An exploration of an indigenous African epistemic order : in search of a contemporary African environmental philosophy

Abstract

There is an urgent need to develop sustainable solutions to the epochal environmental problems that the world at large and Africa in particular are currently facing. The current environmental philosophy does not seem to be able to resolve satisfactorily all the environmental crises of our world, as they have been largely influenced by Western oriented perspectives on one hand that are laden with dualistic and anthropocentric view of the world, and are ethics based on the other hand, and as such focuses less on human beings’ relationship with Nature. To the extent that attempts were made by scholars to advance an African orientation in environmental philosophy, these attempts have been bedridden with over-reliance on ethics. Relying mainly on ethics as the philosophical framework for addressing environmental issues, it neglects the epistemological dimensions of the African intellectual thoughts. To this end, minimal results has been achieved in the quest for panacea to environmental crisis, especially in Africa. This study, thus, advances an African outlook in environmental philosophy that would be both participatory and interdisciplinary in the quest for more meaningful and pragmatic problem-solving frameworks in environmentalism. The research seeks to further improve in the development of an African oriented Environmental Philosophy by committing to the exploration of an African epistemic outlook for environmentalism. This exploration is hinged on the epistemic stance abstracted from indigenous knowledge systems of African people in general and the Yoruba and Igbo people of the Western part of Nigeria, in West Africa, in particular. Accordingly, the research queries the tendency of the current discourse of environmental philosophy to over rely on ethics. The study further argues for a shift in the conceptual framework, approaches and methods employable in confronting the environmental challenges besetting the world today. It opines that we construct African environmental philosophy from the idea of “African Epistemic Order” (AEO). It argues that an environmental philosophy that is African in orientation, must have a conceptual understanding of the ontological and relational holism pervading the African epistemic order. Such an understanding will enhance the reordering and healing of the damaged human’s relationship with the natural environment (Nature). This study, therefore, provides building blocks for an environmental philosophy that is both African in making, global in practice and affirming respect to Nature.

Kukhona isidingo esiphuthumayo sokuthola izixazululo eziqhubekela phambili ngesikhathi sezinkinga zendalo umhlaba wonkana, kanye ne-Afrika imbala ezibhekene nazo okwamanje. Okwamanje amafilosofi endalo abonakala engakwazi ukuxazulula izinkinga zendalo zomhlaba wethu ngokwanele. Lokhu kungoba kunomthelela omkhulu wemibono yamazwe aseNtshonalanga (enomthelela omkhulu wombono we-dualistic and anthropocentric ngomhlaba) kanti ngakolunye uhlangothi, kanti futhi ngenxa yokuthi aphansi kwenqubo yama-ethics ngakolunye uhlangothi. Kanti ke ngenxa yalokhu, kugxilwa kakhulu ebudlelwaneni phakathi kwabantu kanye nemvelo (okusho indalo yangokwemvelo). Ngisho noma imizamo yenziwe zifundiswa ukuqhubela phambili umbono wefilosofi yendalo, le mizamo ikhathazwe kakhulu ukuncika kwezama-ethics. Lolu cwaningo luqhubela phambili umbono ngesilosofi yesi-Afrika ngokwendalo, ezokwenza ukuthi kube nokubili, ukubamba iqhaza kanye nokuxhumana kwemikhakha ehlukene ekuthungatheni kwayo uhlaka lokuxazulula izinkinga olubambekayo ngokwendalo. Ucwaningo lufuna ukuthuthukisa iFilosofi yesi Afrika ngokwendalo ngokuzimisela ukuthungatha umthombo nombono wolwazi ngokwendalo. Lokhu kuthungatha kuncike kwisimo sezomthombo wolwazi otholakala kwizinqubo zesintu zabantu base-Afrika ngokunabile, kanti ikakhulukazi ngabantu bamaYoruba kanye nama-Igbo kwingxenye eseNtshonalanga neNigeria, eNtshonalanga Afrika ikakhulukazi. Lolu cwaningo, ngakho-ke luyisakhelo sefilosofi yendalo, engesi-Afrika ikakhulukazi, kodwa ebheka kumazwe omhlaba ngokwenza, kanye nokuqinisekisa mayelana Nemvelo.

Ho na le tlhoko e potlakileng ya ho ntlafatsa ditharollo tse tsitsitseng tsa mathata a nako a tikoloho ao lefatshe ka bophara, haholo-holo Afrika, a tobaneng le ona hajwale. Difilosofi tsa hajwale tsa tikoloho ha ho bonahale di ka kgona ho rarolla mathata ohle a tikoloho a lefatshe la rona ka mokgwa o kgotsofatsang. Lebaka ke hore di anngwe haholo ke dikgopolo tsa Bophirima (di le boima jwalo, ka lehlakore le le leng le nang le pono e habedi le le nkang botho bo le bohlokwa ho boteng ba lefatshe) ka lehlakoreng le leng hobane di thehilwe hodima melao ya boitshwaro. Kahoo, ha di shebane haholo le kamano dipakeng tsa batho le tlhaho (ke hore, tikoloho ya tlhaho). Le ha boiteko bo entswe ke ditsebi ho ntshetsa pele tlwaelo ya Maafrika ho filosofi ya tikoloho, boiteko bona le bona bo na le boitshetleho bo fetelletseng ho boitshwaro. Phuputso ena e ntshetsa pele pono ya Seafrika filosofing ya tikoloho eo e ka bang ya tshebedisano le ya ho kopana ha dithuto tse fapaneng molemong wa ho batla meralo e nang le moelelo le ho rarolla mathata bothateng ba tikoloho. Patlisiso ena e batla ho ntlafatsa ntshetsopele ya Filosofi ya Tikoloho e sekametseng Afrika ka ho itlama ho fuputsa pono ya tsebo ya Afrika bakeng sa tikoloho. Patlisiso ena e ipapisitse le boemo ba tsebo bo nkilweng ditsamaisong tsa tsebo ya matswallwa tsa batho ba Maafrika ka kakaretso le batho ba Yoruba le ba Igbo ba karolo e ka Bophirima ya Nigeria, Afrika Bophirima ka ho kgetheha. Phuputso ena, ka hona, e fana ka motheo bakeng sa filosofi ya tikoloho eo e leng ya Seafrika ka botlalo, e akaretsang tshebetsong, mme e tiisang bonnete ba Tlhaho.