The Pleasure Principle and the Crisis of Personhood in Africa: An Ubuntu Ethical Response to Drug Abuse

In light of a deeper crisis of personhood, this article explores drug and substance abuse in modern-day Africa as a philosophical problem. From the standpoint of African ethics, the study reinterprets the pleasure principle, which is typically understood in Freudian theory as the human propensity to pursue pleasure and avoid pain. It argues that, in addition to individual moral failings, the unbridled pursuit of pleasure through drug and substance misuse in many African civilisations signifies a breakdown of relational identity and communal connection. Based on Hunhu/Ubuntu ethics, which sees personhood as formed via relationships and moral obligation to others, the paper questions reductionist and individualistic interpretations of drug abuse. Instead, it advances a perspective that situates drug and substance abuse within broader socioeconomic, cultural, and existential aspects of contemporary African life. The study proposes a Hunhu/Ubuntu-informed ethical framework that integrates lived experience with abstract philosophical reflection to prioritise rehabilitation, community involvement, and the regeneration of moral agency. Ultimately, by demonstrating how indigenous ethical frameworks may successfully engage with global theoretical concepts while addressing urgent social challenges on the continent, the study enhances contemporary African philosophy.