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Philosophic Sagacity and Intercultural Philosophy Mosima, Pius Tilburg University Philosophic sagacity and intercultural philosophy Mosima, Pius Publication date: 2016 Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication in Tilburg University Research Portal Citation for published version (APA): Mosima, P. (2016). Philosophic sagacity and intercultural philosophy: Beyond Henry Odera Oruka. [s.n.]. 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Download date: 27. sep. 2021 PHILOSOPHIC SAGACITY AND INTERCULTURAL PHILOSOPHY AND INTERCULTURAL PHILOSOPHIC SAGACITY PHILOSOPHIC SAGACITY AND INTERCULTURAL PHILOSOPHY BEYOND HENRY ODERA ORUKA Pius Maija Mosima Pius Maija Mosima PHILOSOPHIC SAGACITY AND INTERCULTURAL PHILOSOPHY: BEYOND HENRY ODERA ORUKA Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit van Tilburg, op gezag van de rector magnificus Prof. dr. Emile Aarts in het openbaar te verdedigen ten overstaan van een door het college voor promoties aangewezen commissie in de aula van de Universiteit op 16 februari 2016, om 14.15 uur door Pius Maija Mosima geboren op 10 augustus 1970 in Buea, Kameroen. 501712-L-bw-Mosima Promotores Prof. Dr. Wim M.J. van Binsbergen Prof. Dr. Walter van Beek Other members of the committee Prof. Dr. G. Ernst Prof. Dr. K. von Benda-Beckmann – Drooglever-Fortuyn Dr. P. Boele van Hensbroek Dr. J. Jans © Pius Maija Mosima ii 501712-L-bw-Mosima PHILOSOPHIC SAGACITY AND INTERCULTURAL PHILOSOPHY: BEYOND HENRY ODERA ORUKA 501712-L-bw-Mosima DEDICATION To my father: Papa Joseph Mokonya Mosima (Rest in Peace) iv 501712-L-bw-Mosima ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Any academic work is the fruit of the collective effort of many. It is with this awareness that I would like to acknowledge, with sincere gratitude, all those who have helped me in realizing this work, especially those mentioned here. I would like to offer gratitude to four categories of people. In the first place, I am heavily indebted to my supervisors, Professor Wim van Binsbergen of the Erasmus University, Rotterdam, and the African Studies Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands; and Professor Walter van Beek of Tilburg University and the African Studies Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands. Professor van Binsbergen not only elected me from among many applicants for doctoral supervision, but has consistently guided me from the time of conceiving the theme to the final write-up of this dissertation. Besides provision of guidance, he also looked for several grants for me to help in the completion of this project. Professor van Binsbergen also made three very successful teaching/supervision tours in Cameroon. The fruitful discussions and lectures led this project to take an interesting pace with unforgettable human intercultural encounters. His visits and interactions with the people of my village have encouraged the entire village to award him part of the royal title I share. Let me also add that my relation with Professor van Binsbergen went beyond just that of a professor/student relation. He and the wife, Mama Patricia van Binsbergen, play the role of parents to me and love is felt between our families in Haarlem and Buea. In this regard, I wish to thank Mama Patricia van Binsbergen and all the children. I am also grateful to Professor van Beek for providing pertinent comments to this work and for finalizing the proceedings for the defence of this thesis. Secondly, my lecturers at the University of Yaounde I and the University of Yaounde II-Soa have also been very instrumental in my orientation. In this regard, I thank Professor Hubert Mono Ndjana, Professor Godfrey Tangwa, Professor Bongasu Tanla Kishani, Professor Nkolo Foe, and Professor Michael Aletum Tabuwe. These professors took great interest in my work and made very helpful comments and suggestions. I am also grateful to Ruadhan Hayes for his constructive criticisms and his correcting and editing of this work. v 501712-L-bw-Mosima Thirdly, I am particularly grateful to my colleagues at the Department of Sociology, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto-Nigeria. They include Professor Mohammed Kuna, Dr Fatima Adamu, Dr Amzat Jimoh, and the post-graduate students of that department (2007/2008). I am also very grateful to Dr Ulrike Schultz of the Freie Universität Berlin, and to the Volkswagen Stiftung Germany for providing travel grants for my trips to Nigeria. My colleagues at the Erasmus University Rotterdam were also very instrumental in providing insightful comments during research seminars where my research proposal was critiqued and commented upon. Their insightful criticisms and suggestions were subsequently incorporated into this dissertation. I mention here Dr Stephanus Djunatan, Dr Julie Duran-Ndaya, Dr Louise Muller, Mrs Kirsten Seifikar, Dr Pascal Touoyem, and Dr Fred Woudhuizen. I am immeasurably indebted to the Editorial Board of Quest: An African Journal of Philosophy, especially the Editor, for providing me with back copies of that journal, enabling me to have a wide range of various world-class articles on the subject of African/intercultural philosophy. I also thank Dr Marloes Janson and Dr Kai Kresse of the Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin, Germany for providing me with research documents on African/intercultural philosophy. I must extend my appreciation to the Gruen Berlin Park und Garten for funding my trip to Berlin for guest lectures and research on African/intercultural philosophy. My research students and friends in Germany and Norway need to be mentioned here. I am thinking of Ulrike Schaper, Tomoko Mamine, Elisabeth Bollrich, Karl Gaufin, Ilka Eikenhoff, Andrea and Kamel Louafi, Petra Schlegel, Helmut Siering, and Hendrik Gottfriedsen. I am also indebted to Professor Barry Hallen of Morehouse College and Associate in the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University, USA, for providing me with vital documentation on African philosophy. I thank them also for their support and valuable advice, suggestions, and criticisms of my ideas. I express thanks to Professor Helen Lauer of the University of Legon, Ghana, Professor Joseph Asike of Howard University, USA, and Dr Anna Mdee of the University of Bradford, UK, for their enthusiasm and constructive contributions to this work. I also wish to extend thanks to the entire staff and students of the Department of Philosophy, University of Ibadan (2010/2011). Those who vi 501712-L-bw-Mosima immediately come to mind are Dr C.O. Agunlanna, Dr Bolatito Lanre-Abass, Dr Francis Offor, Dr Olatunji Oyeshile, Dr Isaac Ukpokolo, Mr Michael Igaga, and, in particular, Dr Adebola Ekanola. In connection with my trip to Ibadan, I wish to sincerely thank the Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation, Lagos-Nigeria; The Africa Institute for Leadership, Research and Development-South Africa; and the University of Ibadan for funding my trip. The entire body of students of the Department of Philosophy, Ecole Normale Superieure, Bambili (University of Bamenda) deserve my love, appreciation, and admiration for their active participation in my courses on African and Intercultural Philosophy. I also thank the staff and students of Benchmark Institute for Research and Development (BIRD) Yaounde for creating and sustaining financial, logistic, institutional, and social conditions that enabled me to complete this work. Fourthly, I should also acknowledge the material and moral support I received from my parents. It is through their sacrifice that I had the opportunity to receive a solid academic foundation that prepared me for the PhD programme. My brothers and sisters of the Mosima family too are not forgotten, because we have always worked as a team, with success, to enable all members of the family to progress. I am thinking of Philomena, Elizabeth, Stella, Daniel (Moto Young Ekuka), John Ndembe, Anne, my daughter Mary-Bright and my sons Henry, Joel, and Pius Junior. My wife Christie knows me too well and has been the main force in all my pursuits. I am, in like manner, thinking of my maternal aunts and uncles for their untiring love and support. I readily think here of Mrs Emma Fobia of Nguti and children, Mrs Anne Mojoko Musonge of Yaounde and children, Honourable Paul Meoto Njie, Eric, and Njombe Ewusi. Finally, the Religious of Jesus and Mary in Mendong-Yaounde and Ekpoma-Nigeria, have been a major support for me. They have always encouraged me to carry out research, especially when I had thorny and highly critiqued chapters to write. I specially thank Sr Martine, Sr Linda, Sr Ursula, and Sr Marie. I sincerely thank Reverend Fathers Basile Sede, Raphael Kolle, Francis Ndeh, Giles Ngwa, Ben Asek, Willibroad Sakwe, Raphael Aletum, Charles Nguobi, Humphrey Tatah, Joseph Mbiydzenyuy, Patrick Malange, Alexander Sop, Kisito Wung, John Tchamnda, vii 501712-L-bw-Mosima Patrick Harrington, Kisito Forbi, Henry Amin,
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