DECOLONIZING AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY

This paper is an effort towards intellectual decolonization of Africa. Over the years, Africa has faced epistemic violence and imperialism which has till recent times continued to deny Africa her pride of place in the global scheme of intellectualism. The central focus of this paper is on the decolonization of African philosophy. The paper discusses the approaches to decolonizing African philosophy from Western entanglement, to sieve out the core African philosophy. Through a thorough analytical and hermeneutical method of research, the research discovers as would be seen in the discussion that African philosophy has undergone so much relegation and criticism from the hands of the Western philosophers such as David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Lucien Levy- Bruhl and many others philosophers. In response to the many criticisms and marginalization of African philosophy emerged various trends in African philosophy which includes: Ethno philosophers, philosophical sagacity, the professionals, Nationalistic/ideological philosophers, Artistic schools, Historical schools and Hermeneutical schools. For an authentic decolonization to be possible, the paper recommends some processes such as rediscovery, reforming the system of education, reclaiming the indigenous language, reaffirming African spirituality and religion, promoting cultural pride and African identity and other suggested approaches suggested by the paper for an authentic decolonization of African philosophy.