Africa's Agenda - (Contributions in Afro-American and African Studies: Contempo) by Harvey J Sindima (Hardcover)

About the Book

Liberal philosophy came to Africa through colonialism: it was taught in schools, preached and supported by the churches, and maintained and encouraged by an economic system characterized by competition and maximizing profit--capitalism. Thirty years after independence, liberal philosophy continues to erode traditional values in Africa. To redirect Africans to symbols of common life and respect for persons, nationalist leaders have tried other philosophies: negritude, African socialism, and humanism. This book shows the limitations of these philosophies, and the failure of African philosophy and theology to offer a paradigm for social change. The author proposes a new paradigm for transformation, one rooted in traditional thought, found in the concepts of moyo (life) and umunthu (personhood).

Book Synopsis

Liberal philosophy came to Africa through colonialism: it was taught in schools, preached and supported by the churches, and maintained and encouraged by an economic system characterized by competition and maximizing profit--capitalism. Thirty years after independence, liberal philosophy continues to erode traditional values in Africa. To redirect Africans to symbols of common life and respect for persons, nationalist leaders have tried other philosophies: negritude, African socialism, and humanism. This book shows the limitations of these philosophies, and the failure of African philosophy and theology to offer a paradigm for social change. The author proposes a new paradigm for transformation, one rooted in traditional thought, found in the concepts of moyo (life) and umunthu (personhood).

Review Quotes

?A scholarly analysis of the current crisis of the values in Africa, of the past contributions of Christian missions in their formation, and of the Christians today in their reconstructions.?-Missiology

?Africa's Agenda: The Legacy of Liberalism and Colonialism in hte Crisis of African Values raises questions on a critically important subject.?-Journal of Third World Studies

"Africa's Agenda: The Legacy of Liberalism and Colonialism in hte Crisis of African Values raises questions on a critically important subject."-Journal of Third World Studies

"A scholarly analysis of the current crisis of the values in Africa, of the past contributions of Christian missions in their formation, and of the Christians today in their reconstructions."-Missiology

About the Author

HARVEY J. SINDIMA is currently Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. He is the author of The Legacy of Scottish Missionaries in Malawi (1992), and Drums of Redemption: An Introduction to African Christianity (Greenwood, 1994).