Ngugi Wa Thiong’o and the Challenge of Linguistic Extroversion in African Philosophy: Some Critical Comments
Ngugi Wa Thiong’o and the Challenge of Linguistic Extroversion in African Philosophy: Some Critical Comments

Summary/Abstract: The crisis of knowledge production in Africa is attributed to the challenge of linguistic extroversion, which is connected to the gradual marginalisation of endogenous belief systems and practices that animated life before the advent of colonialism. Language serves as the carrier of the burdens of a culture; as such, the marginalisation of a particular language ultimately results in the eventual oblivion of the epistemic frameworks it captures. Paulin Hountondji associates scientific extroversion with the embrace of foreign or European languages in facilitating research in Africa. At the same time, Ngugi wa Thiong’o advocates the use of African languages in generating and expressing philosophical ideas in Africa. Kwasi Wiredu, in his project on conceptual decolonisation in African philosophy, also maintains that philosophically pregnant words in African indigenous languages should be studied within the conceptual frameworks of such languages, without the imposition of foreign lenses or concepts. For Moses Makinde and A.G.A. Bello, overemphasising the authenticity and genuineness of using indigenous languages to analyse and capture Africans’ realities and experiences will restrain the bridge of intellectual communication, not only among African scholars but also with the world at large. As such, African indigenous languages cannot wholly capture the gamut and totality of African realities and philosophical contexts. Kazeem Fayemi categorises these two camps as Conservatives and Progressives. Therefore, this paper argues that to challenge the dominance of expressing African ideas, thoughts, and narratives solely through foreign languages and conceptual frameworks, it is essential to prioritise and emphasise the development of philosophical glossaries and vocabularies in African languages. This will allow for a clear and explicit expression of African thoughts within the conceptual frameworks created by Africans.

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