Personalism in African Cultures and Ethics: The Examples of the Bantus in Central, Southern Africa and of the Mossi in West Africa

Abstract

Currently, more than ever, the issue of the human being has been at the centre of debates. Each culture, each philosophical trend has been trying to break the mystery of Man and to give meaning and value to human activities. Throughout the world, “personalism” has taken many forms in the history of peoples’ philosophy. Therefore, in sub-Saharan Africa, some communities of the Bantu and of the Mossi developed their own “personalism” based on their cosmogonic and anthropological notion which shaped their ethical vision of Man and his behavior in society. As for the Bantus, there is no dichotomy between the being and the Vital Force which vivifies anything that exists and lasts. Any attempt to reduce or to destroy the Vital Force of a person is gross guilt to be punished. With respect to the Mossi in Burkina Faso who are eager to show both the richness and the ambiguity in the human being, they designed anthropology based on four things: The “sigré”, meaning the primary Vital Force inherited from their forefathers; The “kinkirga” who represents the private and immortal unearthly vital energy; The “siiga”, the earthly vital energy; and, lastly, the “yinga”, the Human Body, the carnal structure in which these three types of vital energies join to form the human being who expresses himself in society in an ambivalent manner. The objective of this research was to study the phenomenology of the human being among the Bantu and Mossi, in order to better understand their ethical and social personalism. A synthesis study, based on a specialized scientific bibliography related to their culture and anthropology, will allow presenting their ethical and social personalism. Under the auspices of African anthropology and through the advent of philosophical trends, such as “ontological vitalism” by Tempels and “vitalogy” by N’kafu, who rank life as the primary principle and emphasize and praise man’s action in society, Africa has been developing a “personalism” of the social brand.