François Ngoa Kodena. Afrosofian Knowledge and Cheikh Anta Diop: Geo-ethical and Political Implications. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2023. 220 pp. $90. Hardback. ISBN: 9781666909135.
Year: 2025
Type: book-review
Abstract: François Ngoa Kodena's book is a daring epistemological intervention that places African thought, especially the intellectual legacy of Cheikh Anta Diop, at the center of a worldwide civilizational renaissance.In addition to being a homage, Kodena's book serves as an Afro-utopian roadmap and philosophical interpretation for what he refers to as a "planetary civilization of human reconciliation with itself" (30).Kodena argues for a return to a historically informed, nonhegemonic, and spiritually integrated epistemology that challenges dominant Western conceptions of knowledge using a method he refers to as Afrosofia.One of the book's main accomplishments is the development of what Kodena calls the unitive blueprint.Afrosofian epistemology offers an ontological and scientific vision of human unity rooted in African antiquity, not simply a critique of Eurocentric systems.Kodena urges a genuine engagement with a cosmic model grounded in maa, advocating the removal of colonial epistemologies and inviting us to attune to the world's dynamic language and its natural, interconnected consequences.Echoing E. Bruce Bynum's assertion that "the deep and shared memory of all peoples is rooted in our genetic and DNA inheritance," Kodena emphasizes our shared origins, stating that all of us are variations of the original Homo sapiens; the African ancestor of our species.The Afrosofian concept exceeds cultural particularity, offering a universalist perspective rooted in Africa's foundational role from both cosmological and scientific standpoints.Kodena's appeal to decolonize academic practice is particularly persuasive.He challenges academics to consider their "epistemic motives" and criticizes the persistent "cultural alienation" experienced globally.Diop's corpus is viewed as a "shining lamp around which humanity can gather, each person speaking its own language, thinking in its concepts, and yet dialoguing with others" (30), rather than just as historical knowledge.This dialogical stance reflects Kodena's vision of a heterogeneous epistemic community committed to ecological equity, intellectual humility, and historical truth.In deepening this meditation on epistemic healing, Kodena examines Diop's vision in the face of persistent neocolonial aggression.He raises urgent and reflective questions, such as: "When shall we experience an era of lasting peace and shared prosperity among peoples and nations in this world?"(75).He introduces prophetic voices like Fanon, Obenga, and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, encouraging readers to see the "creator" within each of us capable of founding a new civilization (76).This vision, which Kodena terms a "'Mvettean' realistic utopia,"
Source: African Studies Review
Author: Diweng Mercy Dafong
Institution: University of Alabama
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4413227967