that is
capable of existing and flourishing on its own – unconnected to any community of other individuals,
not bound by any biological relationships or the socio-economic, political and cultural relationships,
obligations, duties, responsibilities and conventions that frame and define a community of individuals
1.2.2) How does John Mbiti (an African philosopher) describe communal notion in its
traditional African setting?
The communal notion of the individual in most traditional African settings is described by the African
philosopher John Mbiti in the following way:
Whatever happens to the individual happens to the whole group, and whatever happens to the whole
group happens to the individual. The individual can only say: I am, because we are; and since we
are, therefore I am. (Mbiti, 1970: 109)
1.2.3) Do you think communality is important in the context of 'education'?. Give a reason for
your answer.
The following two quotes emphasise the importance of community rather than individuality, past and
present:
Our two-million year heritage of hunting-and-gathering life, simple at first but ultimately very complex,
left its mark on our minds just as much as it did on our bodies. On top of the technical skills of
planning, coordination, and technology, there was, equally important, the social skill of cooperation. A
sense of common goals and values, a desire to further the common good, cooperation was more
than simply individuals working together. It became a set of rules of conduct, of morals, an
understanding of right and wrong in a complex social system. Without cooperation – within bands,
among bands, through tribal groups – our technical skills would have been severely blunted. Social
rules and standards of behaviour emerged. (Leakey & Lewin, 1992: 34)
Persons are what they are in virtue of what they are destined to be, their character and the communal
influence on them ... A person whose existence and personality is dependent on the community is
expected in turn to contribute to the continued existence of the community ... The meaning of one’s
life is therefore measured by one’s commitment to social ideals and communal existence.
(Gbadegesin, 1991: 62)
1.2.4) As an educator, how would you instill values of communality in your classrooms?
Open ended answers
Different teachers emphasize different values. Some stress on being courteous and kind to
classmates; others think obedience and respect of authority are important; some prioritize being
dependable and responsible; and still others want you to think for yourself and stand up for your
beliefs.
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