“The love of freedom brought us here”: An Introduction to Modern African Political Philosophy

Abstract

The idea of freedom rarely features at the present time in the discourse of African political philosophy. Yet, there was a time when concern with and extended discussions of freedom dominated African political philosophy. This explains, in part, how a country like Liberia, whose recent history makes an unlikely beacon for those interested in the perennial political philosophical problem of freedom, has for its national motto: “The love of freedom brought us here.” In this essay, I propose to reacquaint my readers with what I take to be some key elements of that discourse in what can only be an introduction to a much wider discussion of modern African political philosophy.