Commentaries on “Between History and the Gods: Reason, Morality, and Politics in Today's Africa”

Abstract

There is no better way to start this piece than by acknowledging E. C. Eze's invaluable contribution to philosophy in general, and to African philoso phy in particular. His transition to, and membership in, other world has created a void and a vacancy that will be impossible to fill. As a fellow African from Democratic Republic of Congo, I take pride in fact that this rising academic star from Nigeria spent part of his education years in Kinshasa, DRC. So I am humbled and honored by Africa Today's request that I write these comments, which I would like to treat as my tribute to Dr. Eze, whose American dream was ended by death. His commitment to African philosophy was rooted in his experience of living in more than one African country, as well as in his experience in African diaspora. He fully understood meanings of publish or perish and Latin saying Verbum volat, scripta manent the word flies away, written things remain. May he be remembered forever through his Afrocentric publications, and may he repose in peace! In twenty-first century, African philosophers and scholars should have overcome twentieth century's fear of not being taken seriously simply because of Eurocentric belief that there was or is no such thing as African philosophy. I am referring to old arguments around Placide Tempels's Bantu Philosophy, which dominated most debates about philoso phy in Africa for most of last century. Many Africans and Westerners have managed to make a name for themselves through their belief of disbe lief in ethnophilosophy. Dr. Eze did so by showing, through his spoken and written words, that African and philosophy are not diametrically opposed terms; however, like many of us who have been exposed to, and affected by, legacy of disbelief about African philosophy, he could hardly ignore old stereotypes about African philosophy and unnecessary dichotomy between cultural philosophy and so-called professional philosophy?Western philosophy. Many Afrosophical manuscripts have gone unpublished simply because they are not enough. African thinkers must declare their independence from Eurocentrism and feel free to philosophize using any data, including African experiences. The cultural and philosophical