Philosophy for Children: the quest for an African perspective

Abstract

The debate as to whether philosophy is suitable for children is an ancient one and the discussion of philosophical issues has been withheld from the young since Plato’s time. This paper seeks to examine the possibility of a Philosophy for Children programme in Africa. This presentation is a critical discourse on the concept of Philosophy for Children in the context of Africa through African-centred criteria. The paper attempts to recover aspects of the traditional African education and ways of philosophizing that may have been effective for earlier purposes but now need to be reconceptualised in new ways to serve today’s purposes. This document discussion shows the need to hybridize traditional African ways of doing philosophy with children within the 21st century African milieu.

Keywords: African perspective; children; philosophy for children; philosophy