Abstract

This chapter examines themes and issues in two phases of African Existentialism, the first in premodern Africa and the second in modern Africa. By premodern Africa, I mean here African cultural experiences prior to contact with foreign cultures, and by modern I mean the exact opposite, African cultural experiences after her contact with foreign cultures as we experience today. In the first phase, I show that primary concern and theme in Africa Existentialism is the question of the meaning of life. According to African traditional thought, the life of an African is meaningful if he or she lives in a community-accepted life. I also explore the issue that arises from this theme, such as individual autonomy in a living community-accepted life. In the second phase, I show that the concern shifted primarily to the question of African identity and authenticity of life in the face of Western influence. In this case, I explore the works of African existentialist such as Frantz Fanon and Aimé Césaire. I concluded that African existentialism is an essential part of the African philosophy curriculum for understanding the identity and meaningfulness of life of the African person.