IFRA & IAS Seminar - Critical Decolonialities - Sanya Osha

On 27 February, IFRA-Nigeria and IAS were proud to welcome Professor Sanya Osha (African Studies Centre Leiden & ZMO Berlin) and Dr Philip Ademola Olayoku (University of Ibadan) as his discussant for an exploration of the philosophy of decolonialism on the theme "Decolonial approaches in Africana espistemologies of the global South". Prof. Osha presented a historical overview of decolonialism in philosophy, emphasizing its African roots alongside its Latin American development. His discussion centered on three influential African philosophers—Kwasi Wiredu, Paulin Hountondji, and Olabiyi Babalola Yai.

He first talked of Wiredu, who is often regarded as the greatest African philosopher of his generation, and his theory of ‘conceptual decolonization', inspiring comparisons of Western and indigenous philosophies through epistemological and linguistic analysis. His contemporary, Hountondji, was a critic of the relativism of ‘ethnophilosophy' and sought to reconcile universalism with local knowledge through the concept of 'endogenous knowledge.' Finally, Prof. Osha discussed the work of a man he worked with extensively on the UNESCO's epistemological forum project, Olabiyi Babalola Yai. In his final words, he also touched on Afro-Brazilian intellectual traditions shaped by the transatlantic slave trade.

The event concluded with a discussion between Dr Philip Ademola Olayoku and Professor Osha on language, modernity, and power dynamics in decolonialism, followed by a Q&A session on the future of decolonial thought. Click below to read a detailed summary of this seminar!

Professor Osha's full talk in now available on YouTube!

Professor Sanya Osha started by a short genesis of the concept of decolonialism in philosophy. Though popularized by Latin American researchers, he noted that its roots are also African. His presentation tackled the works of three great African philosophers : Kwasi Wiredu, Paulin Hountondji and Olabiyi Babalola Yai, and also delved into Afro-Brazilian philosophy.

First, he talked about the one who is often referred to as the "greatest African philosopher of his generation", Ghanaian Kwasi Wiredu (1931-2022). He famously developed the theory of 'conceptual decolonization', in which he used to confront the Western philosophical heritage with the indigenous philosophies, and determine what can be viable between the two. He undertook this project as both an epistemological comparison and a linguistic analysis. In many ways, he developed a modern African philosophical practice from his work, and many others following him used his methods in their own local contexts.

Paulin Hountondji (1942-2024), a contemporary and collaborator of Wiredu, is also a major voice in the philosophy of decolonialism, albeit a very different one. A Beninese philosopher, he studied in Paris and was influenced by the French philosophers of his time. When he returned to the continent in the 1960s, he brought back to light the work of forgotten XVIIIth century philosopher Anton Wilhelm Amo, who himself came from modern-day Ghana. Moreover, he also described the West as the center of intellectual production, while Africa was relegated to producing goods and analysed in-depth this international division of labour.

He also focused on the role of philosophy, in favour of universalism, arguing that it should be applied to all cultures in the same way. Accordingly, Hountondji was particularly known for his criticism of 'ethnophilosophy', as exemplified by the writings of Alexis Kagame and Placide Tempels. He argued that works attempting to capture an African anthological worldview lacked scientific rigors, and were relativist - which he believed philosophy shouldn't be. The reference for his thoughts on the subject is his 1976 book African Philosophy: Myth and Reality. However, he was also critical of humanism's incapacity to encompass the differences between people's experiences worldwide. Professor Osha noted that he tried to reconcile these two ideas through the concept of 'endogenous knowledge'. Indeed, he led a project along with his students, attempting to collect indigenous knowledge systems. The findings can be found in the book Endogenous knowledge: Research Trails.

The final scholar mobilised by Professor Osha was the Beninese philosopher Olabiyi Babalola Yai (1939-2020). He attempted to recuperate indigenous knowledge in art history, philosophy, language and all other aspects of society, with a specific focus on Yoruba culture. The two men worked together on the 'epistemological forum' of the UNESCO General History of Africa, volume IX. They brought together philosophers from all around the globe to look at the question of decolonialism in a global perspective, interested in the concept of 'global Africa' in which the continent and diasporas are linked by a common history.

In conclusion, Professor Osha touched on Afro-Brazilian intellectual traditions, who originated with the slave trade. Many Africans were brought to South America, but after a major rebellion in 1835, the Malê Revolt, several started to return to West Africa. They brought back with them Portuguese architecture and traditions which they assimilated back into local African cultures. 

Dr Olayoku responded to the intervention by commenting on several points raised by Professor Osha. He added his own thoughts and questions on knowledge's dependence on language, how it shapes what we memorialize, and on decolonialism as a way of inventing a new modernity. The following dialogue between Prof. Osha and Dr. Olayoku raised the topics of the changing meanings of the terms colonialism and decolonialism, panafricanism, the asymmetry of power and the struggle to bring about change.

Finally, the event ended with a Q&A session on topics such as the criticism of decoloniality as a concept, the need to confront Western paradigm to move forward with the decolonial project and other fascinating topics.