Philosophizing in isiXhosa and the Re-Africanization of Thought
Interview with Simphiwe Sesanti
Language of the Interview: English
Conducted by Monika Rohmer
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In this conversation, Prof. Simphiwe Sesanti explores the philosophical and political implications of thinking in African languages, particularly isiXhosa, within the broader movement of Re-Africanization and the African Renaissance.
He introduces the isiXhosa term inkcuba buchopho—derived from ukuchuba, “to peel”—to describe philosophizing as “peeling the brain,” that is, penetrating beneath surface appearances. For Sesanti, this expression illustrates that African languages themselves contain rich philosophical vocabularies and do not depend on translation from European thought.
Tracing the idea of an African Renaissance to Cheikh Anta Diop’s 1948 call for intellectual renewal in African languages, Sesanti emphasizes that genuine rebirth requires reclaiming Africa’s political, cultural, and spiritual heritage. His notion of Re-Africanization, inspired by Amílcar Cabral, highlights restoration rather than imitation: it seeks to recover Africa’s own intellectual and scientific traditions—from ancient Kemet to contemporary scholarship—rather than merely adapting foreign models. In his teaching, Sesanti challenges the assumption that Africanizing education lowers academic standards. He reminds students that African institutions of learning once served as international centers of knowledge and that international does not mean European.
Addressing imbalances of language, region, and gender, Sesanti argues for deliberate corrective action: women must be consciously centered in intellectual life, not as beneficiaries but as equals. He further shows how language encodes philosophical values, noting that the isiXhosa word iqabane (“equal”) better conveys mutual respect than the English “wife.” For Sesanti, to philosophize in African languages is an act of decolonization—a way of reclaiming the authority to think, name, and imagine the world through Africa’s own conceptual resources.
The following questions are posed in the interview:
- What does it mean to philosophize in isiXhosa?
- What is the concept of “African Renaissance” about?
- Why do you prefer to speak of Re-Africanization instead of Africanization?
- What do you teach your students about Kemet (Ancient Egypt) and how do they react?
- What are your ideas for tackling the imbalances between languages, world regions and genders in the practice of philosophy?