Philosophy, at its core, arises from “awe.” Plato and Aristotle had already asserted that this sense of wonder at the world and at existence itself is the starting point for any reflective activity.

However, for centuries, the Brazilian education system was led to believe that this “amazement” and the search for answers were privileges exclusive to the Western world. For teachers, academics, and journalists, understanding that rationality knows no geographical boundaries is the first step toward true intellectual emancipation.

Knowledge of African philosophical traditions is not merely a matter of historical redress, but an epistemological necessity for understanding the complexity of the human condition in its entirety.

Deconstructing the Monopoly of Reason: The Universality of Thought

The idea that philosophy is exclusively Greek or European is a misconception that limits our understanding of human nature. Philosophizing is, fundamentally, reflecting on the human experience to answer basic questions about life and the universe.

Since nature and human experience are essentially the same throughout the world, the tendency to seek this knowledge through reflection is inherent to our species. Therefore, there is no place in the world where human beings have not philosophized.

In Africa, just as in ancient Greece, individuals were captivated by the complexities of the cosmos and subjectivity. The fact that many of these reflections were not initially preserved in writing does not negate their existence or their logical rigor. The ability to think coherently is part of universal human rationality, and it is false to assume that non-Western peoples do not employ reason simply because they do not follow the patterns of Aristotelian or Rousselian logic.

Traditional African philosophy has often been passed down through myths, proverbs, sayings of wisdom, and political and social institutions.

Although some scholars, such as Professor Kwasi Wiredu, have classified these forms as “community thinking” or “philosophy in the broad sense, ” it is crucial to understand that these ideas did not arise out of a vacuum. They are the result of profound reflections by individual thinkers, whose names may have been “lost” to time, but whose intellectual legacy remains alive in the continent’s culture and heritage.

For Brazilian education, reclaiming these fragments means offering students a richer and more diverse view of human intelligence.

From Traditional to Contemporary: Intellectual Richness in Pedagogical Practice

Integrating African philosophy into Brazilian schools and universities allows knowledge to be presented in a broader and more sophisticated way. A notable example is the Akan concept of human essence, which describes a person as being composed of five distinct elements: nipadu (body), okra (soul/guide), sunsum (character), ntoro (paternal heritage), and mogya (clan identity inherited from the mother).

This is a highly sophisticated system of thought on subjectivity that challenges the simple dichotomies of Western thought and demonstrates a profound exploration of the human condition.

In addition to tradition, contemporary African philosophy offers vigorous debates that are essential to critical thinking today. Thinkers such as Kwame Nkrumah, Leopold Senghor, and Julius Nyerere have contributed immensely to political philosophy.

In the academic realm, the debate between Kwasi Wiredu and Joseph Omoregbe on the nature of truth and existence demonstrates the high level of logical rigor in the field. While Wiredu puts forward theses such as “truth is not distinct from opinion” and “to exist is to be known,” Omoregbe challenges them by defending the objectivity of truth and the independence of existence from the act of knowing.

Bringing these debates into the classroom transforms education into a process of active inquiry. The study of African philosophy often requires intellectual “fieldwork,” in which the memories of elders and oral tradition take the place that libraries hold in the West.

This teaches Brazilian students new research methodologies and how to value different sources of knowledge. These perspectives are the result of processes of reasoning and systematic observation that are just as valid as those of any other tradition.

An invitation to broaden your horizons

Expanding the curriculum to include African philosophers is not a matter of exoticism, but a commitment to the truth and to the quality of the knowledge we offer to future generations.

By recognizing that Africa has its own systems of logic, ethics, and metaphysics, we enable Brazilian students and teachers to connect with an essential part of humanity’s intellectual history that has long been denied to them. African philosophy teaches us that thought is a universal tool for liberation and that diversity of perspectives is what truly enriches our understanding of who we are and what our role is in the universe.

And speaking of understanding and teachings, have you ever heard of Imhotep? And Ptahhotep?

Yes, yes, they're both philosophers, but there's more:

Imhotep: lived approximately between 2650 and 2600 B.C. (3rd Dynasty). Ptahhotep: lived in the late 25th century B.C. and early 24th century B.C. (around 2400 B.C., 5th Dynasty).

And yes, they lived many, many years before Socrates and Aristotle, who were from Classical Greece

• Socrates: Lived from 470 to 399 B.C.
• Aristotle: Lived from 384 to 322 B.C.

In my work with schools and school districts, one thing I really enjoy is creating projects through research. And that’s why I’d like to invite you—teachers and educators—to come up with activities and projects to work on with your students and even with your colleagues:

• How important are elders in the study of African philosophy?
• How does contemporary political philosophy contribute to education today?

And remember, teaching ethnic-racial relations education and anti-racist education isn’t just about talking about racism at school—even though certain incidents do make these conversations important as well—but this is not the foundation of ERER (education for ethnic-racial relations).

ERER is precisely about bringing the constructions, contributions, knowledge, intellectual traditions, and ideas of Black people in Brazil and around the world into the very foundation of education—into the curriculum, into the day-to-day practice of education, into the literature—in other words, into every possible field. Just as we do with Europeans. It is not about replacing this knowledge, but about building a world where these forms of knowledge coexist.

I'll be waiting for you at Bett Brasil!

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