L'idea di persona nella filosofia africana contemporanea

"The idea of person in contemporary African philosophy" is a title that reveals the intention, and at the same time, the material object as well as the formal object of our research. The material object is composed by the philosophical production of the notable contemporary African writers, and through “Palabre” with numerous African Sages living in the Province of Inhambane (Mozambique), with whom we have further examined the issue of “person”. The formal object is precisely the idea of “person”, or the theoretical model to justify its own universal character (man´s truth) and its distinctive historical character (African tradition). Finally, the intent of the research coincides with its formal object as well as with the critical justification of this model. The theoretical basis is that this model is rational, as it includes universality and truth, and thus conforms to the anthropological structure (existence of the person and his truth). The dissertation is divided into three parts. In the First part we find the reconstruction of the real “history of ideas”, a critical analysis of the texts of the African philosophers who have contributed meaningful ideas regarding the African person. In the Second part we find a convergence of the results of various studies and Palabre with a large group of African Sages of Inhambane. Our study was conducted according to the methodology of the Sage Philosophy, who have virtually confirmed the ideas derived from critical analysis conducted in the first part. Finally, in the third part, after a systematic recovery of the results achieved in the first two parts, we find an outline of the African theoretical model of “person” derived from our research, a model that we will call "Muntuismo”. The "Muntuismo," according to our proposal, will be the theoretical model in which to develop the study of African Personalism.