AN APPRAISAL OF THE ‘WHY’AND THE ‘HOW’ OF AFRICAN ONTOLOGY

Abstract

African ontology is defined as the principles that determine the essence and actual characteristics of everything that exists in the diverse components of the universe, including human beings and their various worldviews.  Hence, African ontology automatically becomes the epicentre of an African mental map for navigation, investigation and provision of answers for the cause of everything in  the  universe.  In  Africa,  the  principles  inherent  in  the ontological root of everything are considered as the foundation that  underlined  African  worldviews  and  tele-guided  African dispositions. It is not surprising, therefore, that African ontology is uniquely anthropocentric and anthropomorphic as evinced in different categories of African ontology. For instance, in Africa, there  are  African  ontological  relationship  with  the  Supreme Being  (God),  gods  and  goddesses,  spirits,  animals,  plants, cosmos, and inanimate objects like river, mountain, sea, desert, forest, cave, thunder, wind and other phenomena associated with different localities in Africa. A cursory look at African ontology and its characteristics shows that man becomes the centre of any category of African ontology. Thus, it is apparent that African worldviews  on  existential  realities  of  life  either  physical  or metaphysical are sourced from African ontology.