Should Africans give up on the epistemic decolonisation project? A critical evaluation of Bernard Matolino’s “Whither epistemic decolonisation”

Abstract

In 21st-century Africa, decolonisation has become the heartbeat of African philosophy, and epistemic decolonisation has taken the protagonist role in the theatre of African philosophy. As contemporary African philosophers continue to philosophise within the  decolonial discourse, a debate has emerged on the importance of the epistemic decolonisation project in post-independence Africa.  Bernard Matolino has unequivocally expressed his scepticism in this debate against the epistemic decolonisation project. He argues that  theorising on epistemic decolonisation is fruitless, a waste of time, and must be abandoned. On the contrary, I argue that Matolino’s  position is mistaken. This is because epistemic decolonisation is an empowerment project that offers solutions to perennial African  problems, and Africans ought to continue theorising about it. I support my argument by developing an epistemic decolonisation account,  which I call the Double Enlightenment Project (DEP).