AFRICAN MIND

LETTER TO MY COUNTRYMEN There are times I have sought for deep interpretation of what my society stands for; how my society had existed prior the advent of colonial rule; how my society had been able to stand solidly on morals; and what in it actual self constituted morals and society in my African continent. Without any iota of synthesizer cloudy talk, I must proceed to say, that, I want to expose the JURISPRUDENCE of African society which had long been subservient to other cultural schools of life and influenced by *civilization/ neo-colonization. Justifying first the basic idea behind this piece, is nonetheless a means of hiding behind the mass of racism or Western or Eastern antagonism. I would like to justify this piece with the words of one of the Nationalist and co Pan-African founding fathers in Africa, Kwame Nkrumah; who said that, “We neither face the West nor the East; but we face forward only, for there is no place like Africa.” *Africanism is not an idea of racism or established orthodoxy. It is an idea of communal philosophy and literary culture with metaphysical tradition.* Now, from this point would I want to enunciate the African philosophy of life and society which I had earlier on mentioned in the first paragraph, and it is in this philosophy, that other proponents such as Law take its gesture from. These ingredients of philosophy of Life and Society are: * Spiritualism or Metaphysical doctrines * Morality and its values * Good-will Character * Communality * Collective Approach * Land Symbolism * Link of Past, Present and Future generation * Life after Death Now, for every of the ingredient mentioned above, there is a value attached to each. And there is one of them which in Africa stands as the most important of all. And that is the last ingredient which is coined as “life after death”. It stands not only as a literary or deep philosophical question, but it also brings to the table of theology or critical analysis of religious studies, the food of what in actual fact could constitute life after death. This particular ingredient of the African community, majorly regulates the attitude of everyone towards one another, and also guides people towards what may later constitute the value of their action in the world beyond, as always said in Africa. Without much ado, I would not want to delve into the argument of relative philosophy whether there is in actual fact, another life elsewhere outskirt this world, or whether, there is some predestined world where our actions are being controlled from, or whether, there is free-will or not. Such philosophical questions as these tend to shift us away from our core lesson on how our own Africa had operated as a community and not as a POLICE STATE. The life after death issue cannot in anyway be explained, without branching out and budding from the first ingredient which is that of “Spiritualism or Metaphysical doctrines”. There is this point I would like to clarify in Africa, there is no genuine or true African who would claim his or herself an atheist. In Africa, our core existential support is in GOD and his roving heralds. So, too much foreign ideas and other nuts of deceitful tongues seem to have choked the African man in any Black man who claims he or she is an atheist*** So the idea of life after death, is nonetheless a medium of holding firm that which is first to be built in any African man which is on the issue of spiritualism or metaphysical doctrines, and it is in all, like a different set of cinemas or theatre, all built for the purpose of staging plays and other entertaining events. The worshipping of GOD and apprehension of the basic fact of his existence and supreme power, is nothing else than a dramatic play of praise for GOD. But coming to the actual sense of it, the depth and length in which the dramatic understanding of GOD is conceived by such African fellow, is the belief of how is life after death will be determined by the almighty GOD. Which is what then takes us to the second ingredient which is “Morality and its values”; and this is where questions of how morality and religion or religious doctrines come to show. In fact, it has over the time raised deep philosophical heated debate, on how and why some believe strongly that the moral values in Africa have helped substantiated the Christian and Islamic doctrines well in Africa more than any other place in the world. And also, that has then led some to the questionable belief that, if then the African morality and its values has even to a large extent contributed to the establishment of big-wig religions such as Christianity and Islam in Africa, then there may not be need in actual sense of it to even follow suit of any other foreign religion other than the indigenous religions already practiced in Africa. But this is my own opinion which is subject to debate but never subject to change of my own confidence about it; and it is that, firstly in Africa, we hold spiritualism and GOD in very high esteem. But as a matter of fact, all the gods being worshipped and celebrated are done so in accordance that they are not in actual fact GOD in the real sense, but they are itinerant couriers who are believed by Africans that these gods can and do take their prayers and supplication to GOD and also they can in return give their answers to them; also, these gods are seen and viewed as powerful spiritual police beings which hold morality as a whip against anyone who commit taboo. Then, if in actual fact we then see an African man like myself who decides to follow Christianity first as his or her own religious African commitment to Spiritualism and life after death, such should not be condemned and seen as an outcast from true Africanism. This is because Africanism is in itself a non-material philosophical existence of rites and how you worship. And secondly, the two supreme laws of Christianity which is “love your GOD with all your heart and your soul; and also loving your neighbour as yourself” is quite a shorter version of all the moral values we hold in Africa. So, if Christianity for example has shortened all our values into two great laws, then I for one, see no reason why I should not follow suit in other to hold high the African doctrine. Please note, that I for one is not a fanatic Christian. But I chose to use Christianity as a medium of establishing my point since that is the religion I practice and that which I am sure of its beliefs well enough. But then, we are still on the issue of Morality and its values. I have explained Morality and its values from the spiritual aspect of view. But as am chanced now, I would want to show you all, what and how morality operates in the physical form only without borrowing its explanation from any metaphysical arm of talk. You and I know as children, that certain things which are referred as taboo were told to us. For instance, my grandmother would say to me when I was very much of younger age that I should not wash my clothes at night, and that if I do, a cock would pee on them. The truth is, she wanted me to know that washing at night is not so conducive especially without any ray of light; but I didn’t get to know this until I was admitted to boarding house, where I had to wash my ‘house-wear’ over-night and no cock peed on it. So, the African society is governed with loads of moral values so as to bring a utilitarian end result for the society in general. But in all, as all these moral values or rules are put into place, certain calibre of people in the African community still defiled and broke some of these moral rules. It is quite painful that there is nothing as sanction in the African community to help bring to force the command of morality. And this is to show us that the African society is built on trust and character. For in any African society, the character of every occupant in that community is a determinant for the kind or nature of issues that will be brought to such person. For instance, if it is a well known fact that a particular Chief is sentimental and emotional to issues, such Chief may not be told to settle a fight involving his first son and that of another chief from another town because he’s likely to settle the fight unequally and which may lead to war. And the ingredient of Moral value leads us to the next which is that of GOOD-WILL Character. And as matter of fact and cognisance as already spoken of in the above paragraph, the establishment of morality in the African society is upheld by trust of Good-will character. Majorly it is believed that only those with the good-will character are prejudiced and predestined to uphold moral values of the African society. When I mean predestined, I am not in any way saying that it is already planned or written. But what I am inferring is that, only those who have built themselves into Good-will character fellows in the society, are believed to also hold dearly to mind the moral values of the society. Well enough, that moral value has been categorically discussed, but also it is quite imperative to be aware of the notion that there can never be a holy society here in our world of mortal bodies. No matter how good moral values are and easy as those two Christian laws, some people without any explanation are just bound to bear fruit of bad character. And without much ado, referring to the ingredient of life after death, it is well believed in Africa, that such persons have no place in the good heavens after they are dead. Now, other ingredients of Communality, Collective approach, Land and Link of Past, Present and Future generation will be taught all together. Starting from the ingredient of communality, it is very imperative and for the sake of the pragmatism of this lesson to note that, a true African man or woman cannot live outskirt the communal sense of belonging to others living around him or her. Also, the Collective approach is a dialectical thesis of our African Communalism. And if properly looked at* into*, it will be noticed that the so called collective approach, is more or less the procedural channel of arriving at the theoretical explanation for the so called African communalism. A pure African mind is a communitarian who is after the collective support and upbringing of moral values and the whole of operation and governance of the African community system. And to the issue of Land in Africa; land in Africa is a symbolism of a man’s ego, pride and success, even in death and for his family or lineage left behind. Here in Africa, no matter how free or constrained a man’s finances maybe, he struggles to own a land which is believed must be passed on from one generation to another. Another symbolism of land in Africa and its communal existence, is that, every man in the society, no matter how bad such man’s character is, he is given a piece of land to be remembered of; a place where he’s believed that his spirit will emerge from after some time into abyss or the good heavens. And this leads us into the ingredient of linkage of the past, present and future generation. Apart from the land inheritance symbolism in Africa, it is of some opinion in the African society that the belief of ANCESTORS is of great importance to the continual survival of such generation. And that brings us to the juncture of belief that the African society is also built on the realm of REINCARNATION. I was told in person by my grandmother that I am the reincarnated form of my grandfather, of which she gave her physical and foretelling spiritual proof. So, Africa is a society that is monitored by belief of celestial Supreme Being called GOD and pushed on the cart of Moral values machinery. THIS IS AFRICA, A PLACE WHERE EVEN MEN BECOME gods AND the gods ARE MADE MORTAL AGAIN***