On Chimakonam’s “Africanizing the Philosophy Curriculum Proposal”: A rejoinder from an Open model perspective

Abstract

There is a recent call for the Africanization of the philosophy curriculum in African universities. Though this is a worthwhile venture, we believe care must be taken in adopting a model for the curriculum. Thus, we reject the three models proposed by Chimakonam (the B, C, and D models). The D model proposes that African philosophy content, should totally replace the Western philosophy that presently dominates the curriculum, while the C model demands that African philosophy curriculum, should consists of two equal segments – African and Western philosophy and the student should choose to study whichever he/she wants. The B model on the other hand, advocates for a balance between Western and African philosophy courses. While acknowledging the powerful appeal of these arguments, we think the O (Open) model will be more appropriate. In this model, various philosophical courses in African, Western, Eastern and other regions would be thrown open as electives. We argue that this will give birth to a philosophy curriculum that is not lopsided or marginal in content.