The nature of the African human subject and conception of modernity is constituted within a Eurocentric epistemological framework that denies the very humanity of the African (Morris 2022). It is taking place under a Hegelian dialectic that is founded on the binary structure that is found between modernity and tradition and equated the existence of Africans with a traditional form of life that did not make any meaningful contribution to the advancement of the human race (Sede Noujio 2020). As a result of this, Africans are not able to emancipate themselves from the Eurocentric order that sees white maleness as the litmus test against which the progress of all human species needs to be measured against. This ideological and ethnocentric framework led into an identity crisis since the African human subject is not able to find a place for itself in a world where diverging conceptions of individual existence are being contested (Montle 2020). It also led into the crisis of human values and the absence of a developmental path that Africans could embark on in order to progress as human beings. This attempt to liberate African conceptions of subjectivity and modernity from the ideologies of colonialism is not grounded on a singular and a monolithic definition of Africa. It sees Africa as a space exhibiting diverse conceptions of values, worldviews, modalities of existence and one that is grounded on the interactions among diverse subjects within temporal historical horizons. It sees Africa as a site of interwoven histories and a space of a common destiny hosting diverse ways of life rather than as a fixed essence that only exists in a binary relationship in reference to the western world.
In developing a critique of the ideologies of colonialism and the world of Eurocentrism that inhibited the development of an African conception of subjectivity and modernity that is grounded on cultural diversity and heritage, there is a need to make sure that one does not commit the mistake of identifying European philosophy per se with Eurocentrism (McGowal et al. 2020). There are plenty of voices within European philosophy throughout the ages that have emphasised the need for a dialogue and the ways in which a universal dialogue could be envisaged on the human condition. Those like Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, and Emmanuel Levinas as well as the proponents of intercultural philosophy like Franz Wimmer in one way or the other showed the need to deconstruct the Eurocentric tradition, expose the intimate relationship between knowledge and power, advocated for the uniqueness of the Other, and called for a polylogue and a process of mutual learning among different cultures (Hojjati and Mosleh 2023). Thus, the attempt to liberate African conceptions of subjectivity and modernity does not engage in a wholesale identification of European philosophy with the ideologies of colonialism. It is Eurocentric philosophy that deprived Africans of their humanity and is expressed in the ideas of thinkers like Kant and Hegel that is the target of criticism.
The way in which the African sees at the world is dictated by a history of colonialism and exploitation, and the attempt to imitate the western human subject as the pinnacle of human existence (Parashar and Schulz 2021). Even after attaining liberation, Africans are not able to develop their own form of subjectivity that can allow them to develop a conception of societal progress that is grounded on their collective history and sense of identity (Minga 2021). The very sense of the self is not rooted on their historical experience as human subjects that are founded within a given spatio-temporal location. The lack of an embedded form of subjectivity in the African soil have led into the absence of social cohesion and a stable political order that is able to bestow a sense of a common destiny on the lives of individuals (Kessi et al. 2020). In such a context, there is a need to develop a normative framework that can serve as a foundation of an emancipated form of individual existence and a process of societal rationalisation (Onebunne 2020). This normative quest could be fulfilled through a philosophy education that has the capacity of reflecting on the continent's tragic past and also posit a vision of an emancipated future.
The introduction of philosophy education within the curriculum is identified in terms of the development of a world of knowledge production that has the capacity of introducing the culture of critical thinking and self-awareness within a given community (Cordeiro-Rodrigues 2022). This form of education has the ability of playing a transformative role within the educational system of African nations as it equips Africans with the skills that are needed to question the crisis of subjectivity and modernity (Seats 2022). It is of an indispensable value in the attempt to introduce a way of challenging the ideologies of colonialism. It also plays a fruitful role in terms of the questioning of dominant narratives which have managed to have an impact on the mind of the African (Waghid et al. 2022). To such an extent, philosophy education plays a role in the search for an emancipated subjectivity and a renewed conception of modernity in Africa.
The article is located in the broad domain of post-colonial/de-colonial/provincialising thought. It is particularly founded on the ideas of Achille Mbembe. In his explorations into the need to decolonise the world of knowledge production, empower the lived experiences and the lifeworld of the Other and expose the tools through which racial capitalism is consolidating its dominance, Mbembe supplied us with tools of criticism that show the impacts of the ideologies of colonialism on the African conception of subjectivity and modernity (Purewal 2021). He also showed us that by going beyond and separating oneself from the Eurocentric conception of progress, there is a need to celebrate the ethics of difference (Dorestal 2021). Mbembe also developed an analysis that exposed the continuing operations of the world of colonialism in the globalised world. This is of a greater importance in the attempt to develop an African conception of human existence and societal progress.
The article starts out by discussing the crisis of subjectivity and modernity in the African context. In this section, the impact of colonialism and the Eurocentric epistemological structure in the creation of an African alienated subject and a discourse on societal progress that is founded on the mere imitation of the western world will be discussed. This is followed by a section that is devoted to the discussion of philosophy education and the emergence of an emancipated subjectivity in Africa. This concentrates on the reclaiming back of one's moral agency and the development of an identity that is founded on a proper historical consciousness. After this comes a section that is devoted to the discussion of philosophy education and the reconstruction of African modernity where the need to go beyond the binary structure between tradition and modernity and posit a new conception of African modernity that focuses on cultural diversity is being emphasised. In the last section, a discussion of the ways through which philosophy education could be introduced in Africa will be made. The strategies for including such a philosophy education in the curriculum will also be discussed.
The Crisis of Subjectivity and Modernity in Africa
In the present context, Africans failed to develop a conception of individual existence and societal progress that is founded within their rich history and cultural heritage (Ude 2022). The introduction of colonialism in the African soil not only led to the physical destruction of the continent but also constituted a process of destroying the knowledge systems and the worldviews of the continent (Ogbujah 2020). As it has been shown by Mudimbe, the world of colonialism was developed as a colonising structure that has utilised diverse elements like the world of missionary discourse, primitive art and literary productions that all have the goal of controlling and transforming in line with the ideal of the western man, the mind and the body of the African (Karina 2021). As a result of such a polarising discourse that is developed in terms of the binary relationship that is found between tradition and modernity, Africans were stripped away of their humanity. The consequences of such a world of colonialism that degraded the humanity of the African are directly seen in the development of an alienating African mode of subjectivity and the discourse on modernity that is antithetical to the African temporal lifeworld.
The nature of the human subject and the way in which the individuals understand the place that is occupied by oneself in the world of other subjectivities and modalities of existence emerged out of the world of colonialism (Kroeker 2022). The ideologies of colonialism constitute a way of appropriating the ideas of thinkers like Kant and Hegel as a way of providing an intellectual edifice that justifies the colonisation of the African continent in the name of realising the goals of modernisation. Through the usage of anthropological discourse and a world of knowledge production which, as Mbembe has shown, has the goal of showing the limits of the western conception of subjectivity, the colonial sciences are responsible for the creation of the subjectivity of the African (Dube 2022). An image of the African as occupying a lower form of existence that is defined by tradition, emotions and superstition, and as failing to develop a binary relationship between the subject and the object, emerged as a result of the Eurocentric discourse (Hafiz 2020). Hand-in-hand with the picturing of the African subject as one that is still dwelling in the world of custom and superstition, there was the idea of the western subject as the ultimate form of humanity that needs to be imitated by others (Rozin 2020). The western man was seen as the human subject who succeeded in liberating oneself from the power of custom and tradition and has succeeded in developing a mode of instrumental rationality of science and technology that has led into the greatest scientific and technological discoveries in the world.
The crisis is also seen in the discourse on modernity. Although Africans have managed to attain political liberation, still they have not managed to introduce a discourse on modernity that is grounded on their history and cultural values (Fasakin 2021). Rather than developing a conception of emancipation and societal progress that is grounded on their own trajectories, Africans succumbed to emulating the western conception of progress that is grounded on the exaggerated place that is given to the individual and the attainment of economic development (Stasik et al. 2020). As Mbembe has shown, there is a need to focus on the lived experiences of Africans as a way of positing a liberated conception of subjectivity (Austin 2023). This ideal of progress did not materialise since it was not founded on a proper historical consciousness that has the ability of making sense of the relations of entanglements that gave birth to the contemporary predicaments of the African (Morris 2022). Whereas the western discourse on modernity emerged as a response to the issues and problems that have emerged on western soil, African discourse on the contrary developed a vision of a future liberated society that is founded on a Hegelian dialectic that assumes that all societies are moving on dialectical relationship from a state of potentiality into that of actuality, and that the only path towards development that is left for the African is the imitation of the west.
In today's world of neo-colonialism, the presence of the Eurocentric discourse in dictating the mind of the African is seen in different areas like the world of education, politics and the visions of development that are introduced by African leaders that are grounded on the politics of emulation (Degli Esposti 2024). There is a need to engage in a deconstructive philosophical exercise that has the ability of identifying the historical imposition of western values on Africans alongside a reconstructive effort that has the ability of developing a vision of a better society that is founded on Africa's rich history and the collective emancipatory struggles of the people (Keita 2020). In order to realise such an intellectual exercise, there is a need to delve into the world of knowledge production and develop a new path towards the reconstruction of subjectivity and modernity in Africa. Such an exercise needs to expose the ideologies of colonialism and should not equate all that is western with the world of colonialism. European philosophy is made up of diverse voices, and it is those Eurocentric ideals that led into the relegation of the African into a lower status that need to serve as an object of criticism.
So far various attempts have been made to decolonise the African continent from the ever presence of the western ideological construct (Etieyibo 2021). Still, these efforts of liberating the mind of the African only culminated in the development of a discourse which prides itself in reconstructing the African past and posting a vision of a radically liberate future on one hand and imitating and utilising conceptual inputs and tolls of emancipatory critique from the very western ideological enterprise that it is trying to undermine (Matolino 2020). Taking this into consideration, there is a need to embark on an alternative path and this can be pursued in the exploration of the role that is played by philosophy education in the reconstruction of subjectivity within the African context. This helps us to avoid the danger of falling into a reactive epistemic nationalism that reduces European philosophy into the ideologies of colonialism.
The study of the role that can be played by philosophy education in Africa needs to overcome the attempts to assign an ideological function to the subject matter in Africa (Abdi 2022). There is also a need to resist the mere reduction of the discipline into a mere tool that is used to criticise the western order but failing to offer a vision of a liberated future (Sesanti 2021). Taking this into consideration, what is needed is a form of philosophy education that can allow us to identify the parameters within which the subjectivity of the African can be reconstructed in and the ways in which this can be utilised in order to lay down the foundations of a theory of societal progress.
Philosophy Education and an Emancipated Subjectivity
Philosophy education has been given in African universities for a long time. Still, it did not lead into the emergence of a new discourse of societal revivalism and communal reawakening that led into the liberation of the African mind and the construction of an ideal society that is founded on Africa's rich but complex and troubled historical path (Chapfika 2024). The philosophy courses that are being given in African universities are not able to develop a world of knowledge production that is able to synthesise the insights from local traditions with the need to engage in a dialogue with other knowledge systems (Olivier 2023). Based on this, one can explore the constructive role that can be played by philosophy education in Africa in two major ways. First of all, there is the role that is played in terms of the challenging of the western form of subjectivity.
In the world of education, the introduction of political ideals, economic models and theories and cultural production, one still witnesses the existence of a western form of thinking that is grounded on the Cartesian dichotomy that is found between the subject and the object (Gutema 2021). It is also founded on a Hegelian dialectic which assumes that all societies move on a separate historical path in the search for absolute perfection. Mbembe showed that this dialectic is continuing to dictate the mind of the African through the ideological operations of racial capitalism (Purewal 2021). The form of education that is being taught in African societies is grounded on the trajectories of the western human subject, it failed to lead into the development of a philosophy of struggle that can has the capacity of liberating the continent (Shewadeg 2022). Taking this into account, the first main role that can be played by philosophy education in Africa can be understood in terms of identifying the limitations of the Eurocentric universe and world of knowledge production. There is a need to identify the hidden ideological assumptions and constructs that are found in African education ideals (Lamola 2021). There is a need to expose the ever presence of these ideals that are introduced in the background of the systematic destruction and the epistemicide that was historically committed against knowledge systems. There is also a need to recognise the fact that it is not European philosophy as such but Eurocentric philosophy that is the source of the problem.
The philosophy education that is being given in the African context needs to avoid two main extremes. On the one hand, it should not fall into the trap of romanticising the African historical past. It needs to be grounded on the attempt to learn from the past while at the same time taking a critical stand on the limitations of traditional African worldviews and values (Eruka 2023). On the other hand, this philosophy education should also avoid being trapped under a radical deconstructionist and postmodern discourse that meets all that is western with scepticism and in the process fails to engage in a universal dialogue with diverging conceptions of knowledge (Olufemi 2022). It needs to concentrate on the critique of the ideologies of colonialism without falling into the trap of a postmodern relativism. The philosophy education needs to take as its starting point the dilemmas that are faced by the African human subject in the present moment, and how it constitutes a mode of subjectivity that has faced the crisis of identity as it lacks the conceptual inputs that are needed in order to affirm one's place in the world of others.
Hand-in-hand with the development of a critique of the ideologies of colonialism and the Eurocentric form of subjectivity, secondly, philosophy education in Africa needs to make a contribution for the creation of a liberated African subjectivity. This is a process that is grounded on cultural critique and epistemological empowerment (Gruffydd Jones 2020). Africans need to affirm themselves and their values. This is a way of unearthing the epistemic constructs that are needed in order to embark on a new principle of individuation that is able to go beyond the opposition that is found between the mind and the body, and human beings and nature (Maris 2020). In place of such a binary structure, there is a need to introduce an African conception of the human subject that is able to affirm the nature of relational existence. Whereas within the Eurocentric philosophy of the subject, there is an opposition that is found between the individual and the community, the African modality of existence can learn from pre-colonial African values that emphasised the need to affirm the inherent value of the community, and the need to develop a holistic approach towards the natural world.
This exercise that is made possible by philosophy education in the search for a liberated form of African subjectivity needs to be epistemologically found in between the universalist approach, on one hand, and the relativist discourse, on the other hand. The African subject is dwelling within a temporal historical continuum and as a result of this; there is no fixed conception of the African human subject just like there is no unified conception of the western subject (Tesar et al. 2022). What is needed in such a process as shown by Mbembe is the affirmation of the ethics of difference as it leads into a process of learning between African and other ways of being without necessarily leading into the ontologising of otherness (Austin 2023). What is needed is the understanding of the parameters within which the existence of the African is constituted within and a simultaneous need to identify the spaces within which the African is dwelling in (Msila 2021). This also opens the door for the development of an emancipatory struggle that is founded on the African human subject and other marginalised subjects that are found in the world.
The usage of a relational model of subjectivity to describe the daily existence of the African will not lead into the issue of over generalising the values of one society into other societies that are found in Africa, as it has been emphasised by Paulin Hountoundji's critique of ethno-philosophy (Onebunne 2020). On the contrary, it needs to be seen as the diagnosis of the pre-colonial past of Africa which was defined by the need to develop a historical approach that is able to posit an inherent value on other beings and engage in a relationship of not deliberately inflicting harm or suffering towards animals. At the most fundamental level, philosophy education plays a huge role in the reclaiming of the African's moral agency.
The African human subject just like other human beings that are found in the world is daily dwelling within historically constituted relations in its quest for an authentic form of existence. Its destiny is found within intertwined horizons where there is an engagement between the African and others (Morris 2022). The quest for African subjectivity should not only take place between the oppressed, and there is a need to open the room for an emancipatory struggle that is able to reflect on the very human condition and the different challenges like climate change and underdevelopment that are being faced by human beings in general in the contemporary world. The spirit of historical continuum and the role that is played by colonial modernity in restructuring the experience of the African needs to be taken into account in such an intellectual exercise.
Philosophy Education and the Reconstruction of African Modernity
Hand-in-hand with its role in the development of a liberated form of African subjectivity, philosophy education can also make a greatest contribution to the reconstruction of African modernity. Philosophy education's role in this regard can start out by identifying the limitations of the dichotomy between tradition and modernity that permeates African discussion on modernity (Nwinya 2022). This is part of the ideologies of colonialism and a Eurocentric world of knowledge production. The different attempts that have been made so far under different labels like an Africanised modernity and the usage of different conceptual resources like multiple modernities all succumbed to this opposition that is developed between modernity and tradition. As a result of this, modernity is being identified as a unique possession of the western world. This conception of historical and societal progress needs to be replaced with a view of entangled modernities where African, western and other conceptions of societal progress developed in an entanglement with one another (Neubert 2022). This is important in terms of showing that no society is perfect and that visions of social progress developed through the interactions and the process of learning are being developed among different cultures.
Philosophy education can also play a role in the reconstruction of African modernity by showing the nature of pre-colonial African beliefs and their role in different areas like the development of human values that guide our moral conduct (Dube 2023). For this conception of African modernity to be developed, there is a need to introduce a knowledge economy that is founded on the temporal experiences and rich cultural heritage of Africans. This view of modernity needs to take into account the impact of colonialism and the world of neo-colonialism while at the same time not falling into a highly politicised discourse on decolonisation that blames the west for all of Africa's predicaments (Shahjahan et al. 2022). There is as such also a need to develop a critique of things like corruption and the lack of good governance in the African soil. There is a need to reflect on the reasons why Africans failed to modernise despite the fact that they were able to liberate themselves from the colonisers.
The African modernity that can be envisaged through the usage of philosophy education needs to be founded on a proper balance between rich historical awareness, on one hand, and the need to develop an instrumental form of rationality that can serve as a foundation of material progress, on the other hand (Ogbujah 2020). This vision of modernity needs to see African subjects as having an intertwined destiny that is shaped by the reality of colonialism, and the need to find common strategies of dealing with underdevelopment and the lack of democracy in the contemporary context (Katundu 2020). It needs to be attentive to the rich human interactions and the historical continuum within which the very existence of Africans is constituted. There is a need to develop a discourse on modernity that is able to make sense of the complex cultural identity of Africans and the ways in which Africans are able to envision an image of a better future.
There are different conceptual resources that can serve as a foundation for this alternative ideal of African modernity. It can be grounded on the idea of Ubuntu and a relational picture of the world. In this conceptualisation, the African discourse on modernity is able to encompass the spirit of interconnections that are found among human beings and also between human beings and the environment (Waghid 2020). The conception of modernity can also learn from the rich communitarian practices that are found in Africa and are expressed in modalities like the village palaver that is able to accommodate the views of the members of the community in the process of decision making. This conception of modernity needs to start out with the basic assumption that modernity is a universal quest for progress and refinement that is not exclusively possessed by a single culture (Thakhathi and Netshitangani 2020). The conception of modernity also needs to account for social change and the complex processes that are redefining the nature of the African continent. This vision of modernity also needs to engage in a constructive process of learning with western and other cultural backgrounds. It should not identify western philosophy and conceptions of modernity in general with Eurocentrism, and it needs to affirm the diversity of voices that are found in the west.
Philosophy education can be given in African universities and learning centres in a way that is able to develop an intellectual exercise that is able to reflect on the continuing impacts of colonial modernity on Africa as seen in areas like identity politics (Msila 2021). By going beyond the essentialisation of African identities that was introduced by the colonial powers in order to create endless divisions among Africans, there is a need to show the rich interactions among different identities that gave birth to the development of a multi-layered conception of identity. There is also a need to use this discourse on modernity in order to reflect on the issues that are plaguing the continent like the lack of development and democracy (Tesar et al. 2022). There is also a need to make sure that this conception of modernity is able to overcome the limitations of previous conceptions of modernity in African like the attempt to introduce a Marxist form of modernisation that is founded on the realisation of an economic development at the expense of the liberties of the individual.
The African ideal of modernity does not need to seek an ontological standpoint as the starting point of intellectual inquiry. It needs to be founded on contemporary history and the horizons within which human relations are constituted. It also does not need to emulate the ideals of movements like negritude that ended up radically contextualising the space that is occupied by the African in the world of other cultures and belief systems. The discourse on modernity also needs to take into account the radical departures and the commonalties that are found between the competing and the diverging ideals of social progress that are found in Africa (Asiegbu 2020). It should not treat Africa as a monolithic whole that is static and is made up of similar conceptions of the good life. On the contrary, there is a need to emphasise both similarities and differences and to explore the ways in which a process of learning could be developed between African and other conceptions of modernity.
Realising the Goals of Philosophy Education in Africa
Assigning a constructive role for philosophy education in Africa in terms of the reconstitution of subjectivity and modernity, is a complex task that requires an engagement with western modalities of thinking and a simultaneous effort to develop a way of looking at the world that is grounded on the African experience but also has the ability of engaging with other traditions. In order to embark on such a task, philosophy education needs to be incorporated within the curriculum in African universities and schools in a manner that is able to identify the influence of the Eurocentric framework that still dictates the experience of the African (Katundu 2020). There needs to be a critical engagement with the world of education, the development of political ideologies, economic models and theories as well as the cultural realm, where the influence of the Eurocentric framework is still being seen (Lindsay 2020). There is a need to design a curriculum that is able to envision the daily dilemmas that are being faced by the African subject that is still looking for a way of reaffirming itself in a world where there are diverging conceptions of selfhood.
African students need to be taught on the nature of the past as well as the impact of colonialism and its lasting consequences. The teaching of philosophy education that will be given in African schools needs to be founded on three main urges. First of all, it needs to familiarise students with the nature of philosophy and the essence of value systems from a comparative and an intercultural standpoint. It needs to have the capacity of engaging in a dialogue with different cultural horizons (Isife and Agbanusi 2022). There is a need to develop a philosophical exercise that has the ability of identifying the value that is played by African worldviews and value systems while at the same time having the ability of engaging in a process of learning with diverse origins. For this to be realised, the world of knowledge needs to be decolonised (Purewal 2021). At the same time, there is a need to make sure that such a comparative and intercultural way of delving philosophy education in Africa does not succumb to idealism in failing to make sense of the asymmetrical power relations that are found in the world.
Based on this, the second issue that needs to be emphasised is the need to incorporate the analysis of existing power relations in the development of philosophy education in Africa. There is a need to make sense of the relations of inequality that are found in the world. To such an extent, philosophy education in Africa needs to play the constructive role of mounting an emancipatory struggle among the oppressed and the marginalised. Thirdly, there is a need to incorporate a utopian vision of a liberated society within the delivery of philosophy education. This is an ideal of a future community that is founded on the rich history and the collective struggles of Africans (Lindsay 2020). At the same time, there is a need to make sure that philosophy is not simply reduced into an ideological construct that is being used to propagate Africanness at the expense of other ways of being. What is needed is an approach that opens itself up to the possibility of learning from others while equally being able to appropriate the past in the attempt to revive the African subjectivity and way of being in the world. It needs to critique the ideologies of colonialism while at the same time being able to foster a relationship of learning between Africa and the west. The delivery of philosophy education in Africa needs to cast the African human subject as an alienated subject that is longing for justice in a world where there is a struggle among competing value systems (Seats 2022). It also needs to map out a path for the modernity of the African continent in line with a discourse on societal progress that is founded on the hopes and the frustrations as well as the future aspirations of the African people.
There are several challenges that can be encountered in the attempt to develop a philosophy education in the African soil that is not just founded on either the imitation of the Eurocentric framework or a mere glorification and exaggeration of the African past as a decolonisation strategy. One challenge is the need to have trained professionals that are able to think outside of the western modality of thought while at the same time being able to develop a critical approach towards the African past and engage in a dialogue with others (Agbo 2021). Another challenge constitutes the need to reform the curriculum to accommodate different ways of learning. This is a huge task since African universities are being funded by western institutions that would rather prioritise the STEM subjects to be given rather than a curriculum that has the goal of emancipating the African mind.
To make sure that philosophy education in Africa plays the role of freeing the human subject and also realising the goals of modernity, there is a need to make sure that philosophy education is being given across different levels in schools and also in universities. This course needs to be delivered in an interdisciplinary format as a way of generating a process of learning among the practitioners of different disciplines. Philosophy education needs to be introduced not as a simple tool of developing a decolonisation strategy but as a way of envisioning a new society and form of existence that is founded on the insights of the African. This also needs to be developed as an engagement with the project of modernity and the reasons why it failed to materialise in the African context. Philosophy education in Africa needs to be developed as a way of making sense of the rich interactions and interconnections that led into the emergence of contemporary Africa's predicaments. This is an exercise that leads into the reconstruction of African societies in line with a reflexive ideal that is able to reflect back on its own conceptual foundations. It posits the African subject as a moral agent that is able to affirm itself in its own cultural values and also engages in a process of learning with others.
Conclusion
Philosophy education can play a greater role in the reconstruction and the redefinition of subjectivity and modernity in the African context. This is to be met with a critical engagement with the colonial past and the manner in which it continues to dictate the mind and the experiences of the African in the contemporary world. Philosophy education needs to separate itself from a reactive nationalism that equates European philosophy in general with the ideologies of colonialism. To such an extent, philosophy education can play a role that is able to go beyond a mere attempt to engage in a politicised debate that centres on the negation of all that is western. Philosophy education's role is situated in the liberation of the subjectivity of the African and in return the positing of a new form of selfhood that is able to find a space for itself in the world of other identities. This is to be accomplished through the development of a critical approach that is able to examine the foundations of the experience of the African and the values that dictate the relations that are being developed among Africans. This is an important task that leads into the revitalisation of the African mode of subjectivity and the positing of a moral agency that leads into the undermining of the colonial order.
The role that is played by philosophy education in Africa can also be understood in terms of the envisioning of a new path of societal progress that is founded on rich cultural heritage, the need to find rational solutions to Africa's contemporary predicaments and the development of interactions with other cultural backgrounds. In place of the revivalist movement that elevates all things that are African into the status of universality and the Eurocentric dialogue and the ideologies of colonialism that relegates African ways of life and modalities of existence to the realm of nothingness, philosophy education can help us develop a reflexive account of modernity. Philosophy education needs to be freed from state ideologies and be introduced as a reflexive philosophical exercise that is able to make sense of the limitation of social values, foundational presuppositions and future ideals and aspirations. This is important as it can enable African societies to reflect on their limitations and develop a blueprint for future emancipated African societies.
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