Lagos Notes and Records

The assertion that “I” am because “We are” is the cornerstone of Africa’s relational ontology, grounded in the phenomenological spirit. The purport of this relational ontology is that, because of a We, we have an I. In other words, the individual's life is meaningful only within the context of the community. If there is an I because of a We, what value should we place on the destiny of communities? The community is central to the individual's life and survival. But communities are collectivities of individuals with diverse orientations, perceptions and attitudes. So, there are diverse identities in communities seeking participation and inclusion. This strikes at the core of the problem of identity and difference, and of reconciling the one and the many. How can communities shape the lives of individuals with diverse temperaments and orientations to help them actualise their potential for the greater good of all? By mediating the tension between individuals, on the one hand, and the tension between individuals and the community, on the other hand. Phenomenology can help achieve both. It is how to achieve this task to mellow down the bellicose temperament of mankind inebriated by the metaphysical spirit of superior-holier-than-thou attitude, dogmatism, intolerance, and fundamentalism that I set out to explore in this lecture.