A paper presented by Dr Blessing Chapfika at the Wilberforce Institute Webinar on Thu, Jun 16, 2022 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM BST.
Abstract
The meaning and application of the concept of freedom - a socio-political, economic, and moral value - remains a contentious issue among academics and politicians across the world. Since it is an inalienable right and a transcendental quality of every human being, freedom finds its roots in the concept of the self or personhood. In this presentation, I perform the following five tasks. First, I reiterate the difference between the African and Western metaphysics regarding the self and, consequently, the difference in the conception of freedom. Second, I assess the impact of slavery and colonisation on the African conception of the self and freedom. Third, I analyse scholarly views about the African postcolonial predicament and the calls for decolonization. Fourth, I critique the some African scholars’ tendency of testing the African notion of freedom against the Western conception of freedom. Fifth, I propose an indaba for African academics to consider some practical solutions to tackle the apparent economic stagnation and the general decline in Africa’s development potential, which are the main sources of disillusionment and anxiety among Africans on the African continent and in the diaspora.
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