African Thought and Western (European) Misconception: An Afrocentric Paradigm

Abstract

The present study is a critical examination of a model of African thought in which Afrocentricity as a theory is employed. During both pre-colonial and colonial times, people from the West (Europe) believed themselves to be more intelligent than Africans. This misconception about African knowledge systems led to the labelling of Africa as the “dark continent”. This article explores this controversial issue by engaging with previous contributions which delved into similar debates. It is argued that “intelligence” cannot be defined by the colour of the skin. The discussion dialogues with Molefi Kete Asante’s Afrocentric theory with regard to African thought and Western misconceptions. Examples of persons celebrated as being endowed with exceptional knowledge in both leadership and academic capacities are cited. Unique architectural sites in southern Africa are also discussed as evidence of ancient civilisations on the continent. Decoloniality is used as a research method.

Keywords:

• Africa
• Afrocentricity
• colonialism
• decoloniality
• intelligence
• Molefi Kete Asante
• dark continent