Traditional African Communalism and the Neo-communal Spirit in Africa

Abstract

Communalism in traditional African Societies has become a common theme in most discourses on African Philosophy. This has made it crucial that detailed studies be done on this way of life to establish its underlying philosophical tenets and its impact on the people and societies in Africa. This study, therefore, has attempted an examination of the reality and Ontology of communalism in traditional African societies, the underlying philosophical issues, and the influence that it has continued to exert on the continent since the end of colonialism. In order to do this, the study begins with an examination of the Ontology and Phenomenology of communalism as a form of social organization in traditional African societies. A case study of a specific traditional society is used for the purposes of unveiling and understanding the specific features, norms, practices and institutions that served as means to communalism. It is established that the society, developed deliberate institutions and practices that ensured a communal and harmonious society. The case society also enables us to understand certain underlying issues in traditional communalism. The study goes on to show that the sustenance of communalism in traditional African societies was greatly enhanced by the people's apparent orientation towards the past, which is herein referred to as a past-word looking philosophy. The ideal for most African societies, it appears, lay in the past while the future was shunned and associated with uncertainties and dangers. In addition to this philosophy, the existence and belief in a mystic force, the use of customary morality and the subjection of these societies under the authority of elders and ancestors ensured the institutionalization and intensification of communalism in traditional Africa The study shows that communalism was a deliberately desired social structure which was established and zealously sustained by a people's Will and desire to survive under the most certain and tried conditions. At independence, the colonial era in Africa was seen to have eroded and corrupted the African culture, way oflife and therefore identity. The period at and after independence was therefore dominated by a neo-cornmunal spirit as an attempt by Africans to restore their traditional values and ways of life, their dignity and as a way of facing up to the challenges of the post independent era. In our study, neo-cornmunalism testifies to the lasting impact that communalism had had on the African people and their societies. The study shows that this impact has made communalism and its inherent features and characteristics to continue manifesting themselves in the continent, unfortunately and largely in a negative way. The study concludes that communalism was a reality in traditional African societies and had a farreaching impact on the African people and their societies, so much so that it continues to manifest itself in various forms in contemporary Africa. A number of contemporary African problems appear to have their roots in traditional communal ways of life. And finally, the reality of communalism in Africa, as it appears, lies not in its existence but in the fact that it was institutionalized, intensified and lasted longer in Africa than anywhere else and, thus, the impact it has had on the continent.